General manager Justin Merritt was left shell-shocked after seeing goalkeeper Ali Aksoy sent off early in the second half of Oxford City’s 4-3 defeat at Tamworth in Vanarama Conference North on Saturday, writes MATTHEW BRUCE.

The keeper, playing his first and likely only City game, was dismissed for a challenge on Tamworth’s Dave Hibbert, leaving the visitors to field an outfield player in goal for the fourth time in their last six league matches.

“They say lightning doesn’t strike twice, but it’s four times now,” said a shocked Merritt.

“It’s very hard to take and I’m bitterly disappointed.”

With both regular goalkeepers, Salva de la Cruz and Mark Scott, suspended for the trip to Tamworth after being red carded themselves, Merritt recruited Aksoy.

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But it wasn’t enough to prevent a continuation of the bizarre pattern of sendings-off, which has blighted City over the last five weeks, leaving Merritt to face some awkward questions.

He added: “I was just getting a bit of a grilling from our American president (Thomas Guerriero), in a nice way, asking why we didn’t have a second keeper on the bench, but hindsight’s a wonderful thing.

“It was hard enough to find one goalkeeper for this game, never mind getting two.

“But I pick the squad and ultimately it’s backfired.”