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SPIRITED YOUNGSTERS EARN DERBY DRAW!!

Match reports season 2007-08

22.04.08 hellenic premier

badshot lea 3 witney united 3 att 42

An entertaining game brought the curtain down on United's best ever season but it was denied the perfect ending by a bizarre piece of refereeing and a stunning strike.

The game got off to a tremendous start for United when Kevin Lewis raced onto a Jamie Mills through ball and although his initial shot was blocked by the keeper he kept his calm and lifted home the rebound.

However the lead was short lived with just five minutes on the clock a long throw by Bradley Smith was headed out wide where a cross was whipped back in and Darren Blake forced the ball past Chris Webb.

It was end to end stuff and a burst by Andrew Younie saw him get to the byeline where he pulled the ball into the path of Harry Burnley who in turn found Jon Steedman but his clipped effort landed on the roof of the net.

Younie was proving a constant thorn in the home defence and when he made his way into the 18 yard box and unleashed an effort it looked a goal but agonisingly the ball bounced away off the crossbar.

There was a let-off for United moments later when a long ball was misjudged by Steedman who was short with his headed backpass but luckily Smith couldn't get his header on target.

Blake was proving a handful for the United defence with his lung bursting runs from midfield and from one of these he hit a powerful effort which Webb did well to hold.

With eleven minutes remaining until the break United got the second goal when Luke Brandon executed a perfect slide rule pass and Jon-Paul Mills timed his run to perfection before dummying Peter Rapley and firing the ball into the empty net.

The home side were clearly affected by this and Jon-Paul Mills went close when he fired a shot into the side netting and then Burnley was denied by a flag after he fired home from Younie's good work.

Half-Time Badshot Lea 1 WITNEY UNITED 2

United were looking to kill the game off after the break and went close when Brandon hit a powerful effort but Rapley was equal to it and did well to hold it as the strikers waited to pounce.

On the hour came a big moment and one that United were left to rue when Stuart Douglas beat the offside trap with a run from deep and with Younie and Jon-Paul Mills screaming for the ball in the centre he opted to shoot and Rapley saved well but a square pass would have left an open goal for the two United men.

The home side were lifted by this and efforts from Terry Payne and Smith went wide before they got the equaliser on 66 minutes. Matthew Griffiths slid a pass between the United centre-backs and Smith poked the ball past Webb but it hit the post before Blake reacted quickest for his second goal of the night.

With thirteen minutes left on the clock United must have thought they had won it when Younie collected the ball 25 yards out before running at the defence and sliding past Rapley and into the bottom corner of the net.

With a minute to go United were given a warning when David Wing crashed the ball against the post with Webb well beaten.

However in injury time came a bizarre decision from which ultimately the equaliser came. United were awarded a throw on halfway and as Christian Perkins walked over to take it he was asked to hurry up, within seconds of saying it the referee awarded the throw in the other direction for time-wasting! From there another long throw was launched by Smith and the ball broke to Jason Short who hit a screaming effort from 30 yards into the top corner to grab a draw.

website review and mom

No end of season affair as both sides went hammer and tongs from the off until the finish. Both sides hitting woodwork but big moment when Dougy chose to shoot rather than square the ball but can't blame one person. MOm goes to Andrew Younie who gave the Badshot defence a terrible night and capped it with a goal.

Badshot lea	v	witney united
Peter Rapley	1	Chris Webb
Jason Short (90)	2	Dean Smith
Michael Smith	3	Jon Steedman
Lee Champion	4	Vinny Byfield
Daniel Griffiths	5	Andy Marriott
Matthew Griffiths	6	Jamie Mills
Anthony Wilcock	7	Luke Brandon
Bradley Smith	8	Jon-Paul Mills (34)
Darren Blake (5, 66)	9	Harry Burnley
Terry Payne	10	Andrew Younie (77)
Daniel Bailey	11	Kevin Lewis (1)
Substitutes		Substitutes
David Wing (on for 7, 50 mins)	12	Jimmy Griffin (on for 8, 78 mins)
Evan Tiggerie (on for 8, 89 mins)	14	Christian Perkins (on for 11, 70 mins)
Jesse Dagdag (on for 11, 57 mins)	15	Stuart Douglas (on for 9, 59 mins)

 

15.04.08 hellenic premier

witney united 5 AFC Wallingford 0 att 124

match sponsored by andy trowbridge

Needing just a point to clinch a top four place in the Hellenic Premier a ruthless display by United ensured they done the job in style at Marriotts Stadium last night.

With the visitors enduring a terrible time of late it was no surprise that United started on the front foot and should have taken the lead inside five minutes when Jon-Paul Mills played an inch perfect pass to Andrew Younie who slipped his marker but from an acute angle fired over the bar.

United didnt have to wait long though and with just nine minutes on the clock the opening goal duly arrived. Jon Steedman whipped in a low corner which wasnt cleared properly and the ball broke to Jon-Paul Mills who scuffed his original effort but made no mistake with his second attempt.

It was one way traffic as United poured forward in search of goals and they should have added a second when some intricate passing saw Harry Burnley on the right hand side of the area where he picked out Jon-Paul Mills who with the goal gaping amazingly stood on the ball, he recovered to get an audacious backheel effort away which was blocked and Younie fired the rebound over.

Younie was looking threatening everytime United attacked and he was denied when he ran onto a through ball by Luke Brandon and tried to lob Craig Evans but the keeper got a hand to it and tipped it away.

The same two players combined again just before the half-hour and Younie's shot was goalbound but somehow Evans got down to palm round the post. From the corner though United caught the visitors out and a quick one from Jon-Paul Mills to Steedman saw him cross to Andy Marriott who powered his header home.

Wallingford were struggling to keep hold of the ball but they came very close to scoring just before the interval when a chipped pass saw Peter Lamont race away from the defence and lift the ball over Chris Webb but the ball ran away from him and past the post to safety.

Half-Time WITNEY UNITED 2 AFC Wallingford 0

United continued to press after the break and a mixture of desperate defending and poor final balls kept them out for as long as it did but when they third goal came it was almost inevitable.

Dean Smith produced a stunning curling pass which found Kevin Lewis who ran on and smashed the ball home past Evans in the goal.

It was all Witney at this time and they went close when Younie broke clear he pulled the ball back to Brandon whose shot was clipped off the line by Jamie DeBanks.

Substitute Christian Perkins chased down a long ball and clashed with Evans and the ball broke free but Perkins shot his effort wide.

The amount of play that United were having it was evident that Wallingford were tiring and with just eight minutes left on the clock the fourth goal came. Brandon collected the ball and found Lewis who in turn picked out Andy Caton who calmly tucked the ball in via the inside of the post.

With five minutes remaining United were awarded a free-kick on the edge of the area and Steedman stepped up and hit a curling drive around the wall and into the bottom corner of the net to complete the scoring and a satisfactory night for The Blanketmen.

website review and mom

One of those games that in reality sometimes can be tricky. Frustration can creep in but to be fair United kept playing and the goals came at fairly regular intervals. Credit also to Wallingford who never gave in all night and kept their discipline when it most be difficult. MOM goes to Luke Brandon who covered every blade of grass on the Marriotts Stadium pitch.

Witney United	v	AFC Wallingford
Chris Webb	1	Craig Evans
Dean Smith	2	Aaron Davies
Jon Steedman (85)	3	Jame DeBanks
Vinny Byfield	4	Charlie Pearce
Andy Marriott (28)	5	Craig Pitson
Jamie Mills	6	John Shea
Luke Brandon	7	Craig Hambridge
Jon-Paul Mills (9)	8	Peter Lamont
Harry Burnley	9	Jordan Weaver
Andrew Younie	10	Sean Weston
Kevin Lewis (59)	11	Mike Fellows
Substitutes		Substitutes
Jimmy Griffin (NU)	12	Aaron Williams (NU)
Christian Perkins (on for 9, 75 mins)	14	Dinarte De Sousa (on for 10, 68 mins)
Andy Caton (on for 10, 75 mins) (82)	15	Brad Chalmers (NU)

 

12.04.08 hellenic premier

witney united 1 flackwell Heath 1 att 189

match sponsored by Henry smith

As United opened it's doors for their second Community Free Admission Day the visitors from Flackwell spoilt the party by securing a draw and leaving United having to wait a little longer to secure fourth place.

It was almost an amazing start for United when a Jimmy Griffin through ball bounced up and caught the defender out but Harry Burnley couldn't get any power on the header with less than 30 seconds on the clock.

Burnley turned creator for the next chance of the game when he done well to pick out Andrew Younie but the ball just wouldn't come down and the youngster struggled to get any sort of shot away.

