Crusaders luckless at City

Hungerford fell five points adrift of safety as Zac McEachran inspired Oxford City to victory on Boxing day.

Ian Herring made three changes to the side that played Dulwich on Saturday. George Smith, Matt Jones and Yan Klukowski came into the starting eleven. James Rusby, Marcus Johnson-Schuster and Mike Jones all had to make way. Johnson-Schuster didn't feature in the squad altogether so Joe Tomlinson, a left back by trade, deputised on the right hand side.

The visitors made a positive start winning four corners inside the first six minutes. Ten minutes later they got the game's opening goal. Kyran Wiltshire's free kick was blocked and Hungerford quickly counter attacked. Jones scampered down the left hand side, delivering for Liam Ferdinand to slot home into the corner of the net. After taking the lead Hungerford seemed to sit back with the hosts seeing a-lot of the ball even if they failed to create much with it. Josh Ashby floated a free kick a foot over the bar before McEachran forced Adam Sivter into a routine first save of the afternoon. However on forty minutes the games big talking point played out. Jones collected the ball onto his right foot shifting away from a defender who then needlessly brought him down in the penalty box. The linesman closest to the incident initially waved his flag for a foul but referee Andrew Humphries didn't use the advice of his linesman, and only gave a corner kick. One minute later at the other end McEachran found room on the edge of the box and struck a beautiful effort into the roof of the net. For a penalty not being given Hungerford were brutally punished.

Matters went from bad to worse after the break. Bradley Webb was forced off with a hamstring injury at half time, Dan Bailey replaced him with Jones moving to left back. Less than forty-five seconds into the restart a clearance by Taofiq Olomowewe rebounded of Elliot Benyon, with the ball tricking into the net beyond a stranded Siviter. With under half an hour remaining City gained a two-goal cushion in controversial circumstances. Jones was barged out of the way by Kyran Lofthouse but the referee didn't give a foul to the bemusement of many players who'd stopped playing thinking the referee was to blow his whistle. Lofthouse made the most of the situation passing to McEachran who got Oxford's third of the afternoon. Apart from one McEachran attempt forcing a good save from Siviter, Craig King was busy in-between the sticks as Hungerford piled on the pressure for the final twenty minutes. Rusby halved the deficit with a thumping header but for all the free kicks and corners an equaliser wasn't forthcoming.