FOOTBALL: Ford sticks to City game plan (From Bicester Advertiser)

FOOTBALL: Ford sticks to City game plan

10:00am Monday 18th March 2013 in Sport By Russell Smith, Sports reporter specialising in horse racing. Call me on 01865 425453

Mike Ford is set to stick to his original plan for Oxford City’s trip to Bradford Park Avenue in Blue Square Bet North tonight.

City’s boss intended to field an attacking line-up for what should have been the first of two encounters in quick succession with the Yorkshire club at Marsh Lane on Saturday.

But the match was called off due to a waterlogged pitch.

Now the sides will be hoping tonight’s game takes place, although there was an area of standing water on the Horsfall Stadium pitch yesterday.

Reflecting on the postponement, Ford said: “It was disappointing, but fortunately we have got a game very quickly.

“The team that starts won’t be very different from the team that would have started the game that was called off.

“It will be a team set up to win the game. The only difference is we are away.”

That means the likes of Felipe Barcelos, Mark Bell and Jamie Cook are likely to feature strongly.

Ford is keen to secure two more wins, which he believes will guarantee City’s status.

“No-one has given us a good going over and we have always been in a game going into the final quarter, but we have been a bit naive recently and we need to grow up and get a couple of wins,” he added.

“People talk about looking to next season and that we are safe, but I want us to get to the 46-point mark and then we can kick on from there.”

Striker Steve Basham is out with a calf strain.

Meanwhile, City’s Oxfordshire Senior Cup semi-final against Thame United has been arranged for Tuesday, April 9 at Thame’s ASM Stadium.

City host the other semi-final between Banbury United and Oxford United on Tuesday, March 26.

Oxford City: from Ingram, Stonehouse, Willmott, Learoyd, Stanley, Benjamin, Pond, McNish, Barcelos, Holgate, Cook, Bell, Malone, Mulvany, Gunn, McEachran.