Chorley 3 Oxford City 3: Late rally preserves Magpies' proud unbeaten record at home
In another pulsating contest at Victory Park, out-of-sorts Chorley came within minutes of surrendering their proud record of being unbeaten at home in 2025, before a late equaliser stretched the sequence to 20 games.
An enterprising City side twice built a two-goal lead, repeatedly cutting through a gappy Magpies’ defence with rapid counter-attacks and their deserved interval advantage of two goals might easily have been three.
They were ahead after 16 minutes, Matt Urwin surprisingly beaten by Tom Scott’s snap-shot from the edge of the box which brushed past him into the net.
But he redeemed himself soon afterwards by tenaciously closing down Josh Parker when in the clear.
Warren Clarke was just off-target with a fine effort on the turn, the Magpies’ only goal threat in a poor first-half display, and they fell further behind on 42 minutes when a well-flighted free-kick was headed home by Darnell Johnson.
Andy Preece made two changes at the break and these helped Chorley pull a goal back in the 56th minute, Harry Ibbitson bundling the ball into the net following a corner.
But five minutes later more lamentable defending saw Oxford make it 3-1. A fast break down the left produced a low cross which the marauding Scott sidefooted into the net unchallenged.
To their credit the Magpies showed their character in fighting back and within four minutes it was 3-2. A foul on Mark Ellis when competing at a corner brought a penalty, powerfully dispatched by Craig Hewitt.
Chorley kept pressing but had to wait until the 90th minute before equalising. A sublime piece of build-up play culminated in Adam Henley smashing home a well-controlled low cross-shot.
In the end a deserved point hard-earned.
CHORLEY: Urwin, Henley, Ellis, Smith (Pratt 45), Hewitt, Calveley (Lalkovic 85), Carr (Walker 75), Clarke (O’Kane 45), Summerfield, Blakeman, Ibbitson. Unused subs. Nolan, Moore, Whitehouse.
Attendance: 1,440.