Our Under 23’s season opener against Woodcote began as an evenly contested affair, with both sides close to getting their name on the scoresheet first. 

Shots were peppered towards goal by the City midfield, but all drifted just wide. A strong chance for captain William Longmatey came as a result of a corner, but fell short and was tipped over the bar.

Within the first ten minutes, the game seemed to be in the favour of City, with shots from close-range from Max Laschok and Finley Meikle, however both were held tightly by Woodcote’s keeper, Paul Strudley.

Woodcote’s first chance of the game came in the form of a set piece, but was quickly punched over the bar by City goalkeeper Alex Collie.

A long-range pass was struck down the field towards Woodcote’s number 17, Leon Marrion, who knocked the ball into the bottom corner of the net past the City keeper to make it 1-0.

To double their score, in the 14th minute, a direct pass from the midfield set up Marrion once again, with the forward chipping the ball over Collie’s head. The ball crashed into the net to increase Woodcote’s score, giving Marrion a brace.

Two goals in two minutes increased the pressure on our young Cityzens, with the wings being overloaded by counter attacks. More shots were peppered by Woodcote’s wingers from outside the box, but defenders Mickael Vaisset and Kian Abery, alongside centre-midfielder Charlie Gmiterek, reclaimed possession quickly to prevent the visitor’s relentless attacks. 

Leon Marrion claimed his hat trick in the 30th minute following a short pass past Collie inside the box, which only added to the mountain City had to climb.

Andrew Tafeni’s attempt at goal came close as consolation for City, but was cleared outfield. Gmiterek sent a long-range strike from outside the box, but it was deflected out for a corner.

Set-pieces proved to be vital for City going forward, with Laschok manoeuvring goalwards, however his shot was also narrowly deflected. 

Just before the break, Woodcote came close to a fourth on a counter-attack, but ‘keeper Alex Collie sprinted out of goal to claim the ball and remove the danger. 

The final shot of the first half fell to City striker Max Laschok. As the ball flew over the top of the bar, the whistle blew to signify the end of the first 45.

Half Time: (City U23s) 0-3 (Woodcote)

The second half was kicked off by the visitors, with Woodcote’s number 15, Matthew Barnett, setting up their first attempt since the break, but it was safely caught by Collie.

A Woodcote corner curled in from the right to the near post, but Alex Collie was fouled and taken down on the goal line. A break in play entailed, with the resulting goal kick enabling our strikers to reach the final third once again. The shot was cleared for a City corner. 

Perhaps our closest chance of the evening arrived as a result of this, but the shot was saved on the goal line by Strudley.

City’s first substitution of the game saw a straight swap for forward Max Laschok, who was replaced by Reiss Baker. Woodcote also made their first change shortly after, which saw their number 14, Locke Harper, replace triple-scorer Leon Mannion. 

Another direct shot came from the visitors, which saw Woodcote’s number 10 Gianni Massi’s attempt blocked by City midfielder James Ashu. The referee deemed a foul occurred, and called for an indirect free kick to the opposition.

A triple substitution around the sixty-minute mark saw City players James Ashu, Kian Abery and Luka Marusic leave the field of play to make way for Keigan Allen, Daniel Nderitu and Mael Le Paih.

Woodcote’s second substitution of the evening occurred just before a City free kick. Taken by Allen, defender Meikle tried to strike, but it eventually rolled out of play following a scramble in the box.

A foul against Le Paih was deemed to be a Woodcote throw-in, but City stood strong, building up an attack into the final third. The final 20 minutes saw multiple shots parried at the opposition’s goal, but all drifted wide past the post. 

Woodcote’s number 8, Archie Simpson, came close to goal minutes later, but his headed attempt flies past the top right corner of the goal. 

As the final ten minutes approached, ‘keeper Alex Collie saved a very near attempt. Tafeni crosses to Le Paih, but Strudley continues to be difficult to beat, and the ball is calmly held.

A bottom corner strike sees Woodcote add another to the scoresheet, this time through winger Joe Webber, in the final few minutes of regular time. Longmatey restarts the City attack, continued by Allen, Tafeni and Baker, but all shots are batted away.

In the dying minutes, the ball is knocked into the net once again. Although initially believed to be an own goal, this can be confirmed to have been scored by Woodcote winger Jay Herbert.

Full Time: (City U23s) 0-5 (Woodcote)

A tough one to take for our young Cityzens. Action in the Premier Division of the Thames Valley Premier League will continue this weekend as Sheldon Baptiste’s team take on Maidenhead Town down at the Atrium on Saturday.