JAMES Roberts will head into the close season with a spring in his step after ending a difficult few months with four goals in the Oxfordshire Senior Cup final.

The striker looked sharp in the 6-1 win, where George Jeacock scored a brace to complete the scoring for Chris Allen’s side at the Kassam Stadium.

Roberts has had to deal with a family bereavement during a testing season hit by injury and mixed loan spells.

One of the stints was at City, where he failed to score, but the 19-year-old was delighted to finish on a high.

He said: “It’s a bit of a kick in the teeth having someone who played for them score four goals, but for me it’s the perfect way to sign off.

“I thoroughly enjoyed the game.”

Roberts showed a touch of real quality with his second goal, when he chipped Oxford City goalkeeper Craig Hill from 12 yards.

He said: “It’s one I miss ten times in training but on the day it just happened to come off.

“It’s more instinct and instead of smashing it into the bottom corner I decided to go for it.

“Chrissy (Allen) would have hammered me if I’d missed it, but you have to try it in these sorts of games.”

Witney Gazette:

  • George Jeacock curls in his second goal of the night

City boss Justin Merritt had to field a very young side for the game, which came after many of his senior players had left at the end of their contracts.

He also lost Paul Stonehouse and David King to injuries during the game.

He said: “There wasn’t a lot in it for the first half and we played some good stuff, but overall their fitness, energy levels and superior quality came through.

“We’ve patched up a team out there and we played three out of the youth team in the back four and it’s great experience for them.

“It’s not one they will be fondly remembering, but they just need to learn from that.

“When you’re 4-1 or 5-1 down you look at how they cope with those situations.

“There’s a lot we can take from it. For us it was a difficult game at the wrong time with half our squad disappearing and a few out injured.

“James Roberts showed his class and it was fully deserved.

“It’s great to see such good players at Oxford United, I was impressed with a number of their players.”

Witney Gazette:

  • Oxford United's team lift the Oxfordshire Senior Cup