To The Manor Born

Accy-thoomp

2011-11-02T16:24:00.000Z

Fixture: Oxford United 1 Accrington Stanley 1
Date: 24/9/11

Buoyed by two good away wins, Oxford faced an Accrington Stanley side struggling to find form. In a fixture yet to register a single goal, skipper Wright was suspended following his controversial dismissal at Barnet, Wilder brought Whing in to partner Duberry, skipper for the day, in central defence. So the line-up was: Clarke, Batt, Duberry, Whing, Davis, Heslop, McLaren, Leven, Potter, Constable, R. Hall. Subs: Smalley, A. Hall, Payne, Haworth, Kinniburgh.

Despite their lowly position, Accrington started really brightly and had the first chance of the game after just two minutes when one of their strikers had a shot that narrowly missed the goal. On six minutes they actually had the ball in the net when, following up a shot which rebounded off the post, the Accrington man was adjudged to be offside.

Oxford had their first chance after 10 minutes when a fiercely taken 30-yard freekick was well saved by the Stanley keeper. Again Accrington pushed Oxford back and Clarke had to be alert when he finger-tipped a long range effort over the bar. From the corner Clarke then pulled off an amazing save when their striker had a header from close range.

At the other end, following a corner, the ball dropped nicely for Heslop just outside the area, but his half-volley flew over the bar. Then Leven was brought tumbling down in the area but the U's pleas for a penalty fell on deaf ears and the referee waved play on.

On 35 minutes the end of the universe was expected as the first goal between these two sides was recorded. Hall was cynically fouled mid-way in Accrington's half earning the defender a yellow card. With the ball sat 35 yards out, Paul McLaren took a long range shot which took a wicked deflection making it loop over the goalies head and into the net!

Despite the goal, Accrington still looked the stronger side and Oxford were made to work hard to keep their lead going into the half-time break.

Oxford started the second half much as they had finished the first, having to defend resolutely against a determined Accrington side. On 53 minutes Wilder decided to ring the changes, surprisingly bringing on Payne for McLaren and Haworth for Heslop. Haworths first contribution was to pick up a yellow card and give away a free-kick in a dangerous position but luckily for us a spectacular looking overhead kick was way off target.

On a rare foray into their half, following a quick free kick, Constable saw his half-volley easily saved by the keeper. But all the pressure was at the other end on Oxford's defence and the inevitable happened when a poorly cleared ball was thumped into the net from the edge of the area.

Stung into action Potter went on a mazy run through their defence only to hit a weak shot that was easily dealt with by their defenders. The game was becoming more fragmented and there was no rhythm from either side as yellow cards were issued to both teams.

As the action stuttered from end to end both teams had efforts but failed to hit the target. With extra time being played Oxford tried to mount one last attack to try and snatch victory but a header by Duberry just went over the bar and the chance was gone.

So, yet another home game in which Oxford took the lead but ended up drawing. The result was very disappointing but fair because Accrington certainly didn't come here looking to nick a point and could probably count themselves unlucky they didn't get all 3.

U's buzzing as they see off the Bee's

2011-11-02T15:33:00.000Z

Fixture: Barnet 0 Oxford United 2
Date: 17/9/11

Oxford started with the same line-up that had won midweek at Dagenham. That meant that West Ham loanee Robert Hall kept his place on the left of a 3 man attack. Another new loanee from Bury, Andy Haworth, took his place on the bench. So the line-up was: Clarke, Batt, Duberry, Wright, Davis, Heslop, McLaren, Leven, Potter, Constable, R. Hall. Subs: Smalley, Whing, Payne, Haworth, Worley.

With over 1,000 travelling fans cheering them on, Oxford won the toss and elected to kick up-hill on a pitch that evoked memories of the old Manor Ground. The U's came out of the blocks quickly and and an early attack saw Potter put a dangerous ball across the box just inches too far in front of Constable.

Unsurprisingly, with Lawrie Sanchez as Barnet's manager, the Bees took the direct route and Oxford had some tough defending to do against a barrage of long throws and lofted punts. Oxford were countering well and Potters pace was causing problems for their defence. On 20 minutes Barnet had the ball in the net but it was dissallowed after hitting a Barnet player on the arm. Then McLeod chased after a through-ball but was hauled back by Wright who earned a booking for his troubles.

On 32 minutes Oxford took the lead with a superbly worked goal. Picking the ball up in his half, Leven played Potter in on the left. His cross was half-cleared by a defender but it dropped nicely for Simon Heslop to take one touch before unleashing a 20 yard shot which whistled past the keeper and into the back of the net. Buoyed by the goal Oxford went in search of another as Hall and Leven both went close.

On 38 minutes the second goal duly arrived. If we thought the first one was good, this one was to prove even better. Liam Davis latched onto a loose ball midway inside the Bee's half. Running forward he played a short pass to Leven, continued his run into the area where a delightful flick by the midfielder dropped perfectly for Davis to volley home. Such was the tight angle that at first we all thought the ball had somehow gone through the side-netting but as we watched the players in wild celebration we all realised that it had indeed gone in. Later, replays confirmed what a sweet strike it was.

Oxford had one more chance in the half to extend their lead when Hall put Potter through on goal but a defender just managed to nick the ball off his toe and out to safety.

Kicking downhill in the second half Oxford had Barnet pinned back in the early stages with Constable, Potter and Hall all going close. Barnet managed a rare chance which called on Clarke to make a flying save whilst at the other end Constable was denied a goal when he goal-bound shot was toe-ended away by the keeper.

Barnet then missed a glorious chance to get back in the game when their striker, in front of goal, headed the ball into the ground only to see it bounce over the bar. Next a free-kick by Leven from the edge of the area went just inches wide. Smalley replaced Constable on 80 minutes and had a glorious chance to get his first United goal when a ball from Potter put him through on goal. With just the keeper to beat his shot was blocked and the ball went to safety.

Minutes before the end of normal time, Barnet had their best chance to score when a long range shot through a crowd of players left Clarke stranded but fortunately for him the ball hit the base of the post and rebounded back into play. In stoppage time came the most contentious decision of the game. Wright made a tackle on former U's striker, Deering, just out side the area, whereupon the latter man went down like a sack of spuds and proceeded to writhe on the ground. Already booked, Wright was shown a second yellow card and dismissed. Miraculously Deering sprang up showing no ill effects at all! Cheating little ****

Despite being reduced to 10 men, Oxford comfortably saw out the remaining minutes to record a great victory and, more importantly, 3 points which take them up to 7th and into the playoff positions.

Brewers catch United on the Hop

2011-11-01T21:02:00.004Z

Fixture: Oxford United 2 Burton Albion 2
Date: 10/9/11

Former United striker Justin Richards returned to punish Oxford as they failed to secure all 3 points in a disappointing afternoon. Constable returned to the side after recovering from an injury replacing Smalley who was left out of the squad following an illness. Leven returned to the starting line-up with Hall dropping to the bench. So the side was: Clarke, Whing, Duberry, Wright, Davis, Heslop, McLaren, Leven, Potter, Constable, Guy. Subs: Batt, Pittmen, Hall, Worley, Payne.

Burton started the stronger of the two sides in the opening exchanges and it took about 10 minutes for Oxford to get their passing game together. On 14 minutes Potter put through a lovely pass for Guy to run onto and his shot had goal written all over it only to be denied by a brilliant point-blank save by the Brewers keeper, Atkins.

Now Oxford were in their stride and had a firm grip on the game with Burton desperately hanging on. McLaren, then Guy set Potter free on the wing and his dangerously whipped cross just eluded United's forwards charging in on goal. Constable then had a shot which went underneath the goalies body only to be cleared off the line by a covering defender.

Batt replaced Whing, who limped off with an injury, and was immediately into the action as Burton sought to put pressure on the counter-attack. Burton had a penalty claim waved away whilst at the other end another great cross was met by Constable who saw his headed effort just loop over the bar and onto the top of the net. Leven then tried his luck with a long range free-kick which went harmlessly over the bar.

Burton showed their danger when a long-range shot went just wide of the goal with Clarke helplessly clawing at thin air. Half-time was approaching and, frustratingly for Oxford, all the possession and chances didn't reflect in the scoreline. Yet again Potter put in a dangerous cross low into the area only to see one of their players nearly score an own goal but being saved by the post as the ball rebounded to safety.

Finally with the half into stoppage time the breakthrough came. A cross was headed on by Duberry to McLaren who played in Alfie Potter with a delightful pass. Keeping his head he then smashed the ball past the keeper and into the net. The half-time whistle came at the right moment for Burton as Oxford, tails up, ended the half on a high but couldn't add to the scoreline.

The break did Oxford no favours and the start of the second half was a sluggish affair. Five minutes in Davis tried a 20 yard shot which forced the keeper to push it out to safety, then Guy forced a corner after his shot was well saved by Atkins.

On 52 minutes Oxford increased their lead when a delightful pass by Guy played in Peter Leven who lifted the ball over Atkins and into the net for his first Oxford United goal. We hardly had any time to celebrate when we conceded a soft penalty when Davis stupidly lunged at a Burton striker in the area. The man tumbled theatrically and the referee pointed immediately to the spot. Justin Richards then stepped up to calmly score from the penalty spot to make it 2-1.

Buoyed by the lifeline Burton upped their game and had the U's on the back foot as they pressed for an equaliser. Duberry had a golden chance to open his account for United when a free-kick by McLaren picked him out at the far post but the big defender vollied his shot over the bar.

Just 10 minutes after their penalty Burton were back on level terms when terrible defending from a corner allowed Richards a free shot at the far post which just crept past Clarke after a deflection. Just moments later they could have had their third after a sloppy pass allowed Richards through but great defending by Duberry forced him to fire over the bar.

With 15 minutes left Burton seemed to be satisfied with their point as they started defending deeper. This allowed Oxford a chance to put pressure on their defence and Constable missed a glorious chance when his header in the centre of the area from a Davis cross went over the bar. This proved to be the last meaningful effort by United as the referee blew for full time.

All in all it was a disappointing result after being 2-0 up early on in the 2nd half. The penalty decision was wrong (later backed up buy Burton's manager) but Davis was extremely naive with his lunging challenge which gave the referee the opportunity to award it.

The A420 "El Classico"

2011-08-21T23:07:00.005+01:00

Fixture: Swindon Town 1 Oxford United 2
Date 21/8/11

The date is 24th February 1973 and a 13 year old boy has just been told by his Father that he is going to be taken to his first away game. A short journey sees them arrive at the County Ground, home of Swindon Town and local rivals to Oxford United. In a relatively easy fashion United went on to win 3-1 with goals from Roberts, Cassidy and Curran. A satisfying result for an afternoons entertainment and the 13 year old boy went home content in the knowledge that this is how it would always be. If only...

Wind forward to 2011 and that boy, me, has had to endure 38 years of frustration and, at times, humiliation waiting for that event to come round again. Halley's comet is more regular. Nine years after our last meeting (an FA Cup home win) derby day finally arrived with all the usual hope and expectation that maybe, just maybe this time we could finally triumph on the dreaded enemy's back yard.

Wilder made two changes to the starting line-up from the Shrewsbury game bringing in Alfie Potter and Peter Leven whilst dropping Asa Hall and Deane Smalley to the bench. So the starting line-up was Clarke, Whing, Duberry, Wright, Davis, Potter, Heslop, McLaren, Leven, Constable, Guy. Subs: Batt, Smalley, Pittman, Worley, Hall.

After an agonising wait for the teams to come out and being treated to the excruciating sight of the Swindon Robin mascot dancing like a bird whose Trill had been spiked with ecstacy (to the chorus of "Shoot The Bastard" echoing from the Oxford end), all the pre-match hype could be forgotten as the game got under way. Like a formula one car the game went from 0 to 60 in seconds. Potter had an early chance when fed a pass on the right hand edge of the box but his shot lacked any power and was easily smothered by the keeper.

Swindon countered immediately and were awarded a free-kick to the left of the area. A dangerous ball was well blocked by Heslop and the danger was cleared. Constable then flicked on a header to Potter who managed to get his cross in towards Guy, but the striker scuffed his shot and the ball trickled into the keepers arms. Then Potter went on an amazing run from the half-way line as he beat one man and then left the next man flailing at thin air as he flew down the right wing. Unfortunately his cross was disappointing and didn't reach Constable in the area.

On the 11th minute Oxford won their only corner of the game and boy did they make it count. Leven delivered a pinpoint cross into the box where James Constable was quickest to react, beating the defender in the air to head the ball downwards and underneath the diving keeper. The Oxford striker sprinted the full length of the pitch to celebrate wildly in front of the U's delirious fans.

Stung, Swindon immediately went on the attack to try and get back into the game. Their recent signing, big centre forward Leon Clarke had two great chances to level but first a shot then a header went wide of the target. The pressure was relentless as the reds sought an equalliser so it was no real surprise when they did so eight minutes later. The defence were being systematically pulled out of position and Potter, trying to halt the progress of their left winger, was unable to stop a cross coming in where Town's Matt Ritchie had a free header inside the 6 yard box giving Clarke no chance whatsoever. Swindon manager Paolo Di Canio showed a distinct lack of class and taste in his celebrations and was censured by the referee.

With Town in the ascendency, Oxford were struggling to pass the ball to each other and every clearance just fell to one of their players who returned the ball with interest. Clarke performed heroics in goal during this period when he firstly saved a close-range header from Leon Clarke and then made a miraculous stop from a rifled Ritchie shot which he managed to somehow put out for a corner.

Half time was getting near and our main hope seemed to be to just get in at half-time on level terms. We were occasionally getting the ball upfield but it just wasn't sticking. On one of our rare forays into their half Oxford won a freekick on the 43rd minute to the right hand side of the area. Leven once again stepped up to take the dead-ball kick and once again delivered a cross with interest. This time the Swindon keeper managed to get a hand to it but only succeeded in palming the ball in front of him where James Constable was again quickest to react to bundle the ball home.

This was particularly sweet as moments before the Swindon fans were taunting us with "James Constable is a Swindon fan". Following the goal the Oxford chant was "2-1 to the Swindon fan". There was time for a mass brawl to break out after Guy was bundled to the ground and a Swindon player was seen to kick at him. Incredibly no card was issued! Half time arrived with us 2-1 up and hoping that Wilder could tighten things out in our midfield.

