Oxford City boss Justin Merritt has demanded a reaction from his side as they host Ebbsfleet United tomorrow afternoon.

City were dealt their heaviest defeat in Vanarama National League South of the season on Tuesday night by lowly Weston-super-Mare, going down 5-2 after a poor display.

This followed their 1-0 defeat in the FA Trophy on Saturday.

And City’s general manager was not impressed with what he saw on Tuesday.


 

“We didn’t play the game in the correct manner,” said Merritt.

“There was just so much that was off, it was difficult to identify what exactly was wrong.

“There wasn’t just one player who was to blame for that, the whole squad were responsible.”

With the league leaders in town this weekend, City are keen to avoid a repeat showing.

Merritt said: “That performance has hurt the players and the management, so we expect a reaction this weekend.

“We’ve got a good group of individuals. They’re good honest players and they work hard for each other.

“I don’t need to read the riot act to them and I don’t need to give them any inspiring speeches, because they want to put it right themselves.

“They will learn their lessons, but they won’t be dwelling on what happened on Tuesday night.”

Winger Kynan Isaac is available for selection again, having been absent since City’s abandoned match at Whitehawk a fortnight ago.

And forward Marlon Jackson is due to return from a dead leg picked up in last weekend’s match at Woking, which kept him out of Tuesday’s defeat.

The 25-year-old, currently in his second spell at City after returning from Tranmere Rovers in November, had been in fine form prior to his knock.

Merritt believes his side have missed him in their back-to-back losses.

“He’d scored four in four games and he’d been looking good in every game he’d played in,” Merrit said.

“He got a dead leg quite early on in the Woking game and played on with it until half-time, but it just seized up and he couldn’t continue.

“It’s a shame, because I think he would have given their left-back a bit of a headache if he’d been fit and of course we could have done with him on Tuesday.”

Captain Darren Pond and midfielder Ander Del Alamo both remain sidelined with ankle injuries.

TOMORROW’S SQUAD

Oxford City (v Ebbsfleet Utd, home): from Walker, Arzamendi, Santiago, Bevans, Henderson, Lapoujade, Fleet, Lafuente, Isaac, Whichelow, Bubb, McDonagh, Jackson, Benjamin, Pifarré, Roberts.