The visitors were very lively up front with bags of pace but it was still the home side who were creating anything like chances and when Kevin Lewis laid the ball off to Younie he set off on a trademark run past a couple of defenders before his shot was well held by Carl Dennison.

Heath were clearly growing in confidence the longer the game went on and when a Matty Glynn cross was headed clear by Vinny Byfield it broke to Nathan Jack who didnt hesitate to hit a first time effort goalwards but the ball went over.

This woke United a little and a clever wriggling run from Jon-Paul Mills saw him get clear of some close attention and his near post effort was grabbed at the second attempt by Dennison.

On the stroke of half-time Chris Webb was called into action when Matt Glynn hit a 30 yard free kick but the United keeper got down well to hold the ball.

Half-Time WITNEY UNITED 0 Flackwell Heath 0

With the wind at their backs the crowd were looking for United to press the visitors back but it was Heath who had the first effort when Riccardo Cannon broke away from the defence but his shot lacked composure and went wildly over the bar.

Just after the hour though it was the visitors who took the lead when United failed to clear their lines twice and when the ball broke to Jack there seemed little danger but his powerful low shot beat Webb and went into the bottom corner of the net.

United were clearly stung by the goal and pressed forward looking for the equaliser. Jon Steedman produced a trademark inswinging corner but Andy Marriott got under the ball and it looped to safety.

Younie was denied by Dennison again just moments later after Jon-Paul Mills and Lewis had combined to release him but he chose the near post and the rather eccentric keeper got down to block.

With 18 minutes left on the clock United finally got their goal when Steedman whipped in an inch perfect corner and Marriott got up to power the header home.

With just five minutes left United almost scored the most bizarre goal when a Marriott header from defence was flicked on by Jon-Paul Mills and the bounce took the ball over the stranded keeper and he was thankful that Matt Rolfe got back to clear.

It was almost the visitors who snatched the points at the death though when Jack worked himself a position to cross and Cannon got in to flick the ball but a combination of Webb and the post kept the ball out and ensured United of a point.

website review and mom

We werent at our best but again showed our fight and determination to get something out of the game and in the end that point took us closer to the 4th place finish. The pace of Heath was impressive up top but to be fair they never had that many chances. MOM goes to Jamie Mills who tried to keep the ball on the deck and the game as simple as possible.

Witney United	v	flackwell heath
Chris Webb	1	Carl Dennison
Dean Smith	2	Scott Chapman
Jon Steedman	3	Paul Reed
Vinny Byfield	4	Matt Glynn
Andy Marriott (72)	5	Matt Rolfe
Jamie Mills	6	Adam Sharp
Jimmy Griffin	7	Stuart Maclellan
Jon-Paul Mills	8	Richard Glynn
Harry Burnley	9	Nathan Jack (62)
Andrew Younie	10	Riccardo Cannon
Kevin Lewis	11	Darren Moore
Substitutes		Substitutes
Luke Brandon (on for 10, 76 mins)	12	Alan Akerman (on for 8, HT)
Neil Maskell (NU)	14	Adam Toone (NU)
Stuart Douglas (on for 7, 89 mins)	15	Justin Tockley (NU)

 

05.04.08 hellenic premier

lydney town 0 witney united 3 att 117

On the day when a lot of people lost many backing horses in the Grand National United were more than equal to the obstacles put in their way at Lydney Town yesterday.

Things started bizarrely with the referee stuck in traffic and not expected to arrive until 4pm both sides agreed to a qualified home official running the line but the authorities declined the request only then to start the game at 3-30 with the home official running the line after all!

Having been ready to start for 3-00 it came as no surprise that neither side got going early on as the strong wind blowing into United's face made life tough for both sides.

As things got going though United started to create the chances and after some clever play between Andy Caton and Harry Burnley the ball landed at the feet of Jon-Paul Mills but he couldnt get power in his shot and Richard Thomas held the ball easily.

United were now getting on top and a one-two between Jimmy Griffin and Jon-Paul Mills saw the former send a delightful cross which Caton couldnt quite get his head to. The clearance was weak though and when the ball fell invitingly for Kevin Lewis he finished nonchalantly with the outside of his boot giving Thomas no chance.

The home side had offered no threat and Burnley went closest to scoring when he controlled a cross by Dean Smith but shot wide.

Half-Time Lydney Town 0 WITNEY UNITED 1

United with the wind at their backs were looking to kill the game off quickly and when Vinny Byfield launched a high ball which was headed out by Joe Macklin there appeared little danger but Griffin hit a rasping drive narrowly over the bar.

Within four minutes of the restart United effectively sealed the points when a Jon Steedman corner was met by the head of Byfield and cleverly turned in by Jon-Paul Mills to double the advantage.

It was all United now and no surprise when they extended their lead just before the hour when another Steedman corner was whipped in and Caton rose at the near post to head into the top corner for his first goal in United colours.

Jon-Paul Mills had been a thorn in the side of Lydney all afternoon and after Lewis and Burnley exchanged passes he fired off a shot which beat Thomas but also the outside of the post.

The home side were beginning to lose their discipline and United had good shouts for a couple of penalties when both Lewis and Andrew Younie were brought down in the box.

Younie had come off the bench and almost had an instant impact when he collected the ball wide on the left beat Sam Elliott with ease but his shot went the wrong side of the post.

The final whistle blew just after 5-15 and the large number of supporters from United who had made the trip showed their appreciation for a job very well done.

website review and mom

A very good performance from United as they dominated proceedings for almost the entire match. Chris Webb was a virtual spectator for the game having only six touches of the ball and having no saves to make. MOM saw a tremendous performance full of skill, grit, hard work and a goal from Jon-Paul Mills.

Lydney Town	v	witney united
Richard Thomas	1	Chris Webb
Matt Remnant	2	Dean Smith
Sam Elliott	3	Jon Steedman
Joe Macklin	4	Vinny Byfield
Damian Edward	5	Andy Marriott
Danny Clarke	6	Jamie Mills
Ricky Elliott	7	Harry Burnley
Jon Kear	8	Jimmy Griffin
Dan Bishop	9	Jon-Paul Mills (49)
Mark Allen	10	Andy Caton (58)
Ross Scott	11	Kevin Lewis (33)
Substitutes		Substitutes
Steve Warren (on for 2, 20 mins)	12	Neil Maskell (on for 5, 73 mins)
Stu Liddington (on for 11, 81 mins)	14	Andrew Younie (on for 10, 71 mins)
Rich Evans (on for 9, 70 mins)	15	Stuart Douglas (on for 7, 81 mins)

 

01.04.08 hellenic premier

witney united 2 shortwood united 0 att 105

Two second half strikes from Andrew Younie were enough to give United victory last night over a slick Shortwood United side at Marriotts Stadium.

Eager to get Saturday's defeat out of the system United went close to opening the scoring when a throw in by Jamie Mills was helped on to Younie who raced clear but he rushed his shot and the ball flew harmlessly wide.

Andy Caton was making his United debut and a tremendous diagonal ball from him pierced the Shortwood defence but Kevin Lewis couldnt control his lob and although it beat Gavin Dean it went wide of the goal.

The visitors were playing some lovely football in and around the box but their best chances were coming from the long throw ins of Luke Bennyworth and one of these was nodded back by Chris Davis into the path of James Baldwin but Chris Webb held the shot well.

Caton produced another excellent diagonal ball on the half hour which saw Harry Burnley beat Dean to the ball and it broke to Lewis but this time the ball just wouldnt come down and Lewis couldnt get any sort of power on the shot.

Davis produced a blistering turn of pace moments later when he burst past Luke Brandon and Andy Marriott but his low drive evaded the incoming attackers and the chance was gone.

Bennyworth's throws produced the next effort on goal when Vinny Byfield appeared to have dealt with the danger but Mike Green hit a stunning volley but Webb produced an equally excellent save as he tipped the ball wide.

With three minutes to go until the break United were awarded a free-kick and a brilliant piece of improvisation by Caton saw him find the head of Byfield but Dean done well to get across and hold the ball.

Half-Time WITNEY UNITED 0 Shortwood United 0

Davis had given a warning of his pace in the first half and he showed it again just after the break when he burst clear but his powerful shot was blocked by the feet of Webb at the near post.

It was United though who struck first with 56 minutes on the clock with a simple yet effective goal. A throw by Jamie Mills was nodded on by Burnley to Lewis who laid the ball back into the path of Younie who fired home past the unsighted Dean.

This gave United and Younie new confidence and a through ball saw Younie outstrip the defence but as the ball sat up he hesitated before lobbing Dean and the ball went wide.