The second half started where the first had finished with the hosts firmly on top. Five minutes in, Wilder made his first change bringing on Hall for Heslop. Moments later Guy was charging towards the Swindon penalty area when he appeared to be deliberately tripped. The referee had other ideas and inexplicably waved play on. Swindon took advantage of the fact that the U's players had stopped to appeal and broke quickly - too quickly as it turned out as the linesman raised his flag for offside. This was too much for Di Canio who hurled a torrent of abuse towards the official. Already on a warning, the Italian was dismissed to the stands - much to the amusement of the travelling fans.

Wilder shortly made his second change bringing on Smalley for Guy. But the changes had little effect on the game as Swindon continued to dominate the proceedings. Leon Clarke again had a great chance to equalise but blazed his shot over the bar when clean through. Moments later Ryan Clarke made yet another great save after he blocked a near-post shot with his body.

With 15 minutes left, Batt came on for Potter in a bid to shore up the defence with Whing moving into the midfield and it seemed to work as Swindon were limited to long-range shots. In a very rare moment Constable had a chance to seal the points when Hall put him through on goal. The keeper quickly came out forcing Constable to lob him only seeing his shot agonisingly clip the bar and go over.

Five minutes of additional time were signalled and Swindon intensified their efforts in a bid to equalise. Red wave after red wave attacked relentlessly in a scene that resembled the Zulu's attacking the British troops at Rourke's Drift. Again Clarke came to the rescue as he held on well to a long range shot. With the Oxford fans whistling furiously for the referee to blow for time Swindon had one last desperate effort on goal but it went sailing over the bar.

Then the moment came when the referee blew to end 38 years of misery and spark scenes of jubilation amongst the Oxford fans. As Chris Wilder later commented, we were rubbish. But he also put his finger on it when he said that how many times had we played really well last season and came away with nothing? Too many times that I care to remember is the answer.

Were we rubbish? Certainly. Did Swindon deserve a share of the spoils? Absolutely. Do we care? NO! Because the history books will show that on 21st August 2011, the result at the County Ground will read Swindon Town 1 Oxford United 2.

And that's all that matters!

Bantams deliver a blow below the belt

2011-08-14T18:18:00.002+01:00

Fixture: Oxford United 1 Bradford City 1

Date: 13/8/11

Oxford shared the spoils in a game they really should have won after a contentious equaliser from Bradford. Wilder made four changes from the Cardiff game, bringing in Heslop and Payne into the midfield and Smalley and Guy up front. Batt moved to the bench to allow Whing his first start at right back. So the side was: Clarke, Whing, Duberry, Wright, Davis, Heslop, Payne, Hall, Potter, Smalley, Guy. Subs: Batt, Constable, Pittman, Worley, Leven.

As early as the second minute Heslop tested the keeper with a shot from outside of the box, but it was straight at him and he collected it pretty comfortably. Bradford then had a decent effort themselves when a fierce free-kick 30 yards out was well saved by Clarke, eventually putting the ball out for a corner.

Lewis Guy then made a promising run down the left-hand side, cutting into the area and passing to Potter whose shot at goal lacked power and was cleared easily. Then Bradford had yet another free-kick in almost the same area as before, this time it beat Clarke and went narrowly over the bar.

For the next 15 minutes or so, Oxford tightened their grip on the game as we had our best spell of the game. The Bradford defence was stretched on either wing by Davis, Potter and Whing as a series of crosses tested their resolve. Finally the pressure told and on 28 minutes Oxford took the lead. Simon Heslop picked up the ball just inside the Bradford half, ran forwards into the space left by the retreating defenders and unleashed an unstoppable shot from 25 yards that nestled into the bottom left-hand corner of the net.

With the Bantams rocking, Oxford immediately pressed again and Asa Hall had a goalbound shot blocked by a Bradford defender for a corner. With the referee blowing for petty offences, the game lost it's momentum and the rest of the half was stop-start with neither side having any real sights of goal . So at half-time Oxford went in 1-0 up.

Oxford came out of the blocks with a lot of purpose at the start of the second half as they tried to extend their lead. Potter had an early chance, but his shot hit a defender and went agonisingly close to dropping in, landing on top of the net. Then after a corner had caused a bit of panic in Bradford's penalty area the ball dropped to Josh Payne on the edge of the area, but he blasted his shot well over the bar.

Gradually though, Bradford started to get back into the game after weathering the storm. In a bid to inject life back into the side, Wilder brought on Constable for Potter and Leven for Hall but it was the Bantams who were celebrating next. On 77 minutes Bradford had a free-kick awarded in the middle of our half. The ball was delivered into a crowd of players just inside the area where it seemed that hesitation on our part allowed Hannah a soft tap-in. Replays shown later suggest that Duberry received a shove in the back as he was about to head clear, allowing the ball to drop at the feet of the Bradford man to stick away a relatively easy chance from close range.

Oxford responded by making their final substitution, bringing on Pittman for Heslop. Whing, intercepting a pass in the Bradford half, then made a powerful run through the centre of the park, shrugging aside several challenges before laying the ball off to Pittman on the left-hand edge of the area, but his shot was deflected and went over the bar.

Oxford desperately pressed for an equaliser but despite having the majority of the play in the closing moments, the Bantams held on for a draw. It was a disappointing result and underlined our inability to take chances whilst clearly on top. Failure to do so ultimately cost us getting the three points our play deserved. Overall it was a good performance but we must be more clinical in front of goal. With an eagerly awaited derby game coming up next weekend its time to make those chances count.

Bluebirds fly away with the spoils

2011-08-11T16:58:00.003+01:00

Fixture: Oxford United 1 Cardiff City 3 (aet)

Carling Cup Round 1

Date: 10/8/11

In a stirring display, Oxford took Cardiff to extra time before succumbing to two late goals. For many fans it was their first chance to see the new signings which were further added to with the months loan signing of Lewis Guy from MK Dons to cover for the injured Tom Craddock. So the line up was: Clarke, Batt, Duberry, Wright, Whing, Hall, Clist, Davis, Constable, Pittman, Potter. Subs: Brown, Worley, Heslop, Payne, Leven, Smalley, Guy.

Oxford began the game brightly, looking to take on their Championship opponents from the opening whistle and on 5 minutes Alfie Potter tried a long-range shot from outside the box which went just wide of the right-hand post. Despite having the majority of the opening exchanges, against the run of play Cardiff took the lead in the 10th minute. A pretty innocuous looking cross from the right was met by Crag Conway who stabbed a shot goalwards. In what resembled a pin-ball machine the ball seemed to ricochet off a couple of players before spinning gently behind Clarke and into the net.

Oxford refused to let the set-back upset them and kept to their passing game-plan as they once again took the game to Cardiff. Two minutes later Constable was fouled on the edge of the area and the resulting free-kick by Davis was viciously whipped into the area where Cardiff managed to scramble it clear. On 17 minutes Pittman broke through the Cardiff back line into the area where he was clearly being held back by a defender who was grabbing his shorts. Oxford's appeals for a penalty fell on deaf ears as the referee, Andy D'Urso waved play on.

With the game opening up, Cardiff countered with a quick attack which resulted in a cross picking out Parkin who's header went over the bar. On the half hour though Oxford were finally rewarded for all their good play when they levelled the tie. Clist, who had been struggling for most of the game, picked out Pittman with a lovely through-ball which put the striker in on goal. One-on-one with Heaton he shot powerfully but the goalkeeper bravely blocked his effort only to see it drop to the feet of Simon Clist who calmly slotted it home from 20 yards.

The game was now evenly poised as both sides defended and attacked in equal measure. As the half drew to a close Cardiff were pressing more but our defence looked pretty solid and the teams went in at the break level at 1-1.

For once Oxford started the second period really well and had Cardiff on the back foot early on in the half. Fussy refereeing from D'Urso though saw the game fall into a stop-start pattern as the official disrupted play with petty infringements. Ten minutes into the second half Cardiff went really close when Farah crashed in a shot from outside the area which hit the bar and rebounded into play. Oxford immediately counter-attacked and a superb run and cross from Potter nearly picked out Pittman in the area but the striker failed to get a clean connection on his shot.

On 60 minutes Wilder made a double substitution, bringing on Leven for Clist and Guy for Pittman. Leven brought us a lot more stability in the midfield and he put in a delightful pass to Constable where the striker seemed to be felled in the area - again D'Urso ignored the penalty appeals and waved play on. Guy then made a superb run down the left only to put his cross slightly behind Constable who was arriving in the box.

On 70 minutes Oxford thought they were awarded a free-kick and the big men from the back came up for the set piece. D'Urso had other ideas and instead signalled a thow in. Duberry, though, decided to stay up front and Leven delivered a pin-point cross to the big centre-half who saw his powerful header just clear the cross-bar. Then Batt made a good run and cross into the area. Constable had his back to goal but managed to turn and shoot but found his shot blocked.

Cardiff though had their own chances to win the game in normal time and following a corner a shot by Parkin was scrambled clear by Clarke, Wright and Duberry. Oxford could have taken the tie at the death when Leven again put a superb ball over the top of the Cardiff defence for Guy to bear down on goal. He tried to flick it over the head of Heaton but the keeper just managed to get his fingertips to the ball and flick it away. With the chance gone the 90 minutes were up with the teams tied at 1-1.

The first seven minutes of extra time was a cagey affair with neither team on top but then Cardiff stunned United when they re-took the lead. Whittingham picked up a pass in a seemingly safe area of the pitch but from just outside the area he shot sweetly through a crowd of players to leave Clarke flat-footed as the ball went into the bottom right-hand corner of the net. Just before the end of the first period a free kick delivered by Leven saw a header from Hall clip off the crossbar and go over.

Five minutes into the last period of extra time, Lewis Guy put a cross deep into the area but Constable's effort went wide right of the goal. With time running out Oxford started to throw caution to the wind as they sought an equaliser. Duberry was now playing as an extra striker and even popped up on the right wing to put in a dangerous cross towards Constable who had the ball just nicked off his toe.

With the game entering stoppage time Cardiff finally killed off the tie when they scored a third goal. A long punt was belted forward by the keeper. Wright completely misjudged the bounce allowing the ball to go over his head where Jarvis was waiting to pounce and gently lift the ball over the outrushing Clarke into an empty net. It was a cruel stroke of luck and gave a scoreline that didn't reflect the game.

It was a disappointing end to the evening but at least we had seen an encouraging display. On Saturday we get back to league action where we will look to get our first 3 points of the season as we take on Bradford City at home.

The 2011-12 season kicks off!

2011-08-05T20:07:00.006+01:00

Tomorrow we kick off our second season back in League 2 when we start with a tricky away fixture at Rotherham United. Like us, the Millers will be hoping to make that small improvement on last season to push into an automatic or play-off place.

A relatively successful first season back in the Football League saw Oxford United fall just short of the playoffs by 5 points, eventually finishing a respectable 12th place in League 2. Defensive naivety probably cost us those 5 points and Chris Wilder has moved decisively in the Summer to strengthen the squad in that area.

During the season Wilder tried to shuffle the pack in an attempt to freshen things up and as a result Paul McLaren, Josh Payne and Tom Craddock have all proved to be valuable assets to the club. Inevitably there has been a departure of players - Simon Eastwood, Sam Deering, Jack Midson and Dannie Bulman - whilst others are either currently out on loan or available to other clubs (Ben Purkiss, Stevie Kinniburgh, Simon Clist, Matt Green). Sadly Mitchell Cole was forced to retire at the young age of 25 because of a serious heart condition.

The new additions to the squad are detailed below:

Wayne Brown, Goalkeeper
Wayne, 34, began his career at Bristol City where he came through as a youth but never played for the first team. He joined Chester in 1996 spening 10 seasons with them and playing 300 games in L1 and the Conference before joining Hereford in 2006. He played for three years at Edgar Street and made 103 appearances. Brown went to Bury in 2008 spending two seasons with the Shakers and playing 76 games. He then moved to South Africa last season for a year with Supersport before heading back to England to join Oxford.

Michael Duberry, Defender
35 year old "Dubes" needs no introduction! The centre back began in the Premier League with Chelsea where he came through as a youth and made nearly 90 appearances for them in six seasons between 1993 and 1999. He left in 1999 to join Leeds United where he spent a disappointing six seasons in and out of the side, only making 60 appearances in total. In 2005 he went out on loan to Stoke City before making his move permanent. He played 95 times for the Potters in the Championship over two and a half seasons being ever present before heading again into the Premier League with Reading in 2007. He played 50 games for them over two seasons before spending a year with Wycombe Wanderers in L1 only making 18 appearances as a bit-part player. Last season he moved north of the border to join SPL side St. Johnstone where he was an ever present, playing 50 games. Citing a desire to move back down south to be closer to his family, he joined Oxford in the Summer.

Andrew Whing, Defender
Whing, 26, began at Coventry City where he came through the youth ranks before breaking into the first team in 2003, making 106 appearances over four years in the Championship. He fell out of favour in 2006 and went on loan to Brighton & Hove Albion, a move made permanent in the summer of 2007. He played over 100 games for them over three and a half seasons but fell out of favour in 2010 and had a spell on loan firstly at Chesterfield, playing 11 games, then last season Leyton Orient, before joining them permanently in January. He played a total of 25 games for Orient, scoring their Goal of the Season, before signing for Oxford this Summer.

Tony Capaldi, Defender
Capaldi, 29, began his career at Birmingham City but never played for them, only gaining experience from a short loan move at Hereford in 2001 where he played 12 games. He left and joined Plymouth Argyle in 2003 playing 140 games over 4 seasons. He joined Cardiff City in 2007, was ever present in his first season and made an FA Cup Final appearance as Cardiff lost to Portsmouth. He fell out of favour over thee next two seasons, eventually making a total of 55 appearances for the Bluebirds. He was loaned out to Leeds United in 2009 playing just three games before joining Morecambe last September. He played 18 games for them but fell out of favour, leaving in the summer to come to Oxford.

Ryan James, Defender
James, 21, came through the youth set-up at both QPR and Millwall before leaving to play for Grays last season. Joining the Nike Academy, he impressed in trials and has signed on a six month deal for this season.

Peter Leven, Midfielder
Leven, 27, started his career at Rangers as a youth but never played for them. Leaving in 2004 he signed for SPL side Kilmarnock where he played 65 games over three seasons. He then joined Chesterfield in 2007 where he played 42 games in L2 before making the step up to L1 with MK Dons where he has been the last three seasons making 113 appearances. Last season he was an ever-present as they got into the L1 play-offs. A goalscoring midfielder, Leven netted 22 times over the three seasons at MK Dons. Signing for Oxford was seen as a bit of a coup for the club as over the summer there was plenty of interest in Leven from several clubs, including Championship sides Millwall and Crystal Palace.

