FOOTBALL: City boss Ford targets top-ten finish (From Oxford Mail)

FOOTBALL: City boss Ford targets top-ten finish

10:00am Friday 15th March 2013 in Sport By Nick Farrant, Sports reporter specialising in Non League Football. Call me on 01865 425488

Oxford City manager Mike Ford says a top-ten finish in Blue Square Bet North would represent success for the Marsh Lane outfit.

Ford believes that the visit of Bradford Park Avenue tomorrow is a good opportunity to get nearer to their target.

“If you work out our average points tally then we would get 55-56 points, which may be enough to get into the top-ten,” said Ford.

“We have 12 games left and I think we can get something out of all of them.

“But the job in hand now is Bradford and we have been working on a number of things to make sure we are ready.

“I am going to pick an attacking team with some pace in it, so I need as many goalscorers on the pitch as possible.

“That means the likes of Felipe Barcelos, Mark Bell and Jamie Cook.

“Darren Pond has been used in a defensive role, but we want to give him the opportunity to get more goals.

“Liam Malone has done a lot of work on how he can be more disciplined when he hasn’t got the ball, so he will play.”

Ford whose side face a trip to the same opponents on Monday, says the line-ups will differ in each game.

He added: “It’s going to be horses for courses.”

Steve Basham (calf injury) misses out.

Oxford City: from Ingram, Stonehouse, Willmott, Learoyd, Stanley, Benjamin, Pond, McNish, Barcelos, Holgate, Cook, Bell, Malone, Mulvany, Gunn, McEachran.