The woodwork came to the rescue of the visitors just moments later as United looked for the killer second goal when a Jon Steedman corner was met by Marriott at the back post but the ball hit the outside of the post and went wide.

The visitors had the ball in the net when from the goal kick the ball was flicked on to the lively John Cant who fired the ball home but the flag was already up for offside.

The visitors were throwing men forward in search of the equaliser and Cant screwed the ball well wide after a clever dummy by Davis had created the chance.

Still the long throws of Bennyworth were causing problems and when Davis flicked the ball on substitute Jack Price somehow headed over from just five yards out.

Six minutes from time and United punished the Wood for that miss when Jon-Paul Mills won the ball well before releasing Younie who calmly ran on and rounded Dean before slotting the ball into the empty net.

Jamie Mills was to be United's hero just a minute later though when from another long throw the ball found Green whose shot into the ground looped up but Mills done well to clear off the line from under the bar.

website review and mom

Against without doubt the best footballing side who have visited Marriotts Stadium this season United produced a dogged display and when things werent going their way dug in. That said we created plenty of chances and got the goals which mattered. MOM goes to the outstanding Dean Smith who produced a stunning display both defensively and in attack.

Witney United	v	Shortwood United
Chris Webb	1	Gavin Dean
Dean Smith	2	James Coates
Luke Brandon	3	James Cole
Vinny Byfield	4	Will Steadman
Andy Marriott	5	Ben Mammola
Jamie Mills	6	Luke Bennyworth
Harry Burnley	7	Mike Green
Jimmy Griffin	8	James Baldwin
Andrew Younie (56, 84)	9	Chris Davis
Andy Caton	10	Andy Hoskins
Kevin Lewis	11	John Cant
Substitutes		Substitutes
Christian Perkins (NU)	12	Ross Casey (on for 10, 56 mins)
Jon-Paul Mills (on for 7, 75 mins)	14	Peter Smith (on for 8, 70 mins)
Jon Steedman (on for 10, 61 mins)	15	Jack Price (on for 2, 75 mins)

 

29.03.08 hellenic premier

witney united 1 north leigh 2 att 272

match sponsored by The Red lion northmoor & derek mcNamara

Despite howling winds and driving rain these two sides served up a decent local derby clash for the bumper 272 crowd but it was the visitors who took the spoils.

United kept an unchanged side from the win at Highworth and as in that game United kicked into the teeth of a ferocious wind in the first half looking to put a dent in North Leigh's title hopes.

It was the home side however who came closest to opening the scoring when a corner from Jon Steedman found Andy Marriott but he had jumped a little early and was unable to get any serious power on his effort.

The same combination again went close when Marriott had a free header but was wide of the target after getting free of his marker as the home side had the better of the opening exchanges.

Lye arent top of the league for no reason though and they gradually got back into the game and when a free-kick broke to Mark Simms it took an excellent challenge from Vinny Byfield to deny the former United man a shot at goal.

Despite conceding a lot of possession to the visitors United were still looking the more dangerous and a fierce 30 yard strike from Steedman saw Richard Barrett have to tip over acrobatically.

At times United were defending very deep as they countered the long balls aided by the wind and when one of these wasnt cleared properly the ball broke to Simms but he dragged his shot well wide of the target.

The warning sign was there though and on 28 minutes it was the visitors who opened the scoring when Chris Allen delivered a ball between two United defenders and Joe Burnell stole in with a diving header giving Chris Webb no chance.

United had every right to feel aggrieved as they didnt deserve to be behind but within five minutes they were level. Steedman delievered another excellent corner which was met by the glancing head of Gary Wickens for his 35th goal of the season.

Having restored matters so quickly it was the ultimate setback when North Leigh took the lead again just minutes later. A free-kick 20 yards from goal saw James Mortimer-Jones perfectly execute his direct effort into the bottom corner of the net.

Still United continued to press and a miskick by Barrett almost saw United level when the ball broke to Wickens but he was unable to keep his shot down and the ball went over the bar.

Half-Time WITNEY UNITED 1 North Leigh 2

Playing with the wind United created the first chance of the second half when a throw by Jamie Mills was nodded by Marriott into the path of Andrew Younie whose shot was saw late by Barrett and was grabbed at the second attempt.

Struggling with his kicking against the wind as Webb had done in the first half Barrett almost gifted United an equaliser when his free-kick went straight to Wickens who cleverly chipped the keeper but the ball landed on the roof of the net.

The visitors tried to play on the break and had a great chance when a Allen corner found Karl Dodds unmarked but he headed straight at Webb and was held easily by the keeper.

With United pushing on to get level they were leaving gaps at the back and a neat passing move saw the ball land at the feet of Simms but Webb was equal to the shot and held the greasy ball well.

Luke Brandon came to the home side's rescue minutes after coming on when he hooked Andy McCabe's effort off the line following a Mark Threlfall corner.

With just a couple of minutes left on the clock United had a great chance to level matters but were denied by an excellent piece of defending. Byfield's long ball was laid off by Wickens into the path of Kevin Lewis whose shot saw Stuart Huxley throw himself into the path of the shot and take enough out of it to allow Barrett to save easily.

Marriott was to go close with another header this time from a trademark long throw by Christian Perkins but it wasnt to be United's day and it was the visitors who left the field a happy side.

website review and mom

Considering the conditions a decent game of football for any neutrals in the crowd. United can certainly feel a little hard done by that they got nothing out of a game that they contributed so much too. MOM was another tough call but the excellent Vinny Byfield stood firm all afternoon and was excellent in both areas.

Witney United	v	North Leigh
Chris Webb	1	Richard Barrett
Dean Smith	2	Joe Wood
Jon Steedman	3	Paul Cooper
Vinny Byfield	4	Karl Dodds
Andy Marriott	5	Stuart Huxley
Jamie Mills	6	Joe Burnell (28)
Jon-Paul Mills	7	James Mortimer-Jones (35)
Jimmy Griffin	8	Andy McCabe
Gary Wickens (31)	9	Mark Simms
Andrew Younie	10	Chris Allen
Kevin Lewis	11	Ben Reardon
Substitutes		Substitutes
Christian Perkins (on for 3, 63 mins)	12	Mark Threlfall (on for 10, 71 mins)
Harry Burnley (on for 7, HT)	14	Mark Dennis (NU)
Luke Brandon (on for 6, 79 mins)	15	Gary Wright (NU)

 

24.03.08 hellenic premier

highworth town 0 witney united 2 att 100

A thoroughly professional performance from United saw them overcome Highworth Town at The Elms this afternoon and move to within four points of league leaders North Leigh.

United were kicking up the slope and against the wind in the first half and although the home side had a lot of the ball they were creating little of note as United's defence held firm against everything they threw at them.

However a freak free-kick by Dan Wallington almost caught United out when it got a helping hand from the wind and struck the far post before being helped to safety by Vinny Byfield.

United were trying to get the ball down and play in the face of the wind and when a throw-in from Jamie Mills was flicked on by the head of Byfield it was controlled superbly by Kevin Lewis whose low snap shot was easily held by Ian Gill.

Gill was called into action in much more spectacular action just minutes later when a free-kick from Gary Wickens was met by the glancing head of Andy Marriott and was destined for the bottom corner of the net before Gill intervened with an excellent fingertip save.

Too many long balls from the home side were being mopped up by United and it was to be The Blanketmen who went closest again to opening the scoring when a Jon-Paul Mills free-kick was nodded back by Marriott into the path of Lewis who thought he was offside and hesitated and the chance was gone.

Half-Time Highworth Town 0 WITNEY UNITED 0

United got the perfect start within three minutes of the restart and it was purely created by the energetic persistence of Andrew Younie. A long ball by Jon Steedman was being shepherded out of play by Andy Minturn but Younie done brilliantly to nick the ball away from him and cut back to Wickens who slotted the ball into the bottom corner giving Gill no chance and leaving the keeper and defender to argue with each other about who was to blame.

Younie was causing headaches for the home side with his running and several crude challenges on him went unpunished but he had the last laugh on 59 minutes when he created a second goal.

Lewis won the ball strongly in midfield before releasing Younie who cut in well beating Wallington on the way and drove his cross along the six yard box where it was met by the delighted Jimmy Griffin who scored his first ever goal for the club and sparked celebrations amongst players, staff and supporters alike.

This knocked the stuffing right out of the home side and they were clearly rocking and it almost became three when a Steedman cross was met by the head of Marriott but again he was denied the hand of Gill.