Liam Davis, Midfielder
Davis, 24, began at Coventry City where he came through the youth system but only made 11 first team appearances. He joined Northampton Town in 2008 and played 79 times for the Cobblers over the last three seasons before leaving in the Summer to join Oxford.

Deane Smalley, Striker
Smalley, 22, began his career at Oldham Athletic where he came through as a youth and broke into the first team in 2007. He was involved there for four seasons and made 105 appearances through a mixture of starts and sub appearances, scoring 11 goals. He fell out of favour last season and had a brief loan spell with Rochdale where he only made 3sub appearances before joining Chesterfield. Here he played a big part in their promotion, scoring 12 goals in 28 appearances as they romped home with the title. With many Spirite supporters expecting him to sign for them this season, he shocked everyone by joining Oxford in the Summer.

Jon-Paul Pittman, Striker
Pittman, 24, began his career at Nottingham Forest as a youth teamer. With no appearances for Forest his only league experiences were gained in short-term loan moves into L2. He left in 2007 signing briefly with Doncaster Rovers but left shortly after having never played for them. Pittman then moved into the Conference with Crawley Town where he attracted the attention of League scouts as he scored 22 goals from 60 games over two seasons. He moved back into the League with Wycombe Wanderers in 2009 and has been there the last 2 seasons making 77 appearances and scoring 14 goals before making the short journey down the M40 to join Oxford in the Summer.

So, the full squad is:

1 Ryan Clarke Goalkeeper
2 Damian Batt Defender
3 Anthony Tonkin Defender
4 Paul McLaren Midfielder
5 Michael Duberry Defender
6 Jake Wright Defender
8 Simon Heslop Midfielder
9 James Constable Striker
10 Deane Smalley Striker
11 Jon-Paul Pittman Striker
14 Asa Hall Midfielder
15 Alfie Potter Striker
16 Andrew Whing Defender
17 Tony Capaldi Defender
20 Peter Leven Midfielder
21 Wayne Brown Goalkeeper
22 Harry Worley Defender
25 Aaron Woodley Striker
26 Liam Davis Midfielder
28 Josh Payne Midfielder
29 Tom Craddock Striker
Ryan James Defender (6 month deal)

END OF SEASON SPECIAL REPORT!....

2011-05-03T16:13:00.005+01:00

LETS ALL LAUGH AT SWINDON

Hint: click the link!

Room for Imp-rovement

2011-05-02T11:34:00.004+01:00

Fixture: Oxford United 2 Lincoln City 1
Date: 30/4/11

Oxford took on relegation-threatened Lincoln City in the final game of what has been a solid return to the Football League. Prior to kick off end of season awards were made to Harry Worley (Young Player of the Year), Ryan Clarke (Player's Player of the Year) and James Constable (Supporters' Player of the Year). Wilder made just one change to the line up from the Barnet game bringing in Craddock and dropping MacLean to the bench. So the side for the final home game was: Clarke, Batt, Tonkin, Wright, Worley, McLaren, Hall, Payne, Constable, Potter, Craddock. Subs: Eastwood, Kinniburgh, Purkiss, Hanson, Marsh, Woodley, MacLean.

Oxford started the game brightly and almost immediately Potter had a shot from the edge of the area which just went wide of the post. Then moments later Batt fed a ball to Payne into the right hand side of the area but his shot was just tipped over the bar by the keeper.

Oxford were looking comfortable and composed but then, almost predictably, got hit by a sucker-punch on five minutes. An Oxford set piece was broken up by Lincoln who, with Worley stranded in the wrong half of the pitch, broke quickly. The ball was fed out to the left wing with the Oxford defence furiously trying to get back. Batt failed to close down the player properly and he was able to chip a cross over an out of position Clarke and Wright to Hughton, who headed the ball into the left-hand corner of the net.

On 10 minutes Constable was fouled on the edge of the area by Hone which earned the defender a yellow card. Josh Payne took the free-kick but his effort went wide of the post. Lincoln almost doubled their lead on 16 minutes when a shot from 25 yards easily beat Clarke but cannoned back off the crossbar.

Oxford were frustratingly poor, failing to find any rhythm or tempo to their game and could find no way through a solid Lincoln wall who were happy to defend deep and squeeze any space out of the midfield. On 20 minutes though a quickly taken free-kick by McLaren picked out Constable just inside the left-hand edge of the penalty area. Cutting in on his right he took a snap shot which was goal-bound but superbly saved by the Imps keeper, Parish.

A neat little interchange of passes then led to a chance for Craddock, but his shot from the edge of the area tamely went wide of the left-hand post. Then another break by Lincoln saw Clarke superbly save a shot from the edge of the area by Grimes, pushing the ball out for a corner.

Then came arguably the most controversial incident of the first half. A quick break sent Craddock racing clear towards goal. Parish, the Lincoln keeper came charging out of his area and bundled Craddock over. A red card surely? But after consultation with the linesman, the referee only showed the keeper a yellow much to the displeasure of the crowd who roundly booed him. The resulting free-kick only went into the wall causing further uproar from the crowd. The half ended with the referee being given an escort off the pitch and the U's trailing by 1-0.

The second half started with the home fans hoping the team had had the proverbial rocket up the arse from Wilder during the half-time talk. But Lincoln had the first half-chance when a shot from outside the area went just wide of the left-hand post. On 49 minutes a flicked header from Craddock found Constable just inside the area but with the defender forcing him wide his shot only went into the side-netting.

The Imps were still denying the U's any space in their half and any crosses into the area were being easily picked out by the keeper. At the other end Lincoln nearly extended their lead on 55 minutes when a chipped shot from the left-hand edge of the area beat Clarke and came back off the right-hand post. Wilder then made his first substitution of the afternoon bringing off midfielder Paul McLaren and replacing him with striker Steve MacLean.

On 60 minutes a rare event happened - an Oxford goal from a corner! An outswinging corner from Payne created panic in the Lincoln defence. The goalie came a long way out, completely missed the ball only for it to be headed back in by a defender. It fell nicely for Asa Hall in the middle of the 6 yard box, who controlled the ball on his chest then smashed it into the net for the equaliser.

Immediately Wilder made another change, bringing on Purkiss for Batt who had struggled all afternoon - probably as a result of his injury in the last game. The Imps visibly wilted following the goal and four minutes later Potter was presented with a chance by Constable but his shot was well saved by the keeper. Constable was then fouled on the edge of the area and the resulting free-kick from MacLean was again saved by the keeper.

Oxford were now playing with a lot more confidence and Lincoln now looked nervous as they tried to hang on for a point. On 75 minutes their resistance broke as Oxford took the lead. A throw-in on the right led to the ball going to MacLean on the edge of the area. He in turn fed Potter in the area who deftly turned his marker and seemed ready to shoot but Tom Craddock nipped in and fired the ball left-footed past the keeper into the bottom left-hand corner of the net to put the U's 2-1 up.

The day got worse for the Imps on 79 minutes when Constable was crudely hacked down by defender Hone right on the edge of the area. As the Lincoln man had already been booked in the first half he was shown a second yellow and sent off. Payne took the resulting free-kick but the ball went wide. Another lovely passing move involving 4 players put Potter clean through on goal but just as he was about to shoot he managed to lose his footing completely and fall flat on his face!

In stoppage time Oxford had a great chance to seal the points when a cross-cum-shot from MacLean was inches away from the outstretched boot of Constable. Lincoln had one more chance to rescue a point with a free-kick 25 yards out but the ball went over the bar and with it went the game.

The final whistle brought down the curtain on Oxford's home league campaign. They finish the season next Saturday at promotion-chasing Shrewsbury and whatever the result we can feel satisfied with our first season back in the Football League. Hopefully lessons would have been learned and next season we can come back stronger to mount a serious challenge for promotion.

COME ON YOU YELLOWS!

Bee-no makes a point

2011-04-26T18:44:00.004+01:00

Fixture: Barnet 2 Oxford United 2
Date: 25/4/11

In direct contrast to Saturday's game, Oxford faced a side in Barnet who were battling to stay in the Football League. Wilder made two changes to the starting line up - one forced, Worley for the injured Sangaré and one tactical, Craddock coming in for Potter. Surprisingly he only named six substitutes so the line-up was: Clarke, Batt, Tonkin, Wright, Worley, McLaren, Hall, Payne, Constable, Craddock, MacLean. Subs: Eastwood, Kinniburgh, Purkiss, Marsh, Potter, Woodley.

Barnet's Underhill ground evoked memories of the Manor with it's sloping pitch and Oxford found themselves kicking uphill in the first half. Barnet were obviously trying to take advantage of this in the first half as they looked to build a first half lead. Their game-plan looked good as they dominated the early stages and on 8 minutes they squandered a gilt edged opportunity to take the lead. Taylor, virtually on the goal line, looked certain to score but somehow Wright managed to get a block in to deflect the ball over the bar.

Two minutes later their early pressure finally told as Oxford failed to deal with a deep free kick into the box, Clarke flapped at thin air and the ball was headed in from close range from Kamdjo. After going a goal down, Oxford finally started to put some passes together and won their first corner of the game. The Bee's, now with something to defend, looked nervous for the first time in the afternoon and started to give the U's some space in which to play.

On 15 minutes Craddock picked up a loose ball just inside the Barnet half and broke forward to the edge of the area. He then picked out James Constable on the edge of the D who checked back onto his left foot to fire the ball past the grasping fingertips of the goalie and into the bottom right hand corner of the net.

Stung by the goal, the Bees responded by pinning Oxford into their own half with a series of long probing balls trying to exploit the slope and the pace of their front men. One striker had a shot from outside the area which bounced awkwardly in front of Clarke and after a heart-stopping fumble he managed to gather the ball at the second attempt.

On the half hour another free-kick was delivered deep into the area which Clarke caught, but he was bundled over the line by a Barnet player which sent the home crowd into raptures as they thought they'd scored again. The referee though had blown for a foul - causing much amusement in the Oxford end as the announcer was naming the scorer while Clarke was taking the free kick!

Five minutes later Clarke came to the rescue as he made a spectacular flying save from a fierce shot from outside of the area. Oxford had to defend deeply and were relying on quick breaks to try and get up the other end. One such break on 40 minutes saw Batt sprint into space in the oppositions half but he suddenly pulled up holding his thigh and went down in a heap. After being treated by the physio he hobbled off the pitch to be replaced by Purkiss.

Barnet had one more effort before the half ended which took a heavy deflection and went wide. So the teams went into the break all square at 1-1 with the Bees having had the best of it.

The second half really stirred memories of the old days as Oxford lined up to kick down the hill. Unfortunately the current crop of players, brought up on nice flat pitches, proceeded to overhit many of their passes, not compensating for the slope. The old boys from up the hill could have shown these youngsters a thing or two!

Barnet on the other hand were still deploying the same tactics from the first half and were pumping the ball long. Ten minutes in, following a foul on MacLean, Payne whipped in a swerving cross into the box, Constable nearly latched onto the ball but it bounced too high for him to get a proper shot on target.

Just as Oxford seemed to be getting more of a grip on the game, Barnet regained the lead when Hughes dispossessed MacLean and was allowed to run unchallenged towards the edge of the area. Once there he produced a lovely little lob over Clarke and into the right-hand corner of the net. Oxford's immediate response was to bring on Alfie Potter for Steve MacLean.

Next, Barnet's McLeod was put through on goal, easily outpacing the U's defence but Clarke came quickly off his line to smother the ball bravely at the strikers feet. There were then two penalty appeals for both sides, firstly for Barnet after Wright deployed a good old-fashioned shoulder barge, then for Oxford when Constable went to ground after a challenge, but in both cases the referee waved play on.

Constable then went close with a header from a Josh Payne free-kick but two minutes later Oxford were back on level terms. Intercepting a pass, Worley broke forward into the Barnet half picking out Craddock. He in turn made a lovely pass through Barnets defence to Payne who was charging down the right wing. His cross found James Constable unmarked in the box and the striker buried the ball from close range.

Desperation now started to set into the Barnet side as they sought a winner to help their survival. Every ball was now just launched aimlessly at any one in an amber shirt but the Oxford defence had now got the measure of them and were repelling all their efforts with ease. There was one last chance for the Bees at the death but Clarke was equal to the effort after diving to save at his near post.

The final whistle was greeted with muted applause by the home fans but the Oxford fans were, by contrast, ecstatically celebrating. Why? Well news of the result from Sheffield Wednesday confirming the relegation of the inbreds from up the A420 had just come through. Roll on next season!

Oxford A-Spire to greater things

2011-04-24T18:36:00.003+01:00

Fixture: Oxford United 0 Chesterfield 0
Date: 23/4/11

Oxford welcomed the newly promoted league leaders on a hot and sultry April afternoon. In goal, Ryan Clarke was making his 100th appearance whilst at centre-back Djoumin Sangaré was making his first home appearance, deputising for the suspended Worley. The bench had a very inexperienced look to it including reserve players Woodley, Marsh and Hanson. So the line up was: Clarke, Batt, Tonkin, Sangaré, Wright, McLaren, Hall, Payne, Constable, Potter, MacLean. Subs: Eastwood, Kinniburgh, Purkiss, Hanson, Marsh, Woodley, Craddock.

Oxford started brightly and soon had the first corner of the afternoon on seven minutes but McLaren's probing corner was put wide by Sangaré. Chesterfield countered immediately from the goal kick and former U's striker Craig Davies managed to get a shot in from inside the area but it went wide of the left-hand post.

On 10 minutes Constable was fouled almost 20 yards out from goal. McLaren stepped up to take it but his shot flew over the bar. Then a few minutes later Josh Payne had a shot well charged down by a defender. Oxford were now on top as Chesterfield struggled to get the ball out of their half and a good overlapping run and pass by Tonkin found Hall in space, but his shot went over the bar.

In the 19th minute a rare Chesterfield attack saw Clarke parry a shot straight to a Spirite attacker who feebly skewed his shot wide. The game now entered a period where neither goalkeeper was really troubled but the crowd were treated to a spectacle of good passing football by both sides. At the back, Wright and Sangaré were composed and in control, and the latter was impressing with his confidence on the ball.

On 35 minutes Constable was once again brought down about 20 yards out. This time Payne took the free-kick but once again the ball went high and wide. Four minutes later Payne, bursting to the edge of the area, played in Potter who's shot was well blocked by the keeper. The ball fell to the feet of Payne but his shot was in turn blocked by a defender.

