HOOPS AND SHRIMPERS STILL LEFT FRUSTRATED

STRUGGLERS Oxford City and Southend United couldn’t be separated at the RAW Charging Stadium following a battling goalless draw which benefitted neither.

While the result did at least arrest both sides’ recent poor form, but despite a flurry of chances at both ends, neither side could find an elusive winner to aid their fight for survival.

It’s four games now without a goal for Kevin Maher’s men, but the Shrimpers boss took a point as a positive.

“It’s a point on the board,” he conceded. “Let’s be positive. We’ve had chances to win the game and we’ve had to play the final 10 minutes with 10 men so there’s a positive there.”

A cagey start saw neither side really able to get a shot on goal. Cav Miley’s effort over the bar for Southend on the halfhour was first to test either goalkeeper.

City did have the ball in the net through Renny Smith 60 seconds later, but the bottom club were denied by the linesman’s flag.

Both keepers, however, were called into action towards the end of the half with Southend’s Collin Andeng Ndi getting down low to push Aaron Williams-Bushell’s fierce effort around the post after the winger had been found out wide to get a shot away.

And, a couple of minutes later, City’s goalkeeping debutant Tom Watson spread his body well to block Harry Cardwell was picked out with a pinpoint through ball, but the Wigan loanee

Both sides had spells of pressure in the second period, with a series of corners seeing the visitors pile pressure on their hosts in front of their sell out 1,200 travelling fans.

Adam Crowther crashed a shot against the crossbar after the Hoops failed to clear before Cardwell saw another effort fly wide of goal.

Watson was once again forced into action when Wesley Fonguck’s effort saw the keeper smartly save down low.

But Ross Jenkins’ hosts weathered the storm and found some efforts of their own.

The first, from Josh Ashby came after a poor clearance from Andeng Ndi,with the midfielder firing in an effort from all of 35 yards, only for he too to see it cannon off the crossbar with the keeper well beaten.

Andeng Ndi was forced into the save of the match with 20 minutes to play when Williams-Bushell was again found in the box but the winger opted to hit high and was met by a stunning save from the visiting stopper, before Jacob Roddy pulled the result corner wide of the post.

Southend were forced to play the final ten minutes with ten men after Nathan Ralph was shown a second yellow card by referee John Mulligan, but it would still be the visitors that came closest to a winner late on when Ashby was on hand to brilliantly block Gus Scott-Morriss’s effort.