Highworth rung the changes and threw bodies forward in search of a way back into the game but they came up against a United backline in top form and Chris Webb was left to watch the majority of the game in relative comfort.

When the final whistle blew and news came through of the result at North Leigh thoughts immediately turned to Saturday's now huge West Oxfordshire derby at Marriotts Stadium.

website review and mom

A job very well done! Tactically we were spot on and the players followed the plan perfectly as we changed the system to adapt to the wind and the slope with maximum effect. To limit the home side to really just one effort on goal over the 90 minutes shows what a complete performance this was. MOM goes to Andrew Younie who ran the home side's defence ragged all afternoon and today took the role of creator setting up both goals.

Highworth Town	v	witney united
Ian Gill	1	Chris Webb
Lee Spalding	2	Dean Smith
Dan Wallington	3	Jon Steedman
Gary Hill	4	Vinny Byfield
Mark Belcher	5	Andy Marriott
Andy Minturn	6	Jamie Mills
Tony Joyce	7	Jon-Paul Mills
Darren Smart	8	Jimmy Griffin (59)
Phil Corcoran	9	Gary Wickens (48)
Phil Hall	10	Andrew Younie
Danny Hilder	11	Kevin Lewis
Substitutes		Substitutes
Gareth Davies (on for 11, 65 mins)	12	Christian Perkins (on for 9, 83 mins)
Arthur Levett (on for 5, 73 mins)	14	Harry Burnley (on for 10, 86 mins)
Steve Robertson (on for 10, 65 mins)	15	Luke Brandon (NU)

 

18.03.08 hellenic premier

witney united 3 harrow hill 0 att 86

United ensured there was to be no "After the Lord Mayors Show" as they overcame strugglers Harrow Hill last night at Marriotts Stadium.

The game started slowly with passes going astray but just as on Saturday United got an early goal to settle any nerves.

A lovely piece of individual skill by Gary Wickens saw him release Andrew Younie who ran clear of the defence and into the box where he was upended by Tim Fletcher for a penalty. Wickens confidently stepped up and fired the ball into the bottom corner.

The quality didnt improve as both sides continued to give the ball away and only a Jon-Paul Mills header from a Jon Steedman corner which flew over the bar could be described as an effort on goal.

The visitors were certainly working very hard and looked an improvement on the two previous performances against United and Steve Cinderey will feel he should have done better with a header which went weakly into the arms of Chris Webb.

United were still looking the more likely scorers and Wickens and Younie combined again before the latter saw his cross punched away by Dave Adams only from Jon-Paul Mills to see his goalbound shot deflected wide via the back of James Barton.

Younie worked himself a great chance less than a minute later when he collected a Jon-Paul Mills pass and burst away from his marker but he overran the ball and Adams was able to clear the ball from danger.

Harrow had their best chance of the entire game just before the break when Scott Morgan got between Steedman and Vinny Byfield before cutting the ball back to Chris Smith who wildly blazed over from 12 yards.

Half-Time WITNEY UNITED 1 Harrow Hill 0

If the game was in the balance it was killed off within five minutes of the restart when Matt Jackson was too weak with a headed backpass and Wickens stole in controlled the ball and fired home giving Adams no chance.

United were now attacking at will and Younie was inches away from finding both the goal and the head of Wickens with a cross which fizzed across the box when the slightest of touches would surely have brought a third goal for United.

The visitors kept plugging away and Smith looked likely to score when the ball broke to him eight yards from goal but Byfield produced a superb tackle before scooping the ball away to safety whilst grounded.

With just four minutes remaining the third goal came when a corner by Steedman found its way to Andy Marriott whose shot looped into the far corner despite the best efforts of Tom Burford for the United defenders 7th goal of the season.

With all three substitutes on the park for United two of them almost combined for a fourth goal when Jed Riddy won the ball well before feeding Christian Perkins whose low effort was well saved by Adams.

The final whistle blew shortly after on proceedings and although the excitement was less than Saturday the three points were just as valuable as United climbed above Hungerford and into 3rd place.

website review and mom

Not the greatest game Marriotts Stadium has ever seen but three points all the same as United took their chances at vital times and in fairness could have had more while in truth Chris Webb was little more than a spectator for most of the evening. MOM goes to Jimmy Griffin who never misplaced a pass all evening and kept a composed head all evening.

Witney United	v	Harrow Hill
Chris Webb	1	Dave Adams
Dean Smith	2	Lee Davis
Jon Steedman	3	Tim Fletcher
Vinny Byfield	4	James Barton
Andy Marriott (86)	5	Matt Jackson
Jamie Mills	6	Steve Cinderey
Jon-Paul Mills	7	Will Freeman
Jimmy Griffin	8	Bobby Clarke
Gary Wickens (12pen, 50)	9	Chris Smith
Andrew Younie	10	Paul Manns
Kevin Lewis	11	Scott Morgan
Substitutes		Substitutes
Christian Perkins (on for 9, 79 mins)	12	Tom Burford (on for 6, HT)
Harry Burnley (on for 11, 72 mins)	14	Eddy Weyman (on for 9, 87 mins)
Jed Riddy (on for 10, 85 mins)	15	Scott Davis (NU)

 

15.03.08 hellenic premier

witney united 1 almondsbury town 0 att 146

match sponsored by The Red Lion Northmoor

United became the first team to beat Almondsbury Town in the league this season after a thrilling clash at a rain soaked Marriotts Stadium.

Missing the Mills brothers and Luke Brandon it was a surprise 4-3-3 formation with Christian Perkins up front for The Blanketmen and they tore into the visitors from the start.

Having been on the front foot from the off it was perhaps no surprise when United got the opening goal when a long ball was headed on by Perkins to Gary Wickens who controlled the ball and hit the shot early giving Dan Holcroft no chance.

United were almost caught straight from the kick-off when the visitors went straight down the other end and some neat play created an opening for Adam Cole but his shot hit the side netting.

The visitors were creeping back into the game and when a cross was headed back by Bradley Andrews into the path of Paul Fowler he looked certain to score but Chris Webb made a stunning save.

Chances were at a premium although both sides were going at it hammer and tongs and when a shot from Kane Ingram squirmed free from Webb it was too tight an angle for Paul Metheringham and he shot wide.

Half-Time WITNEY UNITED 1 Almondsbury Town 0

United almost doubled their lead five minutes after the break when a swift move saw Neil Maskell, Andrew Younie and Wickens all combine to feed Perkins who struck from 25 yards and with Holcroft scrambling the ball went inches wide.

The visitors were desperate to get on level terms and they must have thought they had when Simon Gilbert stole in at the back post where Webb blocked his effort and Ingram's shot on the rebound was excellently blocked by the body of Jon Steedman.

Witney roared on by a passionate home support then went closest to scoring when a long throw by Perkins was helped on by Vinny Byfield to Andy Marriott whose volley hit the top of the bar and went over.

Witney were looking dangerous on the break and although the visitors had a lot of the ball all United were dealing with was crosses as they kept chances to nil.

The crossbar came to the Almonds rescue again with twenty minutes remaining when a long kick by Webb saw Younie run towards goal and his clever pass found Wickens whose shot beat Holcroft but crashed back off the bar.

There was no sitting back as United looked for the second goal and Younie and Wickens combined well again to find Harry Burnley whose effort was well saved by Holcroft.

Having scored his first United goal in midweek Dean Smith went inches away from his second with a thunderous free-kick which took a slight deflection and narrowly flew over the bar.

After a nervy period of injury time the referee blew time on proceedings and the United left the field to a wall of noise as United celebrated ending an excellent run.

website review and mom

What an afternoon!! A tremendous atmosphere at Marriotts Stadium and the team prouced a performance to match as the visitors run ended. We created a number of good chances all afternoon and the woodwork rescued the visitors twice. MOM was real tough call with Chris Webb performing heroics in goal, Jimmy Griffin producing a faultless display in the middle of the park but for his disciplined performance sometimes more defensively than he likes Kevin Lewis just steals the MOM award although in fairness it could have gone to all 11.

Witney United	v	Almondsbury Town
Chris Webb	1	Dan Holcroft
Neil Maskell	2	Andy Gilbert
Jon Steedman	3	Ben Pope
Vinny Byfield	4	Steve Peters
Andy Marriott	5	Marcus Mapstone
Jimmy Griffin	6	Kane Ingram
Dean Smith	7	Simon Gilbert
Christian Perkins	8	Paul Fowler
Gary Wickens (13)	9	Paul Metheringham
Andrew Younie	10	Adam Cole
Kevin Lewis	11	Bradley Andrews
Substitutes		Substitutes
Harry Burnley (on for 8, 70 mins)	12	Sahr Kabba (on for 10, 59 mins)
Lewis Brownhill (on for 10, 87 mins)	14	Paul McKelvenny (on for 2, 77 mins)
Ben Reynolds (NU)	15	Justin Bishop (on for 9, 72 mins)

 

11.03.08 hellenic premier

hungerford town 4 witney united 3 att 75

A blustery evening at Hungerford saw these two sides share seven goals in an amazing 34 minute spell either side of the interval with the home side winning through.