Sangaré then suffered a cruel blow as he went down under a challenge and he limped off the pitch with a foot injury later thought to be a metatarsal break. He was replaced by youngster Mitchell Hanson, making his debut after being released by Derby County.

In stoppage time Oxford were awarded a corner which was superbly swung into the middle of the box. Unmaked, Hall rose the highest but he headed the ball agonisingly just over the bar with the goal gaping. This proved to be the last action of the half as the referee blew for half time.

Oxford carried on where they left off in the first half when they began the second period on top. Batt made a marauding run down the right wing, passing to Constable in the area. He in turn picked out Potter who laid the ball perfectly into the path of Hall, but with the goal at his mercy he smashed the ball past the post, hitting the stanchion pole supporting the net.

Mitchell Hanson, who had only been on the pitch for 8 minutes, then suffered a horrible head injury which resulted in the unfortunate youngster being replaced by Purkiss after being stretchered off.

Oxford continued to make the running in the game as first Constable then Potter both had efforts cleared. On 68 minutes a great cross by Batt found Potter in space inside the area but his shot was bravely blocked by the Spirite's keeper who saw the ball bounce off his backside and go behind for a corner.

With 15 minutes of the game left Oxford were still the team in ascendency as the Chesterfield goalie made a series of important saves. Constable had a turn and shot in the area, but he couldn't keep the ball down and then a superb run and cross by Potter was just collected by the keeper with Constable ready to pounce.

By contrast, Chesterfield were limited to half chances, many of which ended up going over the fence. Payne and MacLean both had long range efforts which were both narrowly wide and just before the end of normal time MacLean found Constable who just had the keeper to beat but again he was equal to the effort and made a really good save.

With 4 minutes of added time to go, Chesterfield threw on veteran striker Jack Lester and really tried to go home with all 3 points as they put Oxford's goal under some serious pressure. The defence had to be on their guard as the visitors rained in crosses into the defence and Clarke had to make one spectacular save to keep a clean sheet.

The final whistle inevitably saw the visiting fans and players celebrating their promotion wildly and a standing ovation from the Oxford fans who had seen their team deliver another really good performance. For large parts of the game we had humbled our League 1 bound guests which gives us cause for optimism for next season. Against the top teams we've proved that we can be more than just a match, we just need to be more ruthless against the lower ranked ones where dropped points have possibly cost us the chance of a playoff spot.

Brewers Droop

2011-03-28T23:23:00.005+01:00

Fixture: Oxford United 3 Burton Albion 0
Date: 27/3/11

Oxford continued to hover just outside the playoffs after an comfortable victory against 9-man Burton Albion. Chris Wilder named an unchanged starting line-up with the only change coming on the bench as Aaron Woodley took the place of Jack Midson who has just gone out on loan to Barnet for the remainder of the season. Loanee Saints striker Ryan Doble was unavailable because of his selection for Wales U21. So the line-up for this Sunday afternoon fixture was: Clarke, Batt, Wright, Worley, Tonkin, Heslop, McLaren, Burge, MacLean, Constable, Craddock. Subs: Eastwood, Sangare, Hall, Potter, Hackney, Payne, Woodley.

Oxford started the game brightly and were rewarded with an early goal on four minutes after Worley collected the ball in the middle of the park and drove towards the penalty area. He played a lovely ball into the box to the feet of Burge who moved it first time to Steve MacLean. Slightly scuffing the shot the pace deceived the goalie who was expecting a block-buster and bobbled past him and into the left-hand corner of the net.

Burton's response to this set-back was to immediately press for the equaliser. Worley and Wright had their hands full with the big centre forward, Zola, but they were dealing with the threat superbly. On the counter, it was obvious that Oxford's best form of attack against a towering defence was to exploit the space behind them where they were slow and vulnerable. One such run by Constable was cynically halted by centre-back Parks who scythed the striker down as he was about to break clear.

Half-way through the half a superb run and cross by Tonkin was inches away from the outstretched leg of Craddock and the striker went close again when his header just went wide from an excellent cross by Heslop. At the other end a snap-shot from the edge of the area went heart-stoppingly (or should I say hiccup-stoppingly) close as the ball evaded the fingertips of Clarke and brushed past the post.

With the game evenly poised Clarke made what in hindsight was a match-defining save. A Burton corner was swung deep into the crowded area where Clarke made a save from point-blank range and then reacted quickly to the follow up to somehow emerge with the ball clasped to his chest! On the right hand wing, both Batt and Heslop were starting to cause problems and Craddock managed to put Constable clear but before the ball hit the back of the net the official had raised his flag to signal a very tight offside.

As the half drew to a close Oxford found themselves being drawn more into a long-ball style game and the midfield were being left as mere spectators. So as the half-time whistle blew we all hoped that Wilder and the management team would re-focus the players minds to get the game played on our terms.

The second half started with a substitution as Payne came on for McLaren who had picked up a nasty knock in the first half. A minute into the half Wright was penalised for handball right on the edge of the area and with the wall lined up on the edge of our own 6 yard box we all waited nervously for the free-kick. However, the Burton player taking the kick managed only to chip the ball harmlessly into the arms of Clarke. I think we've all seen harder backpasses!

Ten minutes into the half the game swung decisively in our favour. Craddock lofted a ball over Moore, the last defender, and racing towards goal Constable managed to get in front of the big man whereupon he was clumsily bundled over. The referee had no hesitation in pointing to the penalty spot and, as the law dictates, issuing Moore with a red card for being the last man. Tom Craddock then confidently placed the ball on the spot and dispatched it clinically into the right-hand corner to give us a 2-0 lead.

Now with a numerical advantage, Oxford looked to put the game beyond Burton. A free-kick by Payne was headed on by Worley but the ball went just past the post and then a cross by Constable was only partially cleared but Payne made a hash of his shot which was way off target. Then a great run and cross by Tonkin found Craddock, but again his shot was wide of the target.

On 72 minutes a quick counter-attack saw Cradddock play in Constable who then put an inch-perfect pass to MacLean but as he advanced on goal the keeper was out quickly to block the shot. Moments later the striker was again thwarted by the keeper when he pulled off another good save as the ball was volleyed towards goal.

On 76 minutes the numerical advantage increased as Parks was shown a second yellow card for a recklessly dangerous challenge on Constable. Constable himself was also yellow carded in the incident for his reaction following the challenge, hardly surprising considering the damage that could have been inflicted. Wilder sensibly took the decision to bring off Constable, replacing him with Simon Hackney and the winger was soon in the action as he set up Craddock, but again the Burton keeper brilliantly saved the shot.

With added time beckoning, Hackney again played in Craddock who this time managed to round the keeper before rolling it across the area where Steve MacLean was waiting to tuck the ball home from a yard out. Surprisingly, only three minutes were added on and they were comfortably seen out to give us an important three points with a clean sheet thrown in as an added bonus.

The win moved us up a place and only three points outside the playoffs. There are tough games on the horizon starting with this Saturday away at Bury, but it certainly keeps our interest alive going into the latter stages of the season.

Crewe-cut

2011-03-21T00:12:00.002Z

Fixture: Oxford United 2 Crewe Alexandra 1
Date: 19/03/11

After the disappointment of Tuesday night against Stevenage, manager Chris Wilder made five changes to the side, dropping Kinniburgh, Purkiss, Clist, Payne and Midson while bringing in Batt, Tonkin, Hesop, Constable and new signing Ryan Burge. So, the line-up was: Clarke, Batt, Wright, Worley, Tonkin, Heslop, McLaren, Burge, MacLean, Constable, Craddock. Subs: Eastwood, Sangare, Potter, Payne, Hackney, Midson.

Crewe came with a reputation of playing football on the deck, so we knew we were in for a far more entertaining spectacle than the dross we were served up on Tuesday night against Stevenage. The first real chance fell to recalled skipper Constable after four minutes but his shot just went wide of the right hand post. Five minutes later Clarke had to make a reaction save after a Crewe striker turned quickly and had a shot on goal.

With both sides committed to playing passing football the game inevitably went from end to end. First Craddock went close with a shot which was saved by Crewe's keeper, then Crewe went close from a free-kick which saw the ball just miss the right-hand post. Clarke then came to the rescue again as he made a superb save from Donaldson who deftly flicked the ball towards goal.

With nothing between the two sides the first goal was always going to be crucial and luckily for United it was they who made the breakthrough on 28 minutes. From a clearance by the Crewe goalie, an unchallenged Worley headed the ball deep into their half from the half-way line. With the ball on the edge of the area, the last Crewe defender seemed to be in control of the situation but he had James Constable breathing down his neck. Hesitating he allowed the U's striker to win possession and with bodies around him and the ball bobbling, he completely wrong footed the keeper to tuck the ball inside the left-hand post.

With a weight seemingly lifted off their shoulders, Oxford began to dominate the proceedings and a through-ball by MacLean put Craddock away and after evading a couple of defenders he shot on goal but was thwarted by the keeper as he made a save. Crewe were always dangerous on the counter-attack and Wright saw a yellow card after hauling Donaldson to ground right on the edge of the area. MacLean stupidly also got himself booked for subsequently kicking the ball away. From the free-kick Constable bravely defended the far post and was injured as he was clattered into the upright. Happily it was nothing serious and he soon rejoined the play so that when the half-time whistle went it was his goal that divided the sides.

There were no changes at half time and the second half continued to be an open game with both sides playing very neat football. Oxford were, though, starting to look the more dangerous - Craddock should have done better with a pass to him in the area and a viciously whipped ball in by Heslop just evaded the outstretched leg of Constable. Fifteen minutes into the half, Wilder made a double substitution bringing on Potter and Payne for Craddock and McLaren.

Donaldson was a constant threat for Crewe with his pace but just as we looked to be under threat we extended our lead on 66 minutes. Debutant Ryan Burge, who had had an impressive start up to that point, managed to win a ball mid-way into Crewe's half whilst on the ground. Using his strength, he shrugged off the Crewe player to play a delightful ball into the feet of James Constable who had made an intelligent run into the box. In one movement, he shielded the ball and turned the defender before firing the ball past a helpless keeper into the bottom left-hand corner of the net.

After the problems of recent games, our defence was, for once, looking pretty solid as both Wright and Worley continued to repel anything that Crewe threw in their direction. With the Railwaymen committing more men to attack, it inevitably left holes at the back which Oxford were able to exploit. MacLean was certainly faring better in the second half and with more space to play in he began to display his abilities - one move saw him dribble his way into the area where he cut back a lovely pass towards Potter only just being intercepted by a defender.

Crewe's best chance of the half fell to Donaldson, seizing on a rare mistake by Worley who misjudged a high ball. The striker took the ball around Clarke, who had charged out to narrow the angle. While we all expected the inevitable he unbelievably snatched at the shot and only found the side-netting instead. Crewe were then awarded a free-kick on the edge of the area and though the ball was struck low and hard through a mass of players, Clarke was again equal to it and saved the ball in his midriff.

Wilder then brought on Simon Hackney for MacLean who's first action was to turn his man superbly, break to the by-line and send over a brilliant cross that was hacked away. With the match virtually over, the only real disappointment of the day came when we conceded late on to deny ourselves of a deserved clean-sheet. With seemingly no danger a hopeful shot from the edge off the area by Leitch-Smith took a wicked deflection that completely wrong-footed Clarke and spun into the net. Oxford weren't going to be denied their victory and a minute later the referee blew for time and three very valuable points.

In a season full of ups and downs, Oxford are still very much in the playoff hunt, being in 10th place and only two points off of 7th. We have our third consecutive home game against Burton Albion on Sunday where we will hopefully continue that push towards the playoffs.

Time-out for anti-football

2011-03-16T13:31:00.001Z

Fixture: Oxford United 1 Stevenage 2
Date: 15/3/11

Oxford went down to their eighth defeat at home to a Stevenage side intent on using spoiling tactics all evening. After Saturdays superb victory at Port Vale, Wilder dispensed with the flying wingers, Potter and Hackney, bringing in Craddock and MacLean. So the line-up was: Clarke, Wright, Kinniburgh, Worley, Purkiss, McLaren, Clist, Payne, Midson, Craddock, MacLean. Subs: Eastwood, Batt, Sangare, Heslop, Hackney, Constable, Potter.

Against a team of bodybuilding giants, Oxford struggled physically from the very start of the game. Stevenage signalled their intent by conceding as many fouls as minutes in the opening exchanges but the first yellow card of the game was unbelievably awarded against MacLaren for unsporting behaviour! Irony in the extreme in light of what was to come.

While Oxford tried to play their passing game, Stevenage were content to contain and hoof. So it was decidedly against the run of play that the visitors took the lead on 18 minutes. Again, as many times this season, the weak underbelly of our defence was the architect of its own undoing. A hopeful punt from the right hand wing saw the ball loop over to the far post where Worley should have dealt with it fairly comfortably. Instead, losing the flight of the ball and more importantly the man he was supposed to be marking, he allowed Charles to get in behind him and head the ball back towards the goal. Clarke managed to save it but only succeeded in palming it onto Worley where it rebounded off the defender and into the net.

What came next was a "tactic" (I use that word in the loosest terms) employed by Stevenage that is widely condemned by most teams in League 2. After yet another unwarranted yellow card, this time for Wright, and while waiting for the set-piece to be taken, a Stevenage player sat down, then started to writhe around on the ground as if he'd be pole-axed. Yes, this was the famous Stevenage "Time-out" in operation. The rest of their players took this as a cue to run to the touchline to grab drinks and instructions from the management. A stretcher was brought on for the "injured" player but of course he sprang to his feet and casually walked to the touchline. Everybody in the league knows about this tactic and why the officials haven't stepped in and done something about it is an absolute disgrace. Westley and his players are cheats - plain and simple.

Of course the disruption played right into their hands as our players, frustrated at the gamesmanship, temporarily lost their heads and Payne was yellow carded for fouling Charles. It goes without saying that the referee had seen nothing of the continual shirt-pulling by Charles on Payne prior to this. Finally United managed to get a shot at goal but Clist's long-range effort was wide of the goal. There was absolutely no room in a congested midfield for Oxford to get any kind of passing game going and even when Craddock found a way through it, he ended up being forced wide and the chance was gone.

With the game into stoppage time and the Us looking like going in at half time a goal down, they were handed a lifeline. Payne, battling for a ball in the penalty area, was felled by a defender. It looked like a six-of-one, half-a-dozen of the other sort of challenge but the referee had no hesitation in pointing to the spot. With MacLean wanting to take the spot-kick, Tom Craddock seized the ball, then confidently strode up to fire the ball past the keeper. A rather fortuitous penalty maybe, but on the balance of what had occurred before hand it felt as if justice had been served.

