Honours shared at Bicester Town

With Charlie Oakley returning to the starting line-up, following injury United started the match kicking downhill on a sticky pitch that got worse as the match continued due to rain falling ten minutes into the match and continuing throughout the game.

The opening ten minutes saw both sides have efforts go wide, United’s being through Josh Drew and Oakley while both keepers comfortably caught crosses. As the game progressed United started to put together some good passing moves, the best being on twenty eight minutes that saw Carl Prestidge when one on one with home keeper Joe White shoot across goal and just before Josh Drew could apply the final touch a defender cleared.

At the other end Bicester twice saw a cross go through the penalty area to safety before Alex Reed pushed a shot onto the cross bar four minutes before the break to leave the first half scoreless.

Faced with playing up the slope, the second half got off to the worse possible start when Rob Johnson gave the home side the lead two minutes after the restart when one on one with Reed. An immediate response by United saw Oakley denied by White while Richard Benjamin went wide two minutes after the opening score.

With Danny Horscroft introduce after fifty minutes and Matt Jones being influential in Woodley’s play the visitors showed good character to take the game to Bicester and were reward with the equalising goal on sixty two minutes when Jake Nicholls’ free kick was headed home by Horscroft.

Three minutes later United should have taken the lead when a strong run by Oakley saw him cross the ball into the penalty area only for the unmarked Abdul Kamara to put over the cross bar when twelve yards out. Keeping the pressure on Idy Kamara headed of the home cross bar following another Nichols’ free kick.

Bicester reminded United they were a danger when they fired over the cross bar with twenty minutes remaining and Luke Turner being called on to make two excellent tackles in the visitors penalty area.

With eight minutes remaining Oakley saw a shot blocked and Jones putting the rebound wide, but it needed a Reed save in stoppage time when faced one on one to secure United a point that leaves them in fourth place one point behind second placed Headington Amateurs with two games in hand.