Scarborough Athletic pegged back to 1-1 draw by late Oxford City strike
A stoppage-time goal snatched a 1-1 draw for Oxford City, after Boro had gone ahead early on, and looked comfortable for much of an evenly-contested game, on a cold, wintry afternoon in Oxfordshire.
The hosts were unchanged from their 2-0 midweek win at Hereford, but Boro were without injured duo Bailey Gooda (hip) and Lewis Maloney (hamstring), with new loan signing from Mansfield Town, Alfie King on the bench, writes Steve Adamson.
Boro made a sensational start, going ahead from Luca Colville’s second minute corner that was headed home by skipper Will Thornton at the back post.
Oxford then enjoyed a good spell, a Josh Ashby corner was headed over by Aaron Drewe, Tom Scott fired into the side-netting, and Alex Purver did well to block a Josh Parker shot. Boro soon gained the ascendency, with Purver bossing the midfield. Harry Green teed up Alex Wiles, who fired straight at keeper Kai McKenzie-Lyle, and Green lobbed narrowly wide.
It was a competitive game, though goalmouth action was at a premium, with neither keeper really tested. Zac McEachran flashed a ball across the Boro area, with Purver sliding in to clear, and an Ashby free-kick deflected off the Boro wall into the arms of keeper Ryan Whitley, while at the other end of the pitch Richie Bennett and 6ft 5ins home centre-back Jalen Jones contested a number of high balls and Green, Wiles and Colville worked hard to get the ball forward, but both defences were solid.
Boro were on top early in the second half, a Dom Tear cross fell to Green, whose shot was deflected wide by Andre Burley, with Kieran Weledji bundling Colville’s corner over the bar, then another Colville corner was headed over by Wiles. Colville sent a 20-yard shot into the chest of the keeper.
Oxford introduced a couple of subs, with former Wealdstone striker Corie Andrews making an immediate impact, his through-ball sending McEachran clear, but Alex Brown made a fantastic last ditch tackle.
A lovely passing move involving Colville, Wiles and Tear ended with Brown’s fierce shot being blocked by Drewe, before Oxford had a brief spell of pressure.
Mackenzie Maltby tackled McEachran as he ran through, Thornton hacked clear as Andrews burst into the area, then Andrews fired narrowly wide.
Boro could then have doubled their lead, Purver passed to Wiles, who shot wide, then Green squared to Tear, who seemed certain to score, but scuffed his shot horribly wide. Oxford pushed forward as the game entered stoppage-time. Maltby blocked an Andrews strike, but right at the death, Andrews pulled the ball back to McEachran inside the box, and he side-footed into the top right corner to grab a sensational late leveller with their only shot on target all game.
OXFORD CITY - McKenzie-Lyle, Burley, Ashby, Jones, Fleet(c), McEachran, Parker, Scott (Andrews 60), Carbon (Potter 86), Roddy (Hoyle 78), Drewe
BORO - Whitley, Weledji, Brown, Maltby, Thornton(c), Purver, Green (Mulhern 89), Wiles, Bennett, Tear, Colville.
REFEREE - Lewis Dawson
GOALS - BORO - Will Thornton 2; OXFORD CITY - Zac McEachran 90+4
GOAL ATTEMPTS - OXFORD CITY 7 (1 on target) BORO 11 (3 on target)
CORNERS - OXFORD CITY 6 BORO 6
OFFSIDES - OXFORD CITY 2 BORO 3
YELLOW CARDS - OXFORD CITY - Andre Burley; BORO - Richie Bennett.
BORO MAN OF MATCH - Alex Purver.
ATTENDANCE - 604 (c100 away).