MAD WE’VE ACHIEVED SO MUCH...
REECE FLEET remembers when Oxford City’s pitch was more like a sandpit – now they’re getting ready to strut their stuff on the National League’s carpets. Skipper Fleet, 30, proudly hoisted the trophy high last Sunday after their dismantling of St Albans City as the team created history by reaching Step 1 for the first time.
The midfielder has seen a lot in his eight years at the club, not least the recent transformation to one that is now gearing up to take on Non-League’s big boys. “I’ve been there from the start when the pitch was like a sandpit – it’s mad how much the club has progressed,” Fleet said. “To see it now going into the top flight of Non-League football, and to be a part of that, is amazing.
“It’s a small tight-knit community, a community club. You see the volunteers and they sacrifice a lot as well as us players. So it’s brilliant for, not just us, but the whole club.”
Fleet joked he didn’t make it into work on Monday after the celebrations ran long into the night as they avenged last season’s play-off heartache.
“We knew what we had to do this time around,” Fleet said. “The Worthing game and St Albans games were fairly similar where we scored early. It might not have been pretty for the neutral but Dorking did the same to us (last year). They scored a couple of goals early, sat in and we couldn’t break them down.”
Success is in no small part down to manager Ross Jenkins and his staff’s meticulous planning. “Ever since he’s come in the lads have bought into what he wants from us,” Fleet says. “He’s very tactically aware. He does a lot of analysis on other teams and what players produce. “Throughout the season we’ve gone from strengthto-strength. He’s got a core of players who have been together and played a lot together, then added a bit of experience with Josh Parker and Alfie Potter. “You’re on a bit of a journey together and you kind of just ride it out. I remember against Cheshunt we were 0-0 and in the last couple of minutes and we got the points. A few seasons ago we would have maybe lost or drawn that.
“We had a lot of belief in each other. We grew as the season went on, it’s a great group of lads and that’s helped us get over the line.” And Fleet says they’re excited to pit their wits against Step 1 sides next season and will harness their underdog spirit that saw them reach this season’s FA Cup first round. “I think we’ll be wellequipped to do our best,” he said. “We know it’s not going to be easy but we’ll have a way of playing, stick to that and hopefully stay in the league. This is why we play football – to compete against these teams and try and better ourselves. Hopefully we can do well.”