Hoops come from behind twice to earn impressive point.

Oxford City 2

Coyle 22'

Jones 78'

Darlington 2

Forbes 18'

Main 33'

Oxford City came from behind twice in a pulsating game at Court Place Farm to draw 2-2 at home with Darlington in Vanarama National League North.

Goals from Lewis Coyle and Jalen Jones earned a point for City in a game that could’ve easily swung either way.

Selection

Sam Cox made two changes from the team that drew on the opening day from Marine.

Zac McEachran & Cardo Siddik dropped to the bench in favour of Jacob Roddy and Cole Kpekawa.

New loan signing Aidan Elliott-Wheeler started on the bench after he joined from Oxford United. Louis Walsh missed out with a niggle. 

First-Half

The game started brightly with the Hoops almost making a lighting quick start. From kick-off, City almost struck, a long ball forward from Ashby found Brad Stretton who almost fired City in front in a matter of seconds. 

Darlington opened the scoring in the eighteenth minute. Elliot Forbes’ shot from the edge of the box looked rather tame, but it had enough power on the shot to squirm past McKenzie-Lyle and into the net. 

However, Oxford City found an equaliser almost instantly. A well-worked set piece found Stretton on the edge of the box who helped the ball along to Coyle.

From there, Coyle unleashed a fierce drive into the bottom corner of the net.

However, the goals kept coming. The backtracking Cole Kpekawa couldn’t halt Cedric Main’s surging run and the forward kept his composure to pick out the corner of the net.

Once again, City weren’t to be dismayed after going behind. Josh Ashby came close to levelling for a second time, but his effort from the edge of the box curled round the wrong side of the post.

If Coyle’s first goal was good, he almost went one better just before the interval. Once again, he took aim from distance, but this time Jameson managed to parry another drive wide.

Half-Time: Oxford City 1-2 Darlington

Second-Half

After the interval, Darlington showed why many have tipped the Quakers to be in the promotion hunt in April.

Will Hatfield should’ve made it 3-1 in the 51^st minute. When the ball found its way to the Darlington captain with acres of space, he looked certain to score.

However, McKenzie-Lyle produced a superb stop to deny the Quakers midfielder, and tip a fierce drive over the crossbar. A let off for the Hoops.

Steve Watson’s team looked solid at the back too, and City’s task was to break the lock. The introduction of Zac McEachran & Aidan Elliott-Wheeler injected an element of dynamism into the team and chances began to follow.

McEachran had two chances saved by Jameson in the Darlington goal as Sam Cox’s side pushed for a way back into the contest.

City kept pushing and they did find a way back into the game again. The Quaker’s defence didn’t deal with Stretton’s corner into the box, and Jalen Jones duly fired the ball into the back of the net from close-range.

That goal gave City a renewed sense of optimism, and the Hoops continued to probe for a third goal.

Josh Ashby thought he’d grabbed that third goal for City, but once again Peter Jameson was a thorn in City’s side to make the save.

As we entered the final minutes of the contest, both sides started to believe that they could steal all three points in a tightly fought affair.

When the fourth officials board showed seven minutes of additional time, it only added to the drama and the woodwork became the star of the show.

McKenzie-Lyle was in the thick of the action again as Will Flint thought he’d stolen a huge three points at the death. 

The midfielder’s shot cannoned off the crossbar before the City stopper quickly reacted to stop the rebound from finding the net.

The woodwork denied City next... Twice. The Hoops squad were almost queuing up to shoot when the ball was laid back to the edge of the box.

Fleet remained composed to loop a shot towards the top corner of the net. Jameson was beaten but the post came to the Darlington ‘keeper’s rescue.

They weren’t done there though as Coyle rattled the woodwork next. Firing towards goal from the edge of the area, the shot was fierce, Jameson was beaten again… but the post denied City once more.

After a pulsating end to the game, perhaps City can feel hard done by to leave with just a solitary point.

However, the 2-2 draw means that the Hoops remain unbeaten under Sam Cox.

Next up, City travel to Curzon Ashton on Tuesday evening looking for their first three points of the season.

Attendance: 862

Oxford City Starting XI: McKenzie-Lyle, Burley, Jones, Kpekawa (Siddik 90’), Roddy (McEachran 46’), Carbon (Fleet 67’), Ashby, Coyle, Stretton, Parker (Andrews 72’), Potter (Elliott-Wheeler 46’)



Subs not used: Siddik

Darlington Starting XI: Jameson, Hedley, Barrow, Lees, Forbes, Hatfield ©, Maskell (Salkeld 82’), Main (Nelson 38’), Flint, Rivers (Cornish 63’), Griffths

Subs not used: McGrath, Payne