Biggleswade Town 0-3 Oxford City (FA Trophy Round Four)
Happy New Year. Finally, I'm back in the soccer saddle after a couple of weeks off to take in some relaxing family festivities. On Saturday, my returning match and first of 2025 was annoyingly called off between Scunthorpe and Brackley and tonight my proposed game with Ilkeston and Stockton Town was postponed due to Stockton re-arranging their originally snowed off FA Trophy match with Rochdale for Wednesday, however, instead of heading three hours north this midweek, I've chosen a game two hours south as Biggleswade Town take on Oxford City in the very same competition.
The Waders are bottom of the Southern League Central Division whilst Oxford have been struggling in the National League North this season after relegation from the fifth tier last term.
The Hoops are eighteenth in their league and came through their first two Trophy ties with a 5-0 win against Sporting Khalsa ahead of a narrow 2-1 victory over Hadley FC.
Biggleswade haven't won in the league since September but their form in the Trophy has been good. Jimmy Martin's young side have seen off Marlow and Potters Bar before a thrilling 5-4 win against Coleshill when they came back from 0-3 down to win with an injury time goal, they beat AFC Totton on penalties in the last round and also did previously ok in the FA Cup before losing to Alfreton Town in the fourth qualifying round.
I'm awaiting a 3pm pitch inspection for confirmation before I'm out the door. The A1 at Grantham has closed due to some treacherous flooding in these parts so I'm driving through Melton Mowbray which also had its fair share of rain on Monday (making the National news), eventually joining the Great North Road heading South, from Leicestershire.
The Venue
Biggleswade is right on the A1. I'm turning left at a Sainsbury's and through the town which is quaint, quiet, calm and home to just 22,000 which is interesting, considering those locals having three semi professional football teams to follow these days.
I'm routed onto Langford Road which is back under the A1, as I pull into the ground entrance, a complex with several football pitches on the edge of town, I wonder 'is it the closest non league venue to the A1 in Britain?' as you see the drone of traffic to my right fly by.
You can park outside the turnstiles which is great. It's not much to look at as I walk towards the entrance sign, by now dark and cold on a Tuesday night, only dimly lit with the lights half on ahead of the pre-game warm ups.
Through the wooden shed like entrance there's a boy on the gate, the sort of look of a lad that will tell you he'll watch over your car for a fiver, "How much" I say. "£12 adults, we've got programmes and pin badges too" he says in an unbroken southern accent.
Turns out he's also the PA and a joy to behold as he announces half the home team by first name only. Some tricky African sounding names in that to be fair, I don't really blame him as he prefers to use 'Bamsa' and 'Obi' for Bamsa Marthamasabesi and Obidinma Onyeagawa.
Inside the arena it's sparse ahead of kick off. Just a small tin roofed green seated stand I'm sat in on half way, opposite a bit of a roofed standing area behind the dugouts, to my left another small roofed area in one corner behind the goal, to my right, standing room only open to the elements, behind that a five a side floodlit pitch which is busier tonight than it is in here.
The Game
It's a scrappy start as neither team look entirely comfortable on the ball on a pitch that has a bobble but is in relatively good nick considering the recent bad weather. Oxford are more progressive, intention to get the ball forward to their danger men out wide in attack, in return Biggleswade sit deep and clear their lines in the hope it'll find one of their three front men who all have pace.
It's been a battle with not much quality to tell, Josh Parker flicks a foot at one which goes straight to the Waders keeper who then makes a good save from the same player from point blank range to keep the score at nil nil, but danger man Parker has been kept mostly quiet by home team skipper Ryan Doherty who heads everything that comes his way. The visitors play through the impressive Reece Fleet in the centre of the park, but the best player of the half for me is the talented twenty year old Onyeagawa who offers Biggleswade an outlet out left, he glides on a sometimes tricky surface, on the stroke of half time he takes the ball down brilliantly before lashing a shot wide, the end product missing, a story of the half.
The Score
"Scrappy isn't it" says the Oxford City media guy in a northern accent at the break. But the second half is much better from the visitors, they find an opening when Andre Burley is left free at the back post on 49, he makes no mistake to slot home unopposed. Josh Parker is then sent through racing on goal, Jack Berman in the Biggleswade goal staying on his line, Parker's answer is to run into the box and smash the ball as hard as he can into the roof of the net. An emphatic finish for a former football league player of high quality.
That eases the away team tension as one of their technical team in touch with the dugout sitting besides me, finishes off his burger, it's now a canter for the step two team and they finish things off when Josh Ashby chips in a delightful ball to Corrie Andrews who adds a third from close range.
The final acts offer some chance for substitution, by now my hand warmers have ran out of life and my feet and fingers are starting to freeze in the 2 degrees.
One plus note on the final whistle, the burger van is still open, I manage to order a Cumberland Sausage dog with onions for six quid which I finish off whilst sitting in my car waiting for my windscreen to unfreeze ahead of my journey home.
The Stars
Oxford came of age in the second half, they saw a lot of the ball in the first half without really penetrating Biggleswade but created chances largely through Josh Parker who's movement was top draw. He's now 34 but is one of the best players in the team.
The Hoops midfield was eventually the engine that made the telling difference, Reece Fleet and Josh Ashby too strong, too experienced, too savvy for their opponents, Zac McEachran as always in the number ten role, hovering to make things happen too.
I liked Oxford's full backs, Burley and in particular Ezennoum who did well. For Biggleswade they had a lot of technical pacey players of similarity, not strong enough through the spine to compete on a combative level, but I liked Onyeagawa who I think would even improve the Oxford City team, in attack Cyrus Babaie was also a nuisance, he looks to have goals in him with good feet although slightly frail, whilst Ryan Doherty in the first half especially, at centre half, played well.
The Verdict
Biggleswade are bottom of their league by some distance, and without being rude you can see why, too many technical players, not enough grit, physicality, steel or substance, they need some experience, a nasty centre half, an old head in defence, a midfield enforcer, a big number nine, add that, and they will come good, but without them, they'll be destined to go down as they'll struggle to mix it when and where it matters most.
As for Oxford, they'll see this competition as a way to get some funds back into the club. Who knows Wembley is even possible for a side who last season played in the National League. "away games cost us 8 grand a night in hotels" said their media man who stated "we went up three years too early" admitting for part time teams it's a tough test in a predominantly professional division.
They certainly won't be going up this season, but being competitive and giving their fans something to look forward to is certainly something, next in round five they'll host Forest Green Rovers who are flying high in the fifth tier, beat them and the quarter finals await.
The Teams
Biggleswade Town: Jack Berman, Bamsa Marthamasebi, Callum Wilson, Patrick Staszewski (Louis Michel Yamfam 59), Ryan Doherty, Joshua Steele (William Ademiluyi 90), Florian Tsaguim (Sam Tinubu 55), Liam Andrews, Cyrus Babaie, Nagheeb Ibrahim, Obi Onyeagawa (Busomo Namputu 78).
Oxford City: Kai McKenzie-Lyle, Andre Burley, Chi Ezennoum, Josh Ashby (Cole Kpekawa 85), Jalen Jones, Lewis Coyle (Jayden Carbon 69), Reece Fleet, Corie Andrews, Zac McEachran (Alfie Potter 86), Josh Parker, Aaron Drewe.
7:45pm Kick Off. Tuesday 7th January 2025, Langford Road, Biggleswade (att 120).
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