At the start of the second half we all hoped for a strong start after being buoyed by the late equaliser but instead we found ourselves behind again barely two minutes in. A static back four allowed the ball to be played over them where Reid had timed his run perfectly. With Clarke sprinting off his line, Reid slipped the ball under him and into the centre of the goal.

A couple of minutes later a chance presented itself to Oxford when a free-kick by McLaren was flicked on by Maclean to Wright at the far post, but although the defender got his boot to the ball he could only hit it weakly into the arms of the keeper. Wilder then brought on Hackney and Potter for Craddock and Payne in an effort to try and stretch the play which had become condensed into the midfield but nothing much changed.

Oxford were struggling against what looked like a brick wall at times and apart from two tame efforts by Purkiss and Potter we frustratingly had no end product. With 15 minutes left to play Wilder played his last ace when Constable came on for Midson and almost immediately a chance presented itself to him but he dithered too long on the ball when a shot was offered and the chance went begging. The last good chance of the game came when a neat little flick by Kinniburgh presented a chance for MacLean, but the strikers shot went wide of the post.

The referee finally called time on what was a frustrating evening against a side only intent on cheating. In all honesty we didn't deserve anything from the game because we failed to create a decent chance all night, but Stevenage? In Westley they have one of the most loathsome, arrogant and cynical individuals I've ever had the misfortune to witness in a dugout. Next season we have the prospect of Steve Evans joining him. Oh joy, I can hardly wait!

Gored by the Bulls

2011-02-27T21:17:00.001Z

Fixture: Oxford United 0 Hereford United 2
Date: 26/2/11

With an unchanged line-up from last weekends superb away victory at Morecambe, Oxford welcomed the visit of a Hereford side who had won their previous five away games. So the line-up was: Clarke, Batt, Worley, Wright, Tonkin, Heslop, McLaren, Hall, MacLean, Craddock, Constable. Subs: Eastwood, Sangare, Midson, Clist, Potter, Hackney, Payne.

Oxford started the game brightly and Hereford set out their stall early on as they packed their half with bodies in an attempt to limit our passing game. Constable managed to get onto a cross by Hall after 5 minutes but his header went over the bar. But, completely against the run of play, Hereford took the lead with their first attack of the afternoon. A cross coming in from the left wing should have been dealt with easily but a combination of Clarke, Worley, Wright and Tonkin all hesitated allowing the Bull's striker Stuart Fleetwood to nip in between them all and head the ball into the net.

What was already a difficult afternoon became even worse as Hereford were content to sit deep and flood the midfield with players making it near impossible for us to find any room to play in. A foul on Heslop presented an opportunity from a free-kick just outside the area but Tonkin's shot went straight into the keepers arms.

On the half-hour mark Hall managed a long-range shot on target but the keeper got just enough on the ball to push it out for a corner. Then, after Craddock had broken clear of the Bull's defence, the striker appeared to be felled in the area but the referee waved play on much to the consternation of the crowd.

Just before half-time Oxford nearly went further behind when Clarke came rushing out of his area to clear a ball only to see it fall to a Hereford player who tried a speculative lob. Luckily it had more height on it than distance and Clarke was able to dash back and pluck it from the air! The half ended as most of it had been played, with Oxford struggling to find their way through a dogged Hereford defence.

The second half carried on where the first had finished, with Oxford trying to break down Hereford's stubborn defence. Probably the most exciting moment at the start of the half was when one of the Bull's defenders scythed down MacLean sparking a mass brawl on the touchline. The referee seemed powerless to intervene and just stood there blowing his whistle sounding like a demented budgie! Unbelievably when it died down it just resulted in a yellow card for the Hereford man.

Oxford were now permanently camped in the Hereford half but actual efforts on goal were at a minimum. A shot by Craddock just crashed against bodies and when Heslop found a way through his shot went wide of the far post. Another Craddock effort resulted in a corner from which we should have equalised on the 68th minute when the ball dropped invitingly for Worley. But with the goal at his mercy he only succeeded in blasting the ball over the bar and into the crowd behind.

Wilder then brought on Hackney and Potter for Hall and Craddock in an attempt to stretch the Bulls defence. Oxford won corner after corner as they kept up the pressure and Constable had a header comfortably saved by the keeper. Moments later a cross whipped in by Heslop evaded the entire back line was met with a ferocious header by Hackney which crashed against the underside of the bar, bouncing downwards and then out to safety.

After that chance went begging you just knew that the Gods were aligned against us and in the second minute of injury time the game was up when Hereford scored their second goal. Breaking quickly from yet another Oxford attack, Fairhurst sprinted clear of the Us defence. His shot from the edge of the area was well saved by Clarke but rebounded straight back to him where he squared it across the box to an unmarked Fleetwood to fire home into a virtually unguarded net. The game was now lost and we only had to wait a few moments longer for the final whistle to put us out of our misery.

It was a truly frustrating afternoon. We actually played attractively and tried to pass and move throughout the game, but we could have tried to shoot a bit more. A speculative shot could have deflected ... we'll never know. Hereford came with a plan to defend for a point and went home with all three - job well done for them. As for us, we need to show that determination in our next game away at Lincoln on Tuesday night.

Millers have the wind taken out of their sails

2011-02-13T15:58:00.001Z

Fixture: Oxford United 2 Rotherham United 1
Date: 12/2/11

A visit of fourth-placed Rotherham boasting the league's hottest striker in Adam Le Fondre provided Oxford with another chance to post their credentials as potential play-off material. There were two changes to the team with Clist and Craddock dropping to the bench being replaced by Heslop and Midson. Also on the bench was our recent loan signing from Colchester United, Simon Hackney. So the line up was: Clarke, Tonkin, Wright, Worley, Purkiss, McLaren, Heslop, Hall, Constable, Midson, MacLean. Subs: Eastwood, Sangare, Clist, Hackney, Payne, Potter, Craddock.

With Oxford and Rotherham set up in 4-3-3 formations, both sides rather negated each other in the early exchanges. Asa Hall had the first shot on 3 minutes but the ball flew wide of the target. A minute later a quick free kick by Rotherham resulted in a speculative lob by one of their players which left Clarke stranded, but luckily the ball landed on the roof of the net. Gradually Oxford began to up the pressure and on the quarter hour Hall made a great run down the left picking out Constable in the area. Although he was tightly marked he still managed to get a shot on goal but it was straight at the keeper and easily saved. Then a minute later MacLean had a shot from outside the area which just shaved the right hand post.

Oxford's spell of pressure finally bore fruit on 18 minutes. Purkiss, breaking up a Rotherham attack, fed the ball to Heslop who in turn found Constable just inside the Miller's half. Taking one touch, he flicked the ball into the path of Midson who was charging down the right wing. Riding a robust challenge, with the referee waving on play, Midson streaked free of his marker. Reaching the dead ball line he cut the ball back into the path of Simon Heslop whose first time shot was hammered into the net from inside the area. Four minutes later a great cross from Purkiss on the right was met by the head of Constable but his effort went over the bar. On the half hour Heslop had another chance after being set up by MacLean but this time Rotherham got bodies in the way of his shot and it was blocked to safety.

After having the lion share of the play Rotherham struck back on 35 minutes when they fashioned an equaliser. The frailties of Oxford's defence struck again when they were slow to react to an attack. Purkiss and McLaren both went to the same player leaving a gap behind them into which he found Nicky Law in acres of space. With Clarke rushing out to try and block the shot he deftly flicked the ball over him and into the net for a fine finish. Visibly buoyed by the goal Rotherham came back into the game and the half finished with neither side in the ascendency.

The start of the second half was almost a repeat of the first with both sides struggling to gain the upper hand. Rotherham went the closest when a free-kick from outside the area landed on top of the net. Ten minutes in Wilder made his first change when he brought on loanee Simon Hackney for Midson and was immediately in the action as he fed a great ball into Constable at the near post. Cheekily he tried a little back flick into the net but Warrington, the Miller's keeper, was alert to the situation and pushed the ball out for a corner.

The game see-sawed for the next five minutes but then Oxford finally regained the lead. Another tricky run by Hackney forced Rotherham to concede a corner. From the corner the ball was cleared but Tonkin won possession back and then found Hackney who clipped a delightful pass to MacLean. Breaking into the box the striker was wrestled to the ground by Callum Kennedy (on loan from the Scum - oh the irony). The referee had no hesitation in pointing to the spot and then issuing the inevitable red card. Steve MacLean stepped up for the penalty, placing the ball to the keepers left. Warrington guessed correctly, getting his hand to the ball but it managed to spin up in the air and squirm behind him going over the line!

Ten man Rotherham decided that their only option was to go gung-ho and went for all out attack. Whilst looking really dangerous going forward it inevitably left them light at the back and Hackney was exploiting the space. On one attack he easily slipped past his marker on the left, whipping over a teasing cross right across the area which MacLean was a hairs-breadth away from putting in the net. Another cross, this time from the right, looked to be covered by a defender at the far post but somehow he completely missed it and had a lucky escape when the ball hit a surprised Constable, going out for a goal kick.

Searching for an equaliser, the Millers were causing some heart-stopping moments for the defence. Purkiss had to make one goal-saving block but the worst moment was when Le Fondre was put clean through on the left. Clarke came rushing out to the edge of his area, he didn't get the ball but did enough to put Le Fondre off sufficiently for him to hit his shot into the side netting. With play switching to the other end Constable was given the ideal opportunity to seal the game when he was put through with just the keeper to beat. Instead of taking the ball on he took his shot early which allowed Warrington to get enough on the ball to deflect it wide for a corner. Again Constable got through after a defender mis-judged a bouncing ball, but with it being just too far in front of him the keeper was able to make the save.

From a cleared corner Hackney went on a long run at goal but his shot was pushed behind for a corner. Then Alfie Potter, on as a sub for Heslop, was fed by MacLean on the left hand side, but his curling shot went just past the right hand post. With the three additional minutes played out the referee finally called a halt to the proceedings to secure us another three valuable points.

The win moved Oxford up to 8th place, just two points outside the playoffs and it also means we have now taken points off of all the top clubs. Tuesday night sees us travel to Stevenage where we can expect a bruising encounter against a side we've never beaten away.

Robins clip Oxford wings

2011-01-30T13:05:00.001Z

Fixture: Oxford United 1 Cheltenham Town 1
Date: 29/1/11

Oxford faced a Cheltenham side coming into the game undefeated in their last 7 away games. Wilder chose to select the same squad that had beaten Shrewsbury in their previous game in the week. So the line-up was: Clarke, Batt, Worley, Wright, Tonkin, Hall, McLaren, Clist, Craddock, Constable, MacLean. Subs: Eastwood, Sangare, Heslop, Midson, Potter, Payne, Deering.

From the start Cheltenham looked very confident on the ball and started brightly. The front two of Thomas and Smikle looked particularly dangerous and the first real chance fell to Thomas as he chased down a loose ball going just into the area. Clarke came out quickly, his momentum carrying him outside the area with the ball in his hand but he was extremely fortunate that the official didn't give it as he quickly released the ball and kicked it into touch! Oxford's passing game struggled to get going as the Robins closed down the space quickly forcing misplaced passes. On the 5th minute Thomas had the ball in the net but he was clearly offside and the goal was cancelled out.

This seemed to kick United into life and they responded by immediately going on the attack and a through ball put Craddock in on goal. His shot was low and hard but well blocked by Brown, the Cheltenham keeper. Gaining confidence from this Oxford began to get into their passing stride and subjected the visitors to a prolonged spell of pressure with crosses from both full backs and corners testing their defence to the limit. Batt was beginning to get the measure of the Cheltenham left back and one run and cross was just short of reaching Hall in the penalty area. On the 21st minute Constable let rip a blistering shot from 25 yards which hit, rather than being saved, the keeper and somehow cannoned to safety.

But 2 minutes later, against the run of play, United found themselves behind, a self-inflicted blow, after conceding yet another soft goal. A foul was conceded in the centre of the pitch, the free-kick was lofted hopefully forward to Thomas. Wright, seemingly in control of the situation, allowed the ball to bounce, then hesitated allowing Thomas to nip in behind him and delightfully chip the ball over Clarke who was dashing out to block it.

It was a stunning blow after we'd dominated the play but the players picked themselves up quickly and set about trying to re-apply the pressure. Reward came 7 minutes later. A Cheltenham corner was quickly cleared and Batt was set free down the right. One of Town's defenders seemed to have broken the play up but dogged persistence by Batt managed to wrestle the ball away from him and sprinted clear. Whipping over a low pacy cross, the ball flew across the area to the back post where a diving Tom Craddock headed the ball into the net. Leading up to half time United contiinued to pass well and pressure the Cheltenham defence but apart from a blocked shot by Tonkin the half-time arrived with the scores still level.

Again, as in the first half Oxford were slow to come out of the blocks. Cheltenham mounted several attacks which had to be defended resolutely. Smikle came very close when he was picked out from a corner but his header was off-target. After about 10 minutes of this the U's finally began to re-assert the pressure and Tonkin again had a goal-bound shot blocked by a defender. Now completely dominant Batt was again creating havoc down the right-hand side and was unlucky to see a shot well saved by Brown.

On the 58th minute Batt took a quick short corner, the ball was played back to him and he put over a delightful cross which was met on the volley by Craddock but Brown in the Cheltenham goal pulled off a spectacular flying save to put it out for a corner. A minute later a Tonkin cross found MacLean in the area but his shot was again well saved by the keeper. In the 75th minute MacLean weaved his way superbly through defenders to the by-line where he put over a delightful chip that was millimetres just over Constable's head.

Two minutes later disaster struck again. A by now rare Cheltenham attack saw Smikle with the ball advancing into the area. With seemingly little danger Tonkin lunged in to win the ball, the striker went down and the referee immediately pointed to the spot! Thomas stepped up to take the penalty but it was weakly hit and Clarke guessed the right way, diving to his right to push the ball to safety. Buoyed by the save Oxford stepped up the pressure and launched more attacks on the Robin's goal with substitute Alfie Potter going the closest, his shot from inside the area going just wide of the right-hand post. In the end the match ended in a 1-1 draw but it turned out to be highly entertaining with both sides contributing to make a very good game.

We drop to 9th in the table but are still only one point outside the play-offs. Next up we have two very challenging away fixtures at Southend (Tuesday) and Gillingham (Saturday) in which we will be looking to avenge our home defeats at both their hands.