There was no sign of things to come as both sides refused to give an inch in the opening half hour with only a solitary strike from Jamie Gosling which went wide without troubling Chris Webb being any sort of incident of note.

However on the half-hour United took the lead with a well executed free-kick from Gary Wickens. Kevin Lewis was pulled down 25 yards from goal by Luke Brewer and Wickens stepped up and curled an excellent effort into the bottom corner giving Dominic Green no chance.

Three minutes later and United doubled their advantage with a superbly executed effort by Wickens for his 30th goal of the season. The United frontman won the ball and fed Luke Brandon who played a clever chip over the home defence and Wickens hit a thumping volley past Green.

Within 60 seconds the home side were right back in it as United were guilty of sleeping after scoring. A cross by Gosling was headed up and away by Neil Maskell but no Witney player reacted and Ben Fitch crashed the ball home.

This clearly lifted the home side and Gosling tested Webb with a free-kick which the keeper pushed away comfortably before a big moment of controversy brought the home side level.

A deep cross was played in and knocked goalwards by Nick McCrae but with Gosling stood in front of Webb the United keeper couldnt commit and the assistant referee raised his flag for offside. Amazingly the referee insisted that Gosling wasnt interfering with play and the home side were level.

With the game heading into injury time and United reeling it was Hungerford who scored again when a corner wasnt cleared properly by the defence and Fitch fired home his second of the evening.

Half-Time Hungerford Town 3 WITNEY UNITED 2

With the rain lashing down to add to the howling wind United grabbed an equaliser within three minutes of the restart.

A long throw by Jon Steedman caused panic in the Hungerford defence and Brandon stopped low to win a header and the ball rolled into the path of Dean Smith who hit a powerful drive into the net.

The conditions were getting worse and both sides were struggling to get any sort of rhythm into their play although Andrew Younie caused some anxious moments for the home side with his jinking runs.

However just after the hour it was the home side who grabbed what would turn out to be the winning goal when Chris Copp found Graham Edney wide on the right who beat Maskell and pulled the ball back to Gosling who hit a crisp low effort into the bottom corner.

This goal seemed to knock the stuffing out of United who despite a couple of long range efforts were struggling to create any real chances of note and in fact it was Gosling who went closest to scoring again with a crashing drive from the edge of the area which Webb did well to fist away.

The final whistle blew with United left to reflect on what might have been and knowing they need to pick themselves up quickly before the clash with unbeaten league leaders Almondsbury on Saturday.

There was to be one further flashpoint as Wickens was shown a red card after the game for comments made to the referee in the changing room.

website review and mom

A strange night! For half an hour you couldnt see this coming as both sides were like a pair of heavy weights sizing each other up. Two big moments as we concede a goal so early after going 2-0 up and then the decision of the referee with the 2nd goal. Credit to Hungerford for their fightback but credit also to the United lads who ran themselves into the ground and were certainly worthy of a point. MOM tough call as there was some great individual flashes but Jon-Paul Mills bossed the centre of midfield all evening.

Hungerford Town	v	witney united
Dominic Green	1	Chris Webb
Chris Copp	2	Neil Maskell
Mark Jones	3	Jon Steedman
Toby Clark	4	Vinny Byfield
Nick McCrae (39)	5	Andy Marriott
Ben Fitch (34, 45)	6	Jimmy Griffin
Graham Edney	7	Dean Smith (48)
Luke Brewer	8	Jon-Paul Mills
Jamie Gosling (64)	9	Gary Wickens (30, 33)
Ian Concannon	10	Luke Brandon
Charlie Austin	11	Kevin Lewis
Substitutes		Substitutes
Mark McMeeking (NU)	12	Harry Burnley (NU)
Richard Guy (NU)	14	Jamie Mills (on for 6, 69 mins)
Nigel Trumper (NU)	15	Andrew Younie (on for 9, HT)

 

08.03.08 hellenic premier

flackwell heath 1 witney united 3 att 40

United ended their poor recent run of form this afternoon as they overcame Flackwell Heath thanks in the main to a two goal salvo in the opening ten minutes.

Welcoming back several regulars United got the perfect start with a goal all of the home sides own making. The ball broke to Matt Rolfe who overhit his backpass and despite the attempts by the head of goalkeeper Carl Dennison the ball flew into the net.

On ten minutes United had doubled their advantage after a rush of blood from Dennison. The ball ran across the area and Kevin Lewis nipped in ahead of the keeper who then petulantly kicked out and tripped Lewis for a penalty. Gary Wickens stepped up and fired home the penalty with aplomb.

Within six minutes the home side had reduced the lead though when a cross was not cleared properly by the United defence and broke to left-back Paul Reed who hit a first time shot across Chris Webb and into the net.

The game settled down on the goals front then as both sides struggled to overcome the strong wind and bumpy surface.

Jon Steedman delivered a trademark free-kick which was knocked back in by Andy Marriott to Andrew Younie but the shot flew narrowly wide.

Half-Time Flackwell Heath 1 WITNEY UNITED 2

The home side had the wind at their backs for the second half and although they looked livelier they still struggled to create any real clear cut chances.

The closest they came was when a quick free-kick was played in by Reed to the impressive Riccardo Cannon but his shot lacked composure and flew over the bar.

Dennison made up partly for his earlier error when he rescued the home side after a shot was mishit by Wickens where it fell at the feet of Younie but the keeper blocked well with his feet.

There was almost another own-goal from the home side when a cross by Younie was tried to be cleared by the home defence but the ball smashed off Richard Glynn and Dennison did well to block.

Lewis was next to go close for United after a corner by Steedman fell to him at the far post and his low shot was again saved by the feet of Dennison.

As the game moved into injury time the first passage of excellent passing football provided a third goal for United. Neat passing between Luke Brandon, JP Mills and Harry Burnley saw Burnley burst in from the flank and deliver a low and hard cross which was met by the slide of Lewis Brownhill who notched his first goal for United.

A period of seven minutes injury time was comfortably seen out by United as they ended their recent poor run of form just in time for the trip to 3rd placed Hungerford Town on Tuesday night.

website review and mom

Sometimes you have to win ugly and this was one of those occasions. The performance wasnt the greatest but after the recent run of form and luck the victory was certainly overdue. MOM was tough as the team ground out a performance but Luke Brandon stood out as the most composed player on the park.

Flackwell Heath	v	witney united
Carl Dennison	1	Chris Webb
Scott Chapman	2	Dean Smith
Paul Reed (16)	3	Jon Steedman
Richard Glynn	4	Christian Perkins
Matt Rolfe (OG 4)	5	Andy Marriott
Adam Sharp	6	Jimmy Griffin
Stuart Maclellan	7	Luke Brandon
Jon Montgomery	8	Vinny Byfield
Darren Moore	9	Gary Wickens (10 pen)
Riccardo Cannon	10	Andrew Younie
Sam Druce	11	Kevin Lewis
Substitutes		Substitutes
Justin Hockley (on for 9, 51 mins)	12	Harry Burnley (on for 11, 89 mins)
Barry Dennsion (on for 11, 86 mins)	14	Jon-Paul Mils (on for 8, 70 mins)
Alan Akerman (on for 3, 81 mins)	15	Lewis Brownhill (on for 10, 81 mins) (90)

 

04.03.08 floodlit Cup semi-final 2nd leg

Witney united 0 kidlington 1 (KIdlington win 3-1 on agg) att 121

On a night of frustration that began half an hour before kick off United bowed out of the Floodlit Cup following a stubborn defensive and counter attacking display by Kidlington.

Bizarrely United lost influential central defender Vinny Byfield just moments before the kick off following a very late suspension arriving and the reshuffle saw Ben Reynolds recalled for his first start since September.

Both sides were very cagey to begin with but it was United who had the first meaningful effort on goal when a free-kick by Harry Burnley was blocked and his returned effort broke to Andrew Younie whose snap shot was deflected over.

Younie was at the heart of the majority of good things United did and his cleverly dug out cross found Burnley the wingers excellent control gave him a chance but the finish didnt match the approach work and Steve Benbow wasnt troubled.

