By John Lyons
JUSTIN MERRITT has ‘mixed feelings’ about Oxford City‘s sideways switch this summer, but remains confident the club can continue on an upward curve on the pitch.
Last year was Merritt’s first season in charge of his second spell as City boss and they upset the odds to finish an impressive sixth in Conference North, just one point off the play-offs. That was some achievement after they came 20th the season before.
Yet now they have been transferred into National League South. And those thinking that Merritt would be cock-a-hoop about the shorter journeys in the coming season should think again.
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The 40-year-old said: “We didn’t really have a problem with the travelling in the North. In fact, we had a very good away record (they won 11, the joint highest along with runners-up AFC Fylde). Spending so long on the bus must have helped our team spirit!
“We’re going to miss the big games at former League clubs like Stockport County and Boston United, as well as FC United coming in. We had also spent last year researching all the teams.
“In Conference South, we’re going a bit more into the unknown and it’s a different challenge, but we’ll be a bit more of an unknown quantity, too.”
And Merritt believes it would be unwise for his new opponents to write off his side.
“We are under no illusions – there are a lot of big teams and budgets, but that was the same last year in Conference North,” he said.
“We are quite creative and we have some very good players. We’ll be a match for everyone and a personal aim is the play-offs. People see a small club and say it’s a pipedream, but we showed last year with a new team and new management what can be achieved.”
One of his key challenges will be to replace the goals of top scorer Adi Yussuf, 23, who has moved into League Two with Mansfield after netting 27 league goals last term.
“He couldn’t get a club in our league because of his injury record,” he said. “We gave him an opportunity – we put him up in a house and he trained every day. He got his rewards and we hope it’s his first move and he can go again.
“We’ll miss him, but football‘s like that. Where one door closes, another one opens and we’ve shown that we’re prepared to give good young footballers a chance.”
Other losses to make up for are midfielder Mo Fofana (Barrow) and winger Tom Winters (Brackley). On the plus side, striker Bradley Bubb, 27, (Havant & Waterlooville), midfielder Reece Fleet, 23, (Solihull Moors) and goalkeeper Laurie Walker, 25, (Hemel Hempstead) have come in.
There is also City’s Spanish contingent to take into account, through the connections of head coach Enrique Guillen.
Yesterday the club announced the signings of three more players from Spain. Jon Arzamendi, a centre-back who has played for Real Unión, is joined at City by Olímpic de Xàtiva midfielder Carlos Pifarré Forner and Julen Lafuente, another midfielder from Deportivo Alavés.
Merritt added: “We set up trials in Spain and put 40 players through their paces. We had five Spanish players last year and three of them are returning plus the three new lads.”
