MINNOWS TAKE A BIG KANE-ING!
OXFORD UNITED showed their class off the pitch as they handed over their share of the gate receipts to the Non-Leaguers. Then, regrettably for Merstham, showed their class on it.
Forgoing a five-figure entitlement to ensure their Ryman Premier opponents don’t ever forget their debut FA Cup first round appearance, it was to be the only bit of charity the League One club handed out.
Oxford did show the middle finger to the side four levels below them as a cheeky child behind Moatsiders’ keeper Phil Wilson’s goal was caught on camera making matters worse after the school teacher let in the opener. Merstham were about to be Kane’d.
Two second-half efforts from striker Kane Hemmings added to goals from Alex MacDonald, Josh Ruffels and Tyler Roberts in front of a club record crowd of nearly 2,000. The leafy Surrey village’s population is considThe erably less than the capacity of the Kassam Stadium but Michael Appleton was just pleased to come through unscathed.
“I told the players before the game to make sure they didn’t become a headline and thanks to a professional performance we didn’t really ever look like becoming one,” he said.
“From the start we had the right attitude and we got our goals at the right time. Getting the second when we did really helped – we defended well when we needed to and the third killed the game off for us.”
Merstham manager Hayden Bird paid tribute to Oxford for their “act of kindness” before the game and he joked: “They gave us the gate and we gave them the goals!
“It was a lovely gesture by a wonderful club. In normal circumstances I would be very critical of the goals we conceded but I think the players are above criticism. There we periods of the game they did very well and I’m glad other people agree with me that it wasn’t a 5-0 match.”
Always key to a big upset is getting the basics right. Don’t concede needless early set-pieces around your box is the obvious call but Xavier Vidal’s nudge on MacDonald inside 12 minutes was their undoing.
winger took the dead ball himself, a Football League standard free-kick unlocked the door early on.
What if Dan Bennett would have taken his close-range chance five minutes later? A quick break and the underdogs almost hit straight back but Ruffels’ powerful header when Marvin Johnson timed his delivery perfectly was a soul destroyer.
Merstham offered plenty and didn’t really struggle until the hour. Kane Hemmings expertly tucked away for United’s third and another wasn’t long in coming as Tyler Roberts connected well from a tight angle for 4-0. Hemmings tapped home a fifth just to prove Oxford weren’t all about charity.