The visitors were content to mop up the United attacks and try and hit on the break and it was Younie again who created the next opening when his clever cutback found the onrushing Luke Brandon who couldnt keep his effort down.

Then came the first of two stunning saves by visiting goalkeeper Benbow when a free-kick was met by the head of Andy Marriott and his looping effort was about to drop in when somehow the stopper clawed the ball out from virtually under the bar.

With their first real effort of note in the opening period the visitors stunned Marriotts Stadium with the opening goal of the night and gave themselves a two goal cushion. A dangerous cross was swung in where former United man Danny Wise needed no invitation and he hit the ball sweetly past Chris Webb and into the bottom corner.

This buoyed up the visitors and they had their best spell and a long kick by Benbow saw Morgan Williams run onto the bouncing ball and he perhaps should have done better but he shot wide.

Half-Time WITNEY UNITED 0 Kidlington 1

It had to be all guns blazing from United as they needed two goals to force extra-time and they almost grabbed an early one when a fizzing free-kick by Jon Steedman evaded everybody when surely the slightest of touches would have brought a goal.

Having made one world class save in the first half Benbow then surpassed himself with an even better one when Lewis Brownhill met a Steedman free-kick with a perfect header but amazingly Benbow flew himself across the goal and tipped wide leaving the United frontman on his knees in disbelief.

It was all United as Kidlington looked to soak up everything that was thrown at them and with Webb a spectator United went closer still to scoring. The curse of the woodwork returned though as after Lee Moseley had released Younie the forward's effort beat Benbow but crashed back off the post and away to safety.

United continued to press but to be fair the visitors had survived the worst of the scares and although Steedman and Marriott both went close with efforts it was to be Kidlington's night as United were left to taste the bitter disappointment of a semi-final exit.

website review and mom

A night of bitter frustration!! We are having one of those spells at the moment where it just wont drop for us and despite an excellent display from far from our first choice eleven it wasnt enough. Praise to Kidlington who defended stoutly all evening and looked dangerous on the counter attack. MOM goes to Andrew Younie who did absolutely everything bar score.

Witney United	v	Kidlington
Chris Webb	1	Steve Benbow
Neil Maskell	2	Lewis Gabbidon
Jon Steedman	3	Tai Hulbert-Thomas
Ben Reynolds	4	Daniel Warne
Andy Marriott	5	Emmet McGovern
Jimmy Griffin	6	Nathan Meade
Luke Brandon	7	Denel Thomas
Lewis Brownhill	8	Lee Bolton
Harry Burnley	9	Mark Baker
Andrew Younie	10	Danny Wise (39)
Ben Border	11	Morgan Williams
Substitutes		Substitutes
Jed Riddy (on for 8, 82 mins)	12	Jimmy Deabill (on for 5, 77 mins)
Lee Moseley (on for 11, 56 mins)	14	Darren Clare (NU)
	15	Matty Hayward (NU)

 

01.03.08 supplementary Cup 2nd round

Clanfield1 Witney United 1 AET Clanfield win 5-3 Pens att 94

Witney crashed out of the Supplementary Cup at near-neighbours Clanfield after a penalty shoot out.

Witney started brightly and could have taken the lead as early as the second minute when Kevin Lewis fed Andy Younie but his shot was blocked at the expense of a corner. However, the scoring opened just two minutes later when a channel ball to Andy Younie enabled him to get to the goal line and Kevin Lewis was on hand to fire home the pull back.

Just before the quarter hour a good ball from Jimmy Griffin put Andy Younie into a shooting position again but Chris Brain saved well at the cost of a corner. In the nineteenth minute Witney should have extended their lead when Younie got to the line again but Lewis Brownhill just could not reach the ball across the six-yard box but when the ball was fed back in Younie was brought down by Chris Benson for a penalty. Kevin Lewis stepped up but put the spot-kick over the bar.

On 23 minutes Kevin Lewis nearly made amends when a Jon Steedman throw led to a Luke Brandon cross which Lewis Brownhill nodded down for Lewis to smash a shot in that flew back off the bar with Chris Brain stranded. Just three minutes later and Lewis was at the centre of events again when a Jon Steedman long throw was flicked on but Lewis’s header was straight at Chris Brain.

After Witney’s barnstorming start, which could easily have seen them four up the game, began to settle into a more even affair as Clanfield’s tremendous hard work denied Witney any time on the ball.

Half-time;  Clanfield 0  UNITED 1

Just five minutes into the second period a fine individual run by Andy Younie saw him beat three men but Chris Brain blocked his shot with his feet. Two minutes later Clanfield shocked Witney with a fluid move that was finished smartly by Chris Hunt to level matters.

The game settled into a more even battle than had been seen in the first half with Witney still creating the better chances but Clanfield being far more involved. On 67 minutes a smart Andy Marriott volley after a long throw had been headed out was well saved by Chris Brain and on 74 minutes Lewis Brownhill smartly turned his man only to see his shot come back off the bar. Within a minute Clanfield had an excellent opportunity when Chris Webb came out of his box to clear a long ball but Dean Barker reacted sharply to head the loose goal goalwards only for it to take an unexpectedly high bounce and clear the bar.

Five minutes before normal time was up Witney had one last effort when Lewis Brownhill set up Harry Burnley for a shot that just cleared the bar.

Full –Time:   Clanfield 1  UNITED 1

Just two minutes into extra-time Andy Younie chested the bar into the path of Harry Burnley but, for the third time in the match, his shot thundered off the bar. A few minutes later after a good left-wing build-up Andy Younie’s shot produced a great save from Chris Brain at the foot of the post. Brain was called into action again on 97 minutes when he held Jed Riddy’s 25-yarder and a couple of minutes later when Lewis Brownhill flicked on Andy Marriott’s free-kick to allow Andy Younie to get in another shot.

The game somewhat petered out through the latter stages of extra time with neither producing much in the way of direct threats on goal and so it went to a penalty shoot-out. The significant moments being Chris Brain’s save of Witney’s fourth kick by Andy Younie and then former Witney player Steve Knight’s final kick to win it for Clanfield despite Chris Webb getting a strong hand to the ball.

Penalty shoot-out:

Clanfield                                                           Witney

Dean Barker scored                 1                      Harry Burnley scored
Jason Court scored                  2                      Lewis Brownhill scored
Chris Benson scored               3                      Jon Steedman scored
Chris Hunt scored                    4                      Andy Younie missed
Steve Knight scored                 5

website review and mom

A game that Witney could, and probably should have, put to bed in the first half when they could easily and deservedly been four up. Credit must go to Clanfield who worked very hard and denied United any time on the ball meaning that the longer the game went on the more comfortable they looked. MoM goes to Lewis Brownhill who never stopped working and, along with Andy Younie, posed a constant threat to the Clanfield defence.

Clanfield	v	witney united
Chris Brain	1	Chris Webb
Stuart Hicks	2	Neil Maskell
Chris Connell	3	Jon Steedman
Adam Lock	4	Vinny Byfield
Pete Osbourne	5	Andy Marriott
Chris Benson	6	Luke Brandon
Chris Hunt (52)	7	Jimmy Griffin
Steve Olphert	8	Jon-Paul Mills
Dean Barker	9	Andrew Younie
Ben Acock	10	Kevin Lewis (3)
Steve Knight	11	Lewis Brownhill
Substitutes		Substitutes
Jason Court (on for 5, 117 mins)	12	Harry Burnley (on for 6, HT)
Rupert McFarlane (NU)	14	Ben Border (on for 10, 58 mins)
Reece Winney (on for 3, 93 mins)	15	Jed Riddy (on for 8, 105 mins)

 

26.02.08 friendly

witney united 0 oxford united 2 att 628

Match Sponsored by Collectours

A record gate of 628 saw United perform admirably against a first choice Oxford United side at Marriotts Stadium last night.

United who were without goalkeeper Chris Webb started with Oxford youngster Sam Worrell in goal as they looked to compete against a side four levels above them in terms of leagues.

The U's started sharply as you might expect and both Justin Richards and Jamie Hand flashed efforts just wide of goal as they looked for an early opener.

The returning Craig McCallister will probably feel he should have done better just before the 20 minute mark when he burst into the box but he pulled his effort wide of goal.

Witney were not being rolled over though and some excellent play by Andrew Younie who teed up Gary Wickens whose shot was fumbled by Billy Turley but grabbed at the second attempt.

United then had probably their best chance of the night when Jon Steedman whipped in a trademark free-kick and Wickens lost his marker but headed wide.

The home side had a big escape when an excellent pass by Hand released McCallister but Steedman got back to challenge and watched as the ball rolled onto the post and back into the hands of Worrell.

