Two of the front runners for this years’ Allied Counties title met at Church Road on Monday night and with neither team troubling the scorers it gave Farnborough Town a chance to close the gap which they duly did with a 6-1 thrashing of Wealdstone.

Oxford had the first chance on eight minutes and really should have opened the scoring, Mark James cut into the box on the left before pulling the ball back to Jack Griffiths who could only manage to hit his shot against the post from four yards out.

The Missioners soon began to find their feet and threaten the City goal, Ryan Jones fed the ball to Dan Mehmet but he pulled his shot across the face of goal and minutes later Liam Hind set up a chance for Toby Little only for visiting keeper Doran Soloman to push his effort around the post. The resulting corner was met cleanly by Hind and although Soloman was beaten he was grateful to the defensive cover on the line.

Five minutes before the break we again went close, Little fired a corner to the far post where Hind rose to head back across goal but Jones could not apply the final touch.

The visitors came out attacking at the start of the second period with John Peacock having to be alert to save from Mark Bell before a Hayes corner at the other end saw Liam Hind head wide of the target.

Half chances continued at both ends, Oxford skipper Kieron Lewis was too high with a header from a free-kick before a Hind free-kick for Hayes saw Little arrive at the far post but his header was straight at Soloman.

The final ten minutes saw Andrew Harewood twice go close for the Missioners before City nearly took all three points in the dying seconds. A quick break launched from their own defence saw a long ball forwards to Griffiths who beat the on-coming Peacock to the ball but thankfully after he lofted it over the keeper it sailed wide of the far post.

Report by Kevin Watts.