Lightweight Bantams no match for Oxford's big hitters

2011-01-17T00:28:00.003Z

Fixture: Oxford United 2 Bradford City 1
Date: 15/1/11

Two late goals sealed a majestic display from Oxford as they came back from a goal down to grab all three points. In an unchanged starting line-up, the only changes were on the bench with new signing Djoumin Sangare and a surprise choice of Sam Deering back at the club after his loan spell at Newport County. The line-up then was: Clarke, Batt, Wright, Worley, Tonkin, Hall, McLaren, Clist, Midson, MacLean, Craddock. Subs: Eastwood, Sangare, Heslop, Constable, Deering, Payne, Green.

Straight from the kick off Oxford immediately put the Bradford goal under pressure and as early as the first minute Clist's long range shot just cleared the bar. Two minutes later a good run and shot by Hall was well saved by the Bantam's keeper, Lenny Pidgeley, who was going to be a very busy man all afternoon. With so much early pressure we were stunned when against the run of play Bradford scored with their first attack of the afternoon on 8 minutes. A break-away attack was well dealt with by McLaren who sensibly put the ball out for a corner. However the resulting corner was badly defended and with the ball bobbling in the area Syers managed to get his head on the ball and find the net from close range.

The crowd was shocked to be behind but the players kept their composure well and continued to pass the ball round playing delightful one-touch football. Batt had complete freedom on the right-hand flank and an excellent run and cross found Midson in the centre but the striker's header was directed straight at the keeper - either side and it would have been a goal. It was almost embarrassing the amount of possession Oxford had as the Bantams meekly conceded the ball and territory. But still the ball would not go in the net as defenders threw their bodies in the way of shots and inspired keeping from Pidgeley somehow kept their goal intact.

A good ball from Hall set Midson free into left-hand edge of the area where he hit a fierce pass across the face of the goal. It would have taken just the slightest touch from a defender or MacLean to divert the ball into the net but it evaded everyone as it flashed across the face of the goal. Just before half-time MacLean put Craddock through on goal but his shot was blocked by the keeper. The ball fell to Hall but his shot hit a defender and just went wide for a corner. The half-time whistle was greeted with a standing ovation for what was a pulsating first half.

The second half started with no changes to the line-up and it seemed that Bradford had not learned any lessons from the first 45 minutes as again the Oxford players seemed to have the free roam of the park. Amazingly though, United nearly found themselves two down when a rare break left Daley bearing down on goal but Ryan Clarke reacted quickly, racing off his line to block the strikers shot. A second goal then would have virtually killed off any hope of winning so it turned out to be a match turning save by the keeper.

Oxford, though, continued to dominate the proceedings and Midson had an effort from the edge of the area which just went wide of the right-hand post. On 58 minutes Wilder made a double substitution when he took off Hall and Midson to replace them with Heslop and Constable. Again, as in the first half, the Bradford defenders put their bodies on the line as shots were blocked or deflected just wide of the goal. Tonkin hit a fierce shot from 40 yards out which just cleared the bar as did a bullet header by Constable who was picked out superbly by a McLaren corner.

Bradford's goal seemed to be leading a charmed life and just as we were thinking we'd never get back in the game, the match was turned on it's head in five minutes. Constable's shot from outside the area was parried by Pidgeley to the feet of Steve MacLean who scuffed the ball towards goal. The ball appeared to hit a defenders hand but, with the referee starting to point to the spot, it had just enough momentum to go over the line and a goal was signalled instead. The relief was palpable and five minutes later the crowd went delirious as United took the lead. Again Constable was instrumental as he powered into the area and his cross to the far post was met by Tom Craddock who nudged the ball over the line with the side of his face!

With the lead in the bag, Oxford tightened the space to stop any Bradford comeback and Sangare came on for his debut replacing Craddock. Four minutes were added but there was still time for a final scare as Batt underhit a back pass but luckily for him the Bradford striker wasn't quick enough to react and Clarke cleared comfortably. The final whistle was also greeted with a standing ovation at what had been Oxford's best display since returning to the league, a win which moved us up to 9th place, only 1 point outside the playoffs. Next week sees the team travel to Northampton where hopefully the run will continue.

New Year Blues

2011-01-02T21:08:00.002Z

Fixture: Oxford United 0 Southend United 2
Date: 1/1/11

Following the win against Macclesfield, we arrived at the Stadium hopeful that we could record our fourth win on the bounce. Instead we went down with hardly a whimper in what turned out to be an afternoon full of frustration. There was one change to the starting line-up with Purkiss coming in for Batt who was relegated to the bench. Also on the bench, after finally serving a one-match ban, was Craddock who replaced Midson. So the team was: Clarke, Kinniburgh, Worley, Purkiss, Futcher, Heslop, Clist, Payne, Constable, Potter MacLean. Subs: Eastwood, Batt, Tonkin, Wright, Hall, Green, Craddock.

Oxford started well enough but there was an early warning after a wayward back-pass put Sturrock in on goal but Clarke was alert to the danger and did just enough to put the striker off. The U's should have taken the lead on 12 minutes after a great pass across the field by Payne picked out Purkiss on the right touchline. The full-back then crossed the ball at pace into the centre of six yard box to Constable, but his header went inches wide of the left-hand post. It was a golden chance, one that we were made to pay for five minutes later. A Southend attack was broken down and resulted in a corner to them. From the flag-kick, the ball was swung into the box, picking out their tall centre half who headed it back into the heart of the box. One of our players swung at the ball to clear it but it dropped invitingly to Barry Corr who fired the ball through a crowd of players and into the net to give the Shriimpers the lead.

Instead of playing to our strengths and passing the ball around, it seemed that every move forward was a launched ball towards the front two men. Southend coped easily with this and seemed to just be content to soak up what little pressure we applied then break forward with slick passing. With tempers fraying, Payne on a yellow card and clearly losing his head, Wilder hauled the midfielder off just before half time, replacing him with Asa Hall. Unfortunately Hall's first contribution to the game was to give the ball away sloppily to Southend's Graham Coughlan. He in turn passed the ball out to right-back Sean Clohessy on the right touch-line. Putting over a speculative cross, the ball drifted over the top of Clarke, who had anticipated a cross to the centre of the penalty area and, clipping the post, dropped into the top left-hand corner of the net! Going in one down at the break would have been bad enough but now we had given ourselves a mountain to climb.

The start of the second half saw Jake Wright coming on for Ben Futcher in the centre of defence but the pattern of the play remained the same with Southend going close to extend the lead early on in the half when Sturrock blazed a shot over the bar from inside the area. Ten minutes into the second half Oxford finally had a shot on goal by Potter go wide of the post - quite possibly the first real effort since Constable's miss early in the first half! Constable himself then went on a mazy little run as he beat two or three men but his shot from just inside the area just went past the far post.

The final substitution was made on 61 minutes when Tom Craddock came on for Steve Kinniburgh. He joined the front two of Constable and MacLean in a last desperate effort to get something out of the game. Leaving us lighter at the back it meant that Southend were happy to let us have the ball just inside their half but looked to counter attack at every opportunity and Wright made a couple of very crucial last ditch challenges to prevent the Shrimpers from extending the lead. With 10 minutes to go MacLean was really unlucky to see his header come back off the post - our only attempt on target in the entire game!

With the clock ticking down Southend didn't need to bother about any time-wasting tactics because Oxford just never troubled their defence. The final whistle came as more of a relief to us than the visiting supporters and, cold and abject, we thankfully trudged out of the Stadium to go home. You could excuse the Macclesfield performance because of the weather delays, and the 3 points helped to temper the disappointing display. After getting that game under their belts you'd have expected a lot better performance against Southend but it was actually worse. At times the players played like 11 strangers rather than team mates - they looked lacklustre and completely clueless as to what they were supposed to be doing. With the next fixture away at Torquay only two days after this one we can only hope that the players feel ashamed enough of their performances to play out of their skins!

Play misty for me

2010-12-31T20:22:00.004Z

Fixture: Oxford United 2 Macclesfield Town 1
Date: 28/12/10

Oxford United finally returned to action following three postponements. An impressive crowd of 9,440 waited expectantly for the kick-off but with both sides somewhat ring-rusty the game was low on quality but importantly Oxford managed to bag three very valuable points. With Craddock finally serving his one-match suspension, Jack Midson was recalled from his loan at Southend to take his place on the bench. So, the starting line-up was Clarke, Batt, Worley, Futcher, Kinniburgh, Clist, Payne, Heslop, Constable, Potter, MacLean. Subs: Eastwood, Tonkin, Wright, Midson, Hall, Green, Purkiss.

The first 15 minutes really set the tone for the game as both sides laboured to find any rhythm and it took a nasty foul on Constable and subsequent booking for Macclesfield's Nsiala to wake up a crowd seemingly still stuffed from their Christmas fayre. Four minutes later they had something to really get excited over. Closing down the right back, Constable managed to win the ball, finding MacLean inside him in plenty of space. Turning neatly he fed the ball into the path of Simon Heslop who was charging into the box. It seemed as if his first touch had taken the ball away from him, but stretching out his right leg he just managed to toe-poke the ball underneath the keeper who was rushing out and rolled the ball into the bottom left hand corner of the net. Four minutes later Heslop almost doubled his tally when he hit a shot across the face of the goal after cutting in well from the left hand side.

On 28 minutes Macclesfield had their first real chance of the game after a long ball picked out Barnett sprinting past the defence but his shot past an advancing Clarke was put into the side-netting. Four minutes later they again had a good chance when a striker was put through but Clarke made a great save to deny him. Both backlines were looking nervous but they weren't looking as nervous as the crowd as we watched a thick mist roll in over the fence - surely we couldn't have the game abandoned after all the efforts to get the fixture played? Almost on half-time Constable nearly doubled the lead when he smartly turned and shot on goal only to see his effort go just wide of the right-hand post.

Thankfully at the start of the second half the mist seemed to lift a little and the visibility became better. With the U's looking sluggish, Macclesfield took the initiative as they looked for a way back into the game and they tested the resolve of our defence. Potter managed to get himself into a good position just inside the box but managed to miss the target completely then a well struck free-kick by MacLean, which went underneath the wall was well held by the keeper. Asa Hall was brought on to replace Josh Payne and we adopted a more 4-4-2 style with Hall on the left and Potter wide out on the right. That decision paid dividends on 69 minutes when Potter picked up a long pass out of defence to sprint towards goal. On the edge of the area he picked out Heslop who was charging into the box on the right-hand side but his shot was blocked in front of the goal by a defender. Unfortunately for him he only succeeded in pushing the ball right into the path of James Constable who, taking a quick touch, clinically dispatched the ball into the centre of the goal to net his 10th of the season.

MacLean then had a chance to seal the points when he was put through on goal but the keeper frustrated him, forcing him wide until a fellow defender was able to get back and clear the ball. Then a delightful chip from the left by MacLean went to an unmarked Constable on the far post who completely missed the flight of the ball to only swing at fresh air. Asa Hall also went close with a shot which was well saved by the keeper. So, seemingly in control of the game Oxford did what only Oxford can do by conceding a goal with 10 minutes left to play. A high looping cross from the left was completely misjudged by Clarke. With the players all stopping to appeal for a foul, former U's loanee, Ricky Sappleton took one touch to control the ball and then squeeze the softest of shots inside the near post to pull one back for the Silkmen. The players of course all appealed against the decision but they made the fatal flaw of not playing to the whistle - hopefully lesson learned!

Jake Wright was brought on for Alfie Potter in an attempt to lock things up at the back as we now assumed a 5-3-2 formation but it still made for a nervy ending. For once, not going gung-ho, the players took every opportunity to slow the game down - or as Paul Simpson said after Stockport had frustrated us earlier on in the season, "time management" - and saw out the game at 2-1 to bag the points. Hopefully, after getting that performance out of the way, the players will have benefitted from the run out and be in better shape when they face Southend on New Year's Day for our next fixture at home.

Barnet cropped!

2010-12-05T15:46:00.004Z

Fixture: Oxford United 2 Barnet 1
Date: 4/12/10

Oxford beat the winter freeze to get one of only two League 2 fixtures on. Selecting an unchanged line-up from the away victory at Chesterfield, James Constable again found himself warming the bench. So the team was: Clarke, Batt, Worley, Futcher, Kinniburgh, Heslop, Wotton, Clist, Hall, MacLean, Craddock. Subs: Eastwood, Tonkin, Constable, Potter, Green, Payne, Franks.

From the kick-off, Barnet looked sharper and slicker on the ball, playing the ball about the park with a lot of purpose. A downpour of icy rain certainly didn't help the proceedings making the surface very slippery indeed but generally Oxford looked very poor going forward. The midfield were very quiet except for Simon Heslop who was doing his best to get the ball forward to the front men. It took Oxford nearly 20 minutes before we had our first real chance on goal when a long-range shot from MacLean was just pushed around the post by Barnet's keeper, Cole. Heslop then had a long range shot which just went wide of the left-hand post. Clarke then pulled off a great reaction save to deny a Barnet player who had escaped the offside trap.

Like a lot of sides visiting us this season, Barnet seemed content to soak up what little pressure we were putting on them and then break forward quickly as the opportunity arose, so it was hardly surprising that this is what happened in the 35th minute. A quick break forward by a Francomb down the wing saw him skip effortlessly past Kinniburgh and fire a cross past the covering defenders into the box where an unmarked Mark Marshall had the easiest of tasks to fire the ball past a despairing Clarke. The Oxford response never really came and the crowd was becoming increasingly frustrated as passes went astray. Half-time was greeted with a chorus of boos and thoughts turning back to the last home game against Gillingham.

The start of the second half saw the introduction of Alfie Potter, replacing Asa Hall, who had had a pretty ineffectual first half. Playing out wide on the right, Potter immediately gave Oxford the width they were lacking in the first half. Barnet seemed to have made the decision to sit back and defend their lead which gave the momentum back to Oxford. Five minutes in, Craddock had a shot from the edge of the area which curled just too late and went just past the right-hand side of the post. Heslop then had a shot blocked by a defender but Craddock, hitting the rebound, only saw his shot hit the side-netting. On 55 minutes Craddock was withdrawn from the play to be replaced by James Constable who signalled his intent almost immediately when his first participation in the action was to flatten one of Barnet's defenders!

With Barnet now on the back foot Oxford pressed for an equaliser. On 60 minutes we should have been level after a great pass put MacLean through on goal with just the keeper to beat. Firing past the goalie, the ball hit the inside of the right-hand post, bouncing back into play. Following up was Constable but his shot was cleared off the line by a defender. Barnet were now trying delaying tactics to break up Oxford's flow and we had to endure an agonisingly slow substitution as Gallen went off to be replaced by Holmes. This tactic backfired spectacularly a minute later as Oxford finally levelled the game. Potter laid off the ball to MacClean who in turn passed it on to James Constable. Taking a quick touch he fired the ball into the chest of the keeper. With the ball ping-ponging around it finally bounced off Barnet defender Anwar Uddin and rolled into the net. Fortunate but, on the balance of play in the second half, wholly deserved.

Barnet were now reeling and Potters direct running was causing their defence no end of problems. On 70 minutes Kinniburgh was fouled 30 yards out from the Barnet goal and MacLean stepped up to lash a rasping shot against the bar with the keeper well beaten. Five minutes later Heslop had another of his long range shots which just went wide of the right-hand post. The pressure finally told on 82 minutes as Potter again stormed down the right wing. Playing a one-two with MacLean he picked out James Constable in the box who, faced with converging defenders, cleverly took his shot early and fired the ball into the left-hand side of the goal past the grasping fingertips of the goalie. Not content with scoring the winning goal, Constable was back to make a goal-line clearance after an uncharacteristic slip by Clarke. With the clock ticking down, Barnet's last chance to take anything away from the game was thwarted by a brilliant save by Clarke at the feet of an onrushing Barnet striker who had broken past the last defender.

It was a fantastic come-back by United, repeating the feat from the previous game against Chesterfield. The first half display was extremely poor but at least this time, unlike the game against Gillingham, the players put in a superb second half display and more importantly managed to take their chances. Next week we are away at Lincoln City which could be a victim of the weather, so it made it doubly important that we had this game and secured the three points. Our next home game, on the 18th, will be against high-flying Shrewsbury Town who will provide an extremely stern test for us.

A Wright cock-up

2010-11-21T11:07:00.001Z

Fixture: Oxford United 0 Gillingham 1
Date: 20/11/10

Oxford slipped to a fourth straight league defeat to a Gillingham side who had not won away for 35 games. The home fans had a chance to see the three new loanees for the first time, with Wright also back in the line-up after his 3-match suspension. Constable was on the bench after recovering from illness meaning the front 2 were Craddock and MacLean. The team for the game was then: Clarke, Purkiss, Futcher, Wright, Kinniburgh, Payne, Wotton, Clist, Potter, MacLean, Craddock. Subs: Eastwood, Batt, Heslop, Constable, Hall, Green, Worley.

Gillingham flew out of the blocks at the start of the game and it was obvious that it was their tactics to try and grab an early goal to possibly rock our already shaky confidence. For the first 25 minutes Oxford hardly had the ball out of their half as wave upon wave of Gills attacks bore down on our goal. The bravery of Clarke and some poor finishing meant that our goal remained in tact, whilst at the other end of the pitch the Gills defence were hardly troubled as we offered no attacking threat whatsoever. There was no way Gillingham could keep up such a furious pace and having seen off the worst of it Oxford gradually began to get a bit more of the ball but the decision-making in the final third was very poor. We did, however, create two half chances. The first came from a speculative lob by Wotton where the goalie, seemingly under no pressure, contrived to fumble the ball and collide with the post. MacLean reacted quickly after he'd slapped the ball away but his cross back into the box was easily cleared. Josh Payne then broke purposely forward to the edge of the area but instead of playing the ball across to an unmarked Craddock, he chose to pass to the heavily defended Potter who did well to get a shot on target which the keeper pushed behind for a corner.

Ironically as we were having our best phase of play, Gillingham took the lead five minutes before the break. An uncharacteristic mistake by Jake Wright saw him underhit a backpass which was pounced on by Gills striker McDonald who calmly rounded Clarke and rolled the ball into an empty net. A 1-0 lead at half-time certainly didn't flatter Gillingham who were by far the better team, but nevertheless it was a crushing blow.

The start of the second half saw the introduction of James Constable who came on for Josh Payne. He certainly put a bit more threat up front and early on in the half we were awarded a free-kick on the edge of the area which was superbly struck by Simon Clist. Only the finger-tip save of the keeper prevented the ball going into the roof of the net. Constable himself saw a shot narrowly miss the target and MacLean, playing a lot better since Constable's introduction, also had a shot scrambled away by the keeper. Gillingham, understandably, were defending deeply to preserve their lead but they were always a threat on the counter-attack where they seemed to swarm forwards in numbers. Wotton was taken off and replaced by Simon Heslop then Matt Green came on for Potter but neither substitution really had the desired effect and despite having plenty of the play, the Gills goal was rarely threatened. The final whistle was greeted by a chorus of boos by the Oxford fans while in the away stand the Gillingham fans celebrated like they'd just won promotion. The chorus of "Can we play you every week" aptly summed up the match.

So where has it all gone wrong? The whole team looks drained of any confidence and have totally lost all direction. Wilder is, predictably, reacting by lashing out at everyone within earshot and his post-match conference started with "I suppose you all think I should resign" before he'd even been asked a question! The loanees have added nothing to the side although MacLean improved greatly after the introduction of Constable in the second half. I hardly noticed Wotton all afternoon and Futcher is an absolute donkey. He's got no ball control and despite being 6'7" he hardly won a header all afternoon - he can't even jump in the air! On that evidence sending Creighton and Bulman out on loan are big mistakes - technically they may not be the best but at least you know you'll get a passionate performance with 100% effort. Next up is a trip to the league leaders, Chesterfield..... Gawd help us!

Payne-ful kick to the Cobblers

2010-10-24T23:59:00.003+01:00

Fixture: Oxford United 3 Northampton Town 1
Date: 23/10/10

Jake Wright made a welcome return to the side following his absence with a back injury. Also making a return to the squad was Damian Batt who was on the bench. So the starting line-up for a game the U's needed to win to stop the rot of two consecutive defeats was: Clarke, Purkiss, Wright, Worley, Tonkin, Hall, Payne, Heslop, Craddock, Constable, Potter. Subs: Eastwood, Batt, Creighton, Midson, Clist, Green, Baker.

After losing the toss and being forced to kick towards our home end, United started brightly and took an early lead after four minutes. A good move forward down the right hand side saw Purkiss deliver a pass towards Constable in the box. The striker dummied the ball and it deflected off the legs of a defender to Potter. He in turn fed the ball back to Constable who fired a low cross across the six yard box. The ball was partially cleared but it fell invitingly to Alfie Potter who drilled the ball into the centre of the net for his first goal of the season. Stung into action, the Cobblers pressed for an immediate reply and four minutes later they went really close when a header just went over the bar. It was a warning that went unheeded as a deep cross from the left hand side on 15 minutes left Clarke grasping at thin air and Northampton's big striker Leon McKenzie was at hand on the far post to rise unchallenged to head the ball home.

For the next 15 minutes Northampton belied their lowly league position as they played some really neat football and our defence had to be at their best to cope with the pressure being exerted. Weathering the storm Oxford hit back and, following a corner, a rasping shot by Heslop just cleared the bar on 30 minutes. Then in another foray forward 5 minutes later, a neat touch from Craddock set Purkiss free just inside the box, but again his shot just cleared the bar. On 37 minutes Oxford were awarded a free kick just outside the box which was taken by Tonkin but his shot was well saved by the keeper who tipped the ball over the bar. With the half drawing to a close Constable was felled just outside the area. With two players standing over the ball, it was the young midfielder Josh Payne who stepped forward to curl an unstoppable free kick past a helpless keeper and into the net to give us a 2-1 half-time lead.

The early stages of the second half was very nip and tuck with both sides having chances on goal but gradually Northampton began to exert more pressure. With Oxford defending deeper and deeper, and the ball not sticking up front, the defence had to be on top of their game. On 65 minutes Worley was replaced by Creighton in an effort to counter the big physical presence of Mckenzie. Jake Wright was showing us what we'd been missing with a masterclass in defending, no doubt inspiring those around him who were all defending for their lives. Chances for Oxford were few and far between and it felt as if we were constantly under siege for long periods of the half.

With 8 minutes left of normal time, Wilder made a double substitution when he brought on Clist for Hall and Green for Constable. Clist immediately started to put a bit of bite into the midfield while Greens pace gave us an outlet to the pressure we were under. With time nearly up the game was finally sealed when Green broke forward quickly and then fed the ball to Clist. Racing into the area, the Cobblers defender, Johnson, grabbed at the sleeve of Clist, dragging him to the ground. The referee had no hesitation in pointing to the spot and issuing a red card to the defender. Taking the responsibility, Tom Craddock stepped up and drove the penalty firmly into the centre of the net to seal all three points.

So, an important victory to stop the rot and claim three very valuable points. Northampton will feel very hard done by after their second half display but it was a dogged defensive display from Oxford and proved that we can win "ugly" when the need arises. Wright's presence in the side proved crucial and the introduction of Creighton at a time when we were under the cosh turned out to be an important decision by Wilder - in fact you could say that all 3 substitutions were timed to perfection, with Green and Clist instrumental in the deciding goal. We now sit in 11th place and just two points off the final play-off position. Next week we travel to Bradford who have had a slow start to the season, but they will still be dangerous opponents and the players will need to stay focussed if they are to come away from Valley Parade with any points.

A Shot in the foot

2010-10-10T11:52:00.002+01:00

Fixture: Oxford United 0 Aldershot Town 1
Date: 9/10/10

Anthony Tonkin was recalled to the starting 11 after recovering from illness, replacing Steven Kinniburgh who was completely left out of the squad. Returning to the bench was Mark Creighton who had missed the last fixture with a fractured toe. Other than that the line up was exactly the same as the last game against Port Vale, so the team for the visit of Aldershot was: Clarke, Purkiss, Worley, Franks, Tonkin, Heslop, Payne, Hal, Potter, Constable, Craddock. Subs: Eastwood, Creighton, Midson, Clist, Cole, Green, Baker.

Following last weeks magnificent win against Port Vale, Oxford started this game very brightly, immediately taking the game to the Shots. The front 3 of Constable, Craddock and Potter all looked lively especially the latter who tormented their defence. Constable had the ball in the net after three minutes after a lovely through-ball by Heslop, but he was marginally offside and the goal was ruled out. Seven minutes into the game, the Shots left-back, Vincent, was shown a yellow card for cynically bringing down Potter after the little winger had slipped the ball past him and beaten him for pace. On twelve minutes following another good move, excellent play by Craddock released Constable just inside the area, but with a clear shot on goal he skewed his effort wide of the post. Oxford were totally dominating the game but after 20 minutes we still didn't have anything to show for all our good play.

Having weathered the storm Aldershot began to get themselves back into the game and with virtually their first assault the big striker, Marvin Morgan, rose to meet a ball at the far post only to see his header glance over the bar. Then on 30 minutes Little hit the ball firmly from the edge of the area which Ryan Clarke did well to save. It was now a very open game with both sides looking to carve an opening and the next great chance fell to Oxford on 33 minutes. On a counter-attack, Oxford broke quickly and the ball eventually arrived at the feet of Ben Purkiss who was charging down the right-hand side on the overlap. He then delivered a perfect cross which just evaded the keepers grasp, Rising highest in a crowd of players, Asa Hall headed the ball towards an unguarded part of the goal only to see it cannon back off the bar. In the ensuing melee the ball was hacked to safety and the chance was gone.

With the crowd buoyed, Oxford pressed forward again and once more another fine cross by Purkiss caused panic in their defence. A great through ball for Potter saw him break free from Vincent towards goal and again the Aldershot defender cynically tripped him earning himself a second yellow card, quickly followed by a red. Down to 10 men, the Shots should have been down to 9 minutes later as an x-rated challenge by Morgan scythed through Josh Payne as he attempted to win a ball. Unbelievably the referee only produced a yellow card - a decision that would come back to haunt the U's in the second half.

With Aldershot a man down, Oxford sought to gain the upper hand early in the second half as they tried to find a breakthrough. Potter and Purkiss on the right and Tonkin on the left were all putting deep crosses into their box but Aldershot packed the area with men and were resisting every effort thrown their way. The Shots were playing a game of containment whilst looking to launch a quick counter but Oxford were seemingly in control. That was until the 58th minute when Tonkin, under no pressure whatsoever, inexplicably elected to pass the ball back to one of our players on the edge of our own area. Underhitting the ball, he only succeeded in playing it right into the path of Marvin Morgan. Reacting quickly he bent the ball delightfully round the last central defender and into the corner of the right hand goal past the despairing fingers of Clarke. It was a sickening blow, firstly because we were well in control of the game and secondly because the man who netted the goal should have been sent off in the first half.

Aldershot now pulled every man back to defend, leaving no-one up front. Gambling, Wilder took off centre-back Leigh Franks and replaced him with midfielder Simon Clist. He then took off Asa Hall and brought on Jack Midson to join in with the attack. On 66 minutes probably our best chance of the half fell to Josh Payne who hit a rasping shot from the edge of he area, but his effort was magnificently saved by the keeper who flew across the goal to palm the ball over the bar. With time ticking away, Wilder played his last card when he took off Heslop and surprisingly brought on Mitchell Cole instead of, what most of us expected, Matt Green. Now playing virtually seven up front we were thwarted time and again as every effort dashed against the rock that was Aldershot's defence. Potter had another clear sight of goal but his left-foot shot was weak and was gathered easily by the keeper. The referee eventually played seven minutes of stoppage time but we just couldn't find a way past their defence and the game ended with a disappointing home defeat.

We really should have taken Aldershot to the cleaners in the second half with a man advantage but as so often happens in cases like this the 10 men fought extra hard to protect their goal and delivered a sucker punch of their own to win the game. The fact that it was self-inflicted makes it even more galling. We have now lost 3 games at home whilst away from the Stadium we look a lot more assured. Next week we are at Macclesfield where hopefully we can bounce back from this disappointment and pick up some points.

Take That!

2010-10-03T18:51:00.005+01:00

Fixture: Oxford United 2 Port Vale 1
Date: 2/10/10

Oxford won a closely fought game with Port Vale yesterday after a pulsating game ended in dramatic circumstances. With our 3 senior centre backs all out injured and Tonkin still not 100% fit after an illness, United fielded an unfamiliar backline with Leigh Franks making his first full appearance and Steven Kinniburgh starting at left back. Constable was back in the side after serving his one match ban so Midson once again dropped back to the bench. So the line-up was: Clarke, Kinniburgh, Worley, Purkiss, Franks, Heslop, Hall, Payne, Constable, Potter, Craddock. Subs: Eastwood, Tonkin, Clist, Baker, Deering, Midson, Green.

Port Vale came into the game boasting a 100% away record and their early play was confident and assured. Oxford though, refused to be overawed by their table-topping opponents and from early on looked to take the game to the Valiants. Alfie Potter immediately caused problems in the opposition half as the big defenders struggled to cope with his pace and at the back the novice centre back pairing of Worley and Franks looked comfortable under pressure. An uncharacteristic fumble by Clarke nearly presented an early chance for Port Vale but luckily for him Purkiss was on hand to clear the danger well. Then at the other end a strong goalbound shot by Hall from the edge of the area went through a crowd of players but Vale keeper Tomlinson reacted superbly to push the shot around the post. Then Constable fed a lovely through ball for Potter to chase down but unfortunately the keeper reached it a fraction before him to clear the danger. Vale looked very dangerous on the break and we had to have our wits about us as the two Richards', Mark and Justin, looked for ways to unlock the defence. After about 25 minutes Craddock had his first purposeful effort on goal but his shot went harmlessly over the bar. Then on the half hour a powerful run and shot by Heslop just skimmed the outside of the right hand post. Justin Richards then had a long range shot which Clarke did well to push away. So half time arrived with the game scoreless but nonetheless a very entertaining half of football.

The second half started off as the first finished, with both sides playing attractive passing football and probing for openings. With Potter still causing problems for Vales defence and Josh Payne starting to control the midfield we began to get the upper hand. Purkiss was managing to get a lot of space down the right and was putting over a few telling crosses, while shots from Heslop and Hall were well saved by the keeper. Vale were still creating dangerous chances - Justin Richards got into another good position but his shot went over the goal and out of the ground and when they did get on target they found the immovable force that is Ryan Clarke in the way to block and parry shots. Fifteen minutes into the half the breakthrough came. Heslop, breaking up an attack, drove out of defence eventually feeding the ball to Payne who then put in a deep swinging cross into the middle of area. A bit of indecision between the last defender and the goalie allowed the quick witted Tom Craddock to nip in front of the centre half to head the ball past the keeper and into the right hand corner of the net.

With Oxford well on top now and creating more chances Wilder surprisingly chose to substitute Potter on 75 minutes and bring on Simon Clist. Five minutes later it was nearly an inspired substitution as Clist met a cross from Purkiss with a ferocious left-foot volley which screamed past the post. With the time ticking down and with us starting to defend deeper and deeper, Port Vale started to increase the pressure on our defence. With four minutes left to play Wilder made a double substitution bringing off Hall and Constable, who had had a below par game by his standards. Replacing them were Anthony Tonkin and Matt Green. We had now reached the 90th minute and the referee's assistant held up the board to signal 4 minutes of added time.

The Valiants by now were desperately throwing everything bar the kitchen sink at us and we just couldn't seem to clear our lines cleanly. Two minutes into extra time, failure to clear the ball properly saw it drop at the feet of Gareth Owen on the edge of the area whereupon he drove it low and hard into the net through a crowd of players. It was a sickening blow for the U's and the Vale fans celebrated wildly at the thought of salvaging a point. But there was one further twist to come.

Kicking off we got the ball forward out wide to Purkiss who in turn played the ball onto Green just inside the box. With quick feet he released the ball to Tom Craddock who was completely unmarked. Taking the shot first time, he fired the ball low underneath the keeper, who was rushing out, and into the far right hand corner of the net. Along with the crowd, I can tell you that the author went a little bit mental too! We had a further minute or so to withstand but in all honesty that goal had knocked the stuffing out of Port Vale and the final whistle was greeted with a standing ovation for the players.

This result topped off an excellent sequence of games since our defeat against Stockport County. The away games at Crewe Alexandra and Cheltenham Town, in which we came from behind in both games to draw, showed a lot of resilience. Beating Port Vale, who look every inch automatic promotion contenders, and not being overawed by them shows that we are more than holding our own back in the Football League. With a crowd just short of 8,000 we are steadily winning back fans and if we keep playing the exciting brand of football we are at the moment you can see even more coming back. Next week we are at home again, this time to Aldershot who usually bring a good travelling support, so hopefully we can look to a similarly large crowd .... and result!

Hatters spoil the party

2010-09-19T10:35:00.005+01:00

Fixture: Oxford United 0 Stockport County 1
Date: 18/09/10

Oxford were frustrated by a classic "Smash and Grab" performance by Stockport County yesterday. With Wright still out of action with a back spasm, Creighton continued in the heart of the defence in a team unchanged from last weeks victory at Hereford. So the line up was: Clarke, Purkiss, Worley, Creighton, Tonkin, Hall, Payne, Heslop, Green, Constable, Craddock. Subs: Eastwood, Midson, Potter, Baker, Deering, Franks, Bulman.

The early stages were to set the pattern for the rest of the game as Oxford decamped in Stockports half of the pitch. The first real chance was created after 9 minutes when Purkiss delivered a superb cross into the box from the right hand side where Constable nodded the ball down into the path of Asa Hall who volleyed the shot towards the goal. Seemingly unstoppable, County's keeper Glennon made a superb reaction save to push the ball away from danger. On 15 minutes United should have taken the lead when a superbly threaded ball by Heslop set Green free and bearing down on goal. Sidestepping the keeper and with the goal seemingly at his mercy he hesitated, allowing two defenders to get back and block his shot. Had those two early chances have been taken we could have easily romped home but with a procession of shots either just missing the target or being well saved by the keeper you just had that nagging feeling that a sucker punch was just around the corner. Stockports lone striker, Donnelly, had already shown he could be a danger with a couple of mazy runs and a shot which just deflected wide of the post, so it was almost inevitable that it would be him to strike the mortal blow. On 41 minutes a swift counter-attack saw the ball played out wide to their left winger. Taking the ball in his stride he delivered an inch-perfect cross to Donnelly at the far post who, being completely unmarked, had time to pick his spot and powerfully head the ball past a helpless Clarke. After all the possession we'd had it was a sickening blow. Trying to get back on level terms before the break, Craddock had a decent effort on goal well saved by Glennon. We went into the break 1-0 down but confident that, on the balance of play we'd seen, we were more than capable of turning the game around.

Right from the whistle in the second period, Oxford pegged Stockport back and for the rest of the game they hardly ventured far into our half. Six minutes into the half Alfie Potter came on for Green as we looked to stretch the Stockport defence. Five minutes later Asa Hall managed to dribble through a crowded area drawing another good save from Glennon who could only palm the ball up into the air towards Constable but with the goal at his mercy, his header went wide of the left hand post. A succession of crosses and corners couldn't break down Stockports resistance who were by now using every means to waste as much time (sorry, that should be "Time Management" according to Paul Simpson) as possible as the half drew further on. With 20 minutes to go Purkiss put in a superb cross again from the right to a waiting Constable mid-way in the penalty area, but his header clipped the post and went wide. With 15 minutes to go Wilder took off Payne and replaced him with Deering meaning we were playing a 4-2-4 formation as we went in search of an equaliser. Again Purkiss managed to deliver another great cross for Constable but again the striker managed to head the ball wide of the goal.

With 8 minutes to go we finally had the ball in the net when Constable fired home a loose ball after Glennon had saved a fierce shot from Potter, but the linesman ruled that he was marginally offside and the goal was ruled out. In a final roll of the dice, Wilder took off Creighton but instead of bringing on Midson, as we all expected, Baker was introduced to the play. A free-kick right on the edge of the area presented us with a chance right at the end of 90 minutes. Baker took the kick but his effort was inches over the bar. Going into the ridiculously short added time of 4 minutes County packed their area with every man as they frustrated us with every turn. Constable had one last chance to equalise right at the end of the game but his effort from inside the area went wide and with it went the game as the referee blew for time.

So another frustrating day at the office. Just as with the Bury game it's difficult to be really upset as our play was generally very good. The only criticism is that at times we tend to over-pass the ball when a quicker, more direct move could be made and, as has been said before, we need to be more clinical in front of goal. We now have three very tough fixtures coming up in the next two weeks - Crewe and Cheltenham away before we entertain Port Vale at home - which should tell us more about the character of this side.

Bring Me Sunshine!

2010-09-06T17:18:00.006+01:00

Fixture: Oxford United 4 Morcambe 0
Date: 4/9/10

Oxford secured their first win in the Football League since a 2-0 home victory over Barnet on 15th April 2006. New signings Josh Payne, a midfielder on loan from Doncaster Rovers, and striker Tom Craddock, a permanent signing from Luton Town, both made their debuts. With Bulman and Midson making way for them, the starting line-up was: Clarke, Purkiss, Wright, Worley, Tonkin, Payne, Heslop, Hall, Craddock, Constable, Green. Subs: Eastwood, Creighton, Midson, Potter, Baker, Bulman, Deering.

From the first whistle, Oxford set out to lay the ghost of last Saturdays disappointing display against Accrington Stanley. Looking sharp and incisive it took only two minutes for Craddock to have the first shot on goal, a right footed effort which went wide of the left hand post. Green, a surprise starter in many people's eyes, then went close himself two minutes later when he also had a long range shot but it was saved comfortably by the Shrimps goalie, Roche. Seven minutes in an aerial challenge between Jake Wright and Morecambe's Phil Jevons let to a sickening clash of heads. With both players seemingly motionless on the pitch there was an anxious few minutes waiting to see what the extent of their injuries were. Fortunately for us Wright, after treatment, was able to continue but Jevons, looking extremely groggy when he stood up and nursing a huge swelling on his forehead, was led slowly off the field and whisked off to hospital for checks. He was later released and went back on the Morecambe team coach.

The delay didn't disrupt our rhythm and we continued to press well with Morecambe desperately defending whilst posing no threat to us whatsoever. Josh Payne was displaying exactly why Wilder signed him as he seamlessly slotted into the midfield, displaying an impressive range of passing and defending. His presence also allowed Heslop and Hall more opportunities to get forwards and on 19 minutes Heslop's long range shot was well held by the keeper. This proved to be just a sighter as a minute later Simon Heslop was allowed plenty of room in the opposition's final third and from 25 yards out he unleashed an unstoppable shot which flew past the keepers despairing hands and into the top right hand corner of the net. Like a cork blowing off a champagne bottle, the pressure immediately lifted. The crowd went wild and Heslop was buried underneath a pile of team-mates bodies in the celebration. Sensing blood, Oxford kept up the pressure looking for more goals, successive corners were nervously defended until finally they broke. From another corner on the right hand side, Heslop delivered a perfect ball to an unmarked James Constable, who powerfully headed the ball into the top right hand corner of the net from the penalty spot. Not content with two, Oxford pressed for more and despite dominating the play, creating chances (Hall almost chipped in a third) and having plenty of corners (seven to us without reply) we had to be content with going in at half time 2-0 up.

The teacups must have been flying around the Morecambe dressing room at half-time because they came out with more purpose at the start of the second half. Clarke was called on for the first time in the game five minutes in and then we were extremely lucky when a shot took a wicked deflection off of one of our defenders legs to leave a leaden-footed Clarke to gratefully watch the ball go just inches past his post. A neat interchange of passes between former Luton team-mates Hall, Heslop and Craddock almost let the striker in but his shot lacked any power to trouble the keeper. The game was really starting to open up and Morecambe were leaving more gaps at the back as they sought a way back into the game. With this in mind Wilder decided to make a double substitution replacing Green and Craddock with the speedy duo of Potter and Deering. Five minutes later Jake Wright was replaced by Mark Creighton after apparently suffering a back spasm - no doubt as a result of the horrible clash in the first half. Two minutes later Morecambe nearly pulled a goal back. Following a corner a powerful header was superbly saved by Clarke but he could only parry the ball straight to the feet of an oncoming attacker. Catching the shot truely, he must have thought he'd scored but incredible reactions from Clarke saw him save the shot from point blank range.

In the context of the game it was a crucial double save and with 15 minutes still left on the clock could have led to an uncomfortable end to the game. As it was, the save served to spur us on to secure the points and Josh Payne was inches wide with a long range shot. With 10 minutes to go the game turned decisively back in our favour. With Potter latching onto a pass and flying down the right wing he was tackled and felled by Morecambes left back, Wilson. The defender, already on a yellow card, was adjudged to have fouled Potter and was shown a second yellow, then red. I thought it was a touch harsh as he seemed to have just nicked the ball before getting something of Potter. From just outside the box on the right hand side, Heslop took the resulting free-kick, rolling it back to Payne on the edge of the area. He badly scuffed his shot but luckily it bobbled through to James Constable who, with typical predatory instincts, pounced on the loose ball and fired it home from the centre of the penalty area. The Shrimps resistance was now at an end and Heslop had a shot from just outside the area which again just went wide. With 3 minutes of stoppage time signalled Oxford finally killed the game off. Payne broke down a Morecambe attack and set Tonkin free down the left. His cross-cum-shot squirmed agonisingly across the goalmouth but Potter was on hand to dribble the ball past a defender to the dead-ball line and roll it into the 6 yard box for James Constable to complete his hat-trick. There was just time for Constable to have another shot go narrowly wide before the referee blew for time and our first League victory.

At last we managed to post a scoreline that reflected our play. It's all well and good playing superbly but draws and narrow defeats by the odd goal in three doesn't look too healthy when you look at the league table. Many of us would have taken a narrow win after playing poorly but against Morecambe we were well worth our four goal winning margin. We now need to follow this up with another victory on Saturday at a struggling Hereford United side. We mustn't take the game for granted but we really should be looking at winning this game.

Accrington Stanley? Who are they?

2010-08-30T12:05:00.005+01:00

Fixture: Oxford United 0 Accrington Stanley 0
Date: 28/8/10

This was meant to be a momentous meeting. We replaced Accrington in the League in 1962 when they went out of business, they replaced us back in the League in 2006 when we dropped into the Conference. People say we were destined never to meet but here we were on the 28th August 2010 lining up against each other. Men walked the land in little sandwich boards proclaiming the end of the World, academics debated long and hard over the prophesies of Nostradamus. The World waited with baited breath and... well, err, nothing really happened.

Both teams came into this game off the back of narrow defeats against Premier opposition in the Carling Cup - they had lost by the odd goal in five against Newcastle. Wilder made two changes to the starting line-up against West Ham mid-week bringing in Midson and Green, dropping Potte and