Ferguson: We'll Celebrate After Cup Final
Oxford City Manager Ryan Ferguson Has His Sights Set On The FA Trophy
18/05/2019
The month of May brings with it the end of English domestic football at all levels. League campaigns come to a halt and the showpiece events come to forefront of the public's fascinations. The big games; the league title deciders, the cup finals, the playoffs. They make for an epic climax to a football season.
For Oxford City, the season so far has been a phenomenal one. Under the stewardship of young manager Ryan Ferguson, they have secured the Natioal League South title by a five point margin, scoring a phenomenal 109 goals (2.6 per game) in the process. The club had been expected to struggle this season, with financial difficulties casting a shadow of doubt over the short-term and long-term future of the club, but a superb run of form at the beginning of the season snowballed into a colossal year of brilliance for the football club.
A ninety-one point haul was more than enough for City to secure an unprecedented National League South title but their run of form in the league has not been the only success on the pitch for the club this season. A sensational run to the Third Round of the FA Cup put the club in the media's spotlight, defeating EFL sides Walsall and Swindon Town on the way. Only EFL Championship side Birmigham City could prove too difficult for Oxford City to overcome.
With Oxford City's league campaign finishing up last month, they have just one fixture remaining this season. It is the small matter of the FA Trophy final. They face National League side Chesterfield tomorrow at Wembley in a game which is set to host over 19,000 fans. Chesterfield had finished second in the National League this season but suffered defeat in the playoffs, condemning them to another season of non-league football.
Tomorrow's final marks the first time that either team has reached the final stage of the competition, with Chesterfield having been a part of the English Football League structure since 1899. Back-to-back relegations in the previous seasons put Chesterfield in non-league football with an EFL standard squad, making them formidable opposition for any team to play against.
Oxford City and Chesterfield go into the game with contrasting emotions. For Oxford City, their league campaign has been a remarkable success, securing the title and moving to the National League. For Chesterfield, their league campaign has been a bitter failure, falling at the last hurdle in the playoffs. Tomorrow's game will be an opportunity for the emotions of the two teams to be expressed on the pitch.
Oxford City manager Ryan Ferguson has not allowed his team to celebrate their league success just yet, with one important fixture remaining. The young Liverpool-born gaffer has announced his pride for his players but has warned his stars that they will require every ounce of focus they have to overcome a vastly more experienced Chesterfield side.
Chesterfield's wage spend of over £30,000 per week is significantly above Oxford City's of roughly £3,000 per week but Ryan Ferguson has professed that his team's committment to winning trumps any wage spend.
For Oxford City, the season so far has been a phenomenal one. Under the stewardship of young manager Ryan Ferguson, they have secured the Natioal League South title by a five point margin, scoring a phenomenal 109 goals (2.6 per game) in the process. The club had been expected to struggle this season, with financial difficulties casting a shadow of doubt over the short-term and long-term future of the club, but a superb run of form at the beginning of the season snowballed into a colossal year of brilliance for the football club.
A ninety-one point haul was more than enough for City to secure an unprecedented National League South title but their run of form in the league has not been the only success on the pitch for the club this season. A sensational run to the Third Round of the FA Cup put the club in the media's spotlight, defeating EFL sides Walsall and Swindon Town on the way. Only EFL Championship side Birmigham City could prove too difficult for Oxford City to overcome.
With Oxford City's league campaign finishing up last month, they have just one fixture remaining this season. It is the small matter of the FA Trophy final. They face National League side Chesterfield tomorrow at Wembley in a game which is set to host over 19,000 fans. Chesterfield had finished second in the National League this season but suffered defeat in the playoffs, condemning them to another season of non-league football.
Tomorrow's final marks the first time that either team has reached the final stage of the competition, with Chesterfield having been a part of the English Football League structure since 1899. Back-to-back relegations in the previous seasons put Chesterfield in non-league football with an EFL standard squad, making them formidable opposition for any team to play against.
Oxford City and Chesterfield go into the game with contrasting emotions. For Oxford City, their league campaign has been a remarkable success, securing the title and moving to the National League. For Chesterfield, their league campaign has been a bitter failure, falling at the last hurdle in the playoffs. Tomorrow's game will be an opportunity for the emotions of the two teams to be expressed on the pitch.
Oxford City manager Ryan Ferguson has not allowed his team to celebrate their league success just yet, with one important fixture remaining. The young Liverpool-born gaffer has announced his pride for his players but has warned his stars that they will require every ounce of focus they have to overcome a vastly more experienced Chesterfield side.
Chesterfield's wage spend of over £30,000 per week is significantly above Oxford City's of roughly £3,000 per week but Ryan Ferguson has professed that his team's committment to winning trumps any wage spend.
Wembley Will Play Host To The FA Trophy Final Tomorrow
Ryan Ferguson:
"We're excited for tomorrow and we're ready for the challenge we face. It is our first time playing at Wembley and will hopefully not be our last. We look forward to turning out at one of the finest football stadia in the world, competing for a major non-league honour. Victory tomorrow would put a very nice seal on what has been an incredible season for us.
We're up against what could possibly be our toughest challenge of the season. They (Chesterfield) are a thoroughly professional team. They haven't had the best of seasons in recent years but we have to remember the heights which they have reached in the recent past and the professionalism with which their players conduct themselves. They will be an incredibly difficult side to play against.
We've had a wonderful season to date and we have a lot to celebrate. I don't think anybody anticipated that we would win the league but we played out of our skins and we deserved our title success. We won't celebrate that just yet though, we still have one more game to play. We'll let ourselves relax and celebrate after tomorrow, regardless of the result.
They (Chesterfield) have a superior wage spend to us. They're still working on a professional budget, as opposed to our semi-professional budget. But money isn't the superior factor in football. The commitment and endeavour of our football team will match their money on the pitch tomorrow. It will be difficult but we will put them to the test."
Comment Section
ScottT, Chesterfield will prove to be an incredibly difficult challenge, I have absolutely no doubt about that! Hopefully we can make our own bit of history & tradition in the final.Previous Update: #27 - Season 2018-2019: April
Next Update: #29 - Oxford City Win FA Trophy Final