A minute later and with just ten minutes to go until the break the Conference side took the lead with a moment of quality. United's defence were caught out up with a chipped pass and McCallister kept calm and lobbed the ball over Worrell and into the net.

Half-Time WITNEY UNITED 0 Oxford United 1

The visitors had a great chance to double the lead just ten minutes after the break when a long ball by Matt Day caught the returning Liam Illsley out and his rash challenge on Michael Blackwood saw a penalty awarded. Justin Richards stepped up and saw his team mate Worrell palm the ball away and Steedman then get back to clear the rebound off the line.

Just after the hour it was Oxford who did score again when a deep cross by substitute Sam Dearing found the head of Eddie Hutchinson who looped the ball over Michael Foster who had taken over from Worrell and into the net although he may have felt he should have done better.

With both sides having made a number of substitutions the game lost a bit of its competitveness although the clever feet of Younie continued to cause a problem to the Oxford backline.

It was Oxford who had the final chance of the game when Yemi Odubade scampered clear but he lost his composure and blasted the ball high and wide from 10 yards out.

website review and mom

It was about the night rather than the result and it all went well. Oxford brought a strong side and produced one class moment with the first goal. They were always the more likely to score as you would expect but the boys stuck to the task well. MOM goes to Andrew Younie who was a constant thorn in the U's backline all evening and probably deserved a goal for his efforts.

all substitutes used

Witney United	v	Oxford United
Sam Worrell	1	Billy Turley
Dean Smith	2	James Clarke
Jon Steedman	3	Michael Howard
Neil Maskell	4	Jamie Hand
Christian Perkins	5	Luke Foster
Jamie Mills	6	Matt Day
Jimmy Griffin	7	Eddie Anaclet
Kevin Lewis	8	Justin Richards
Gary Wickens	9	Craig McAllister (35)
Harry Burnley	10	Adam Murray
Andrew Younie	11	Michael Blackwood
Substitutes		Substitutes
Lewis Brownhill	12	Danny Rose
Liam Illsley	14	Yemi Odubade
Lee Moseley	15	Ian Samson
Jed Riddy	16	Eddie Hutchinson (63)
Michael Foster	17	Phil Traynor
	18	Carl Pettifer
	19	Sam Dearing
	20	Matt Taylor

 

23.02.08 hellenic premier

shrivenham 2 witney united 2 att 112

United fought a second successive draw in the Hellenic Premier as they were pegged back twice by a resolute Shrivenham side yesterday.

Kicking down the slope in the first half it was United who dominated proceedings and really should have had the game sewn up by the interval.

Gary Wickens was the first to go close when he produced an acrobatic volley to connect with a cross from Harry Burnley but the ball whistled narrowly wide.

Kevin Lewis had a shot from the edge of the area which went close before an inswinging corner by Jon Steedman caused James Domm to have to tip the ball over at the last second.

The goal finally came on 24 minutes and what a goal it was! A kick out by Domm was won in the air brilliantly by Vinny Byfield whose header was flicked into the path of Lewis who fired home an unstoppable effort from fully 35 yards.

United were pouring forward and Lewis combined well with Luke Brandon before the diminutive midfielder swung in a cross which was met by a looping header from Burnley but the ball came back off the crossbar.

Just a minute later and the unlucky Burnley was denied by the woodwork again when Jamie Mills found Lewis who let the ball roll across his body but Burnley's shot bounced away to safety off the post.

Eight minutes before the break United were hit by a goal as the home side levelled completely against the run of play. A superb crossfield pass caught Steedman napping and Matt Bennett ran on and hit a thumping shot in off the far post giving Chris Webb no chance.

This spurred the home side on and United were thankful to a goal-line clearance from Brandon after Terry Bohane had met the corner with his head.

Half-Time Shrivenham 1 WITNEY UNITED 1

Playing up the slope and against the wind it was United who took the lead with a goal to match the opener in terms of quality. United were awarded a free-kick 25 yards from goal and Jon-Paul Mills stepped up and blasted the ball into the bottom corner of the net.

Mills was the architect of United's next effort as well when his quick free-kick released Burnley but the wingers day continued as his curling effort was beaten away by Domm.

Steedman's corners had caused problems all afternoon and both Domm and then Michael Silvanus had to come to the rescue as two successive corners were cleared off the line as they were about to produce goals.

The home side did have the ball in the net moments later through Mark Peters but he had clearly bundled Webb over as the cross was in the air.

However with just under a quarter of an hour to go the home side did level matters when a free-kick wasnt dealt with by the United defence and it broke to Bennett who smashed home his second of the match for the home side's equaliser.

It was all hands to the pump now for United as the home side sensed victory and they should have taken the lead when a corner by Bohane was nodded back by Jon Peters to Tom Cole but from three yards he somehow hit the crossbar.

Both sides had another chance to win it with Jon Peters shooting wide of goal and also Lewis unable to get a lot of power on a header which went into the arms of Domm and the two sides were left to share a draw.

website review and mom

The old saying of taking your chances when on top came back to haunt us today, realistically we could have gone in two or three goals to the good. Credit to the home side though who stuck by their game plan throughout and in the end could have sneaked a victory. MOM saw good performances by Kevin Lewis, Harry Burnley and Luke Brandon but Jamie Mills produced an excellent no frills display for United.

Shrivenham	v	witney united
James Domm	1	Chris Webb
Matt Bennett (37, 76)	2	Dean Smith
Michael Silvanus	3	Jon Steedman
Jon Peters	4	Vinny Byfield
Tom Cole	5	Andy Marriott
Scott Lane	6	Jamie Mills
Tom Fila	7	Luke Brandon
Dennis King	8	Jon-Paul Mills (50)
Mark Peters	9	Gary Wickens
Rory Sproule	10	Harry Burnley
Terry Bohane	11	Kevin Lewis (24)
Substitutes		Substitutes
Jon Reeves (NU)	12	Andrew Younie (on for 9, 68 mins)
Dave Glover (NU)	14	Christian Perkins (on for 10, 83 mins)
Danny Thomas (NU)	15	Lewis Brownhill (NU)

 

19.02.08 hellenic premier

witney united 0 hungerford town 0 att 129

An entertaining encounter at Marriotts Stadium saw both sides probably go away from the match thinking they could have won the game.

With both sides missing players and the fog rolling in above the stadium the match started at a furious pace and United went close in the opening exchanges when a Jon Steedman free-kick saw Kevin Lewis nick the ball away from Dominic Green in the Hungerford goal but a combination of Paul Bedwell and Chris Copp scrambled the ball away.

The visitors hit back though and a clever chipped pass by Luke Brewer released Charlie Austin who was forced wide by Chris Webb and his shot hit the side-netting.

With quarter of an hour on the clock came a major moment of the game when the visitors were very fortunate to still have eleven men. A long clearance by Andy Marriott saw Harry Burnley race clear of Copp who as Burnley cut in pulled him down on the edge of the area with no covering defenders. There seemed only one decision to come but to the astonishment of all despite awarding the free-kick no further action was taken against Copp.

Hungerford were looking lively up front and former United striker Ian Concannon played a clever cross which found Austin it required a chested goal-line clearance from Luke Brandon to keep the scores level.

With half-hour gone both sides almost took the lead within the space of 60 seconds. A free-kick by Steedman was flicked on by Gary Wickens into the path of the on-rushing Burnley who caught the ball on the half-volley but it flew inches over the bar. Green took a quick goal-kick and United's backline were caught napping but Webb done well to block the attempted chip of Austin.

It was pulsating stuff as both sides tried to gain the upper hand and Green done well to keep the scores level when Wickens shot goalwards following some clever play by Jon-Paul Mills.

Right on half-time the visitors had a golden chance when a long ball drifted over Vinny Byfield and Austin raced clear and rounded Webb but somehow shot wide of the empty net.

Half-Time WITNEY UNITED 0 Hungerford Town 0

There was to be no let up after the break and Austin was the main danger and he was only denied by a tremendous last ditch challenge by Marriott as he shaped to shoot twelve yards from goal.

United however were getting on top and the energetic Lewis done well to clip a little ball through to Burnley whose low effort flew narrowly wide with Green scrambling across his goal.

The visitors were again slightly fortunate to keep their full quota of players after a poor challenge by Burnley on Brewer saw the latter clearly push his head into the face of the United man but the referee decided both players warranted a yellow card.

United were on top now and Hungerford had clearly settled for the draw and Wickens and Andrew Younie combined well before the latter crossed to Dean Smith whose header went straight into the arms of the grateful Green.

Jon-Paul Mills was having a tremendous match in the midfield and his excellent through ball released Younie who brilliantly cut inside his man before drilling a low shot which Green blocked with his feet.

Younie was looking the likely avenue for a goal and when a Wickens flick dropped into his path he looked set to score but Green was down well to save brilliantly.

United had a shout for a penalty in the last few seconds when a JP Mills free-kick was blocked by the arm of a Hungerford man in the wall but the United protests were waved away and both sides had to settle for a share of the spoils.

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A great response from the lads following Saturday's disappointing performance against what must be remembered were the pre-season title favourites. Although the officials had a decent night it has to be said they got the one major early decision very wrong which would have reduced Hungerford to 10 men after only 15 minutes. That aside though an entertaining game which could have gone either way but on chances we probably shaded. MOM was so close as JP Mills had a tremendous match as did Luke Brandon but MOM goes to Andy Marriott who produced a superb performance against his old team.

Witney United	v	Hungerford Town
Chris Webb	1	Dominic Green
Dean Smith	2	Chris Copp
Jon Steedman	3	Jimmy Smith
Vinny Byfield	4	Toby Clark
Andy Marriott	5	Steve Davies
Jamie Mills	6	Paul Bedwell
Luke Brandon	7	Luke Brewer
Jon-Paul Mills	8	Charlie Austin
Gary Wickens	9	Ian Concannon
Harry Burnley	10	Adam Mayo
Kevin Lewis	11	Ben Fitch
Substitutes		Substitutes
Andrew Younie (on for 6, 76 mins)	12	Nick McCrae (NU)
Ben Border (NU)	14	Craig Shand (on for 10, 76 mins)
Lewis Brownhill (NU)	15	Richard Guy (on for 9, 69 mins)

 

16.02.08 hellenic premier

wantage town 3 witney united 2 att 75

United suffered their first defeat since October when they produced a lacklustre performance at Alfredian Park and went down to Wantage Town.

There was a major blow for United with just thirteen minutes on the clock when influential defender Vinny Byfield landed awkwardly and was forced off with a shoulder injury.

The home side went close to breaking the deadlock when a corner was swung in and found the unmarked Adam Learoyd but somehow he missed his header six yards out from goal.

United didnt heed the warning though and just two minutes later Learoyd met a corner with his head and although Luke Brandon kept off the line it was forced home by Ellis Langford with the assistant referee adjudging the ball had crossed the line.

There was almost an instant response from The Blanketmen when a Harry Burnley corner landed at the head of Gary Wickens but he couldnt divert the ball goalwards.

However just four minutes after falling behind United were back on level terms. Wickens mishit a free-kick and the ball found its way to Kevin Lewis who saw his shot rebound to Andy Marriott whose effort was hooked off the line but Lewis reacted quickest to blast the ball home at the third time of asking.

They say a team is at its most vulnerable when its just scored and this saying reared its head again. Neil Maskell gave away a free-kick when he pushed Danny Keen, with the ball 25 yards from goal Tom Austin curled home a superb effort giving Chris Webb no chance.

Andrew Younie had a great chance to level matters before the break after Wickens had cleverly played him in but the youngster sliced his shot wide not testing Luke Alford in the home goal.

On half-time though United were thankful to Webb who denied Keen brilliantly after good interplay between Matty Horsell and Gary Hartley had created the opportunity.

Half-Time Wantage Town 2 WITNEY UNITED 1

With United looking to get straight back into the game kicking down the slope it was Wantage who almost added to their advantage when Hartley rose well to meet a corner by Austin but Brandon was on hand to hook the ball off the line.

It was then the turn of Alford in the home goal to deny United when Wickens shot was defletced into the path of Younie who cut in beating one man but his shot was well saved.

The woodwork then rescued the home side although it would have been a fortuitous goal when a shot from Younie broke to Wickens out wide and his cross bounced back off the crossbar.

However moments later United were level for the second time in the match, after Wickens was fouled, Brandon took an excellent quick free-kick and with the Wantage defence sleeping Younie slammed the ball home for the equaliser.

Expecting this to kick United on it just seemed to galvanise the home side as they pressed again looking for a winner and it duly arrived quarter of an hour from time. Yet again it came from a corner when the ball was headed back into the path of Langford who smashed the ball home from close range.

Wantage continued to press looking to kill the game off and some skilful play by the impressive Austin saw him find Danny Allen who blazed over with the goal at his mercy.

United continued to try and press but there was to be no late drama and a league run which began back in August had finally seen United suffer a reverse.

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So the league run that went from October to February comes to an end and for that reason alone you cant be too harsh on the team. They werent at their best today but they probably know that better than anybody else. Wantage were quicker to the loose balls and were good value for their win. MOM goes to Kevin Lewis who kept trying to push United forward to the very end.

Wantage Town	v	witney united
Luke Alford	1	Chris Webb
Adam Learoyd	2	Dean Smith
Jon Stott	3	Luke Brandon
Gary Swann	4	Vinny Byfield
Sam Belcher	5	Andy Marriott
Danny Allen	6	Jamie Mills
Tom Austin (30)	7	Andrew Younie (64)
Ellis Langford (25, 75)	8	Jon-Paul Mills
Danny Keen	9	Gary Wickens
Gary Hartley	10	Harry Burnley
Matty Horsell	11	Kevin Lewis (29)
Substitutes		Substitutes
Nathan Hall (NU)	12	Neil Maskell (on for 4, 13 mins)
Ritchie Bourne (on for 8, 84 mins)	14	Jon Steedman (on for 6, 59 mins)
Liam McCullough (NU)	15	Ben Border (on for 10, 83 mins)

 

12.02.08 floodlit cup semi-Final 1st leg

kidlington 2 witney united 1 att 157

A header from Gary Wickens twelve minutes from time gave United a foothold in this semi-final and set up an intriguing second leg clash at Marriotts Stadium.

On the back of a decent run of form United travelled to Kidlington on the back of a decent run of form but it was the home side who settled first and had a glorious chance in the opening minutes.

A long kick by Steve Benbow was flicked on to Danny Wise but the former United striker ran on and blazed over from 12 yards.

The game was being played at a frantic pace with nobody getting their foot on the ball although some clever approach play by Kevin Lewis saw him find Gary Wickens whose low shot was fumbled by Benbow before bouncing off the post and back into the arms of the grateful goalkeeper.

The referee was winning very few friends as time and time again decisions baffled both sets of players and one such decision led to the opening goal. A long kick by Chris Webb saw Wickens climbed all over by James Philpott before the ball was flicked on to Wise who with the faintest of touches flicked the ball past Webb and into the goal. The United players and bench were furious but the referee awarded the goal.

This shook United and a clever reverse pass by Morgan Williams released Denel Thomas who ran past the challenge of Jon Steedman but his shot was blocked well by Webb although Neil Maskell had to finish the job by hacking the ball clear.

Stuart Douglas went close with a long range effort but it was the home side who doubled their advantage just five minutes before the interval. A through ball released Baker who ran into the box and was challenged by Vinny Byfield and the forward wasted no time in going to ground and the penalty was awarded. Baker picked himself up and slotted the ball past Webb.

Webb came to United's rescue just before the break when a clearance by Andy Marriott ricocheted into the path of Baker who ran clear but the United keeper was out to block the shot well.

Half-Time Kidlington 2 WITNEY UNITED 0

United started the second half much sharper and looking much more of a threat and the pace of Andrew Younie was beginning to cause problems.

A typical Younie surge into the box saw him beat Philpott but he sliced his shot well wide after working a great opening for himself.

United were now pressing forward and some neat interplay between Luke Brandon and Younie saw Brandon fire a shot but straight at Benbow. The home keeper's kick was weak and Maskell chipped a cross back into the box Harry Burnley hit his effort first time but again straight at Benbow.

The woodwork came to the home side's rescue for the second time in the evening when Jon-Paul Mills thundered a free-kick from 25 yards which gave Benbow no chance but rattled the crossbar and bounced to safety.

With twelve minutes remaining United got a deserved goal. Younie was upended down by the corner flag and Steedman whipped in a tremendous free-kick which was met by the head of Wickens to the delight of the large travelling Witney support.

United almost grabbed an equaliser with just minutes remaining when Younie again worked himself some space and cut the ball back for Wickens but the striker scuffed his shot wide from eight yards and United will enter the home leg with a one goal deficit to claw back.

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A battling second half display gives us a fighting chance for the second leg. A night made more difficult by a series of frustrating decisions by the officials but United never gave up the fight and deserved the goal. MOM goes to Chris Webb who without doubt kept us in the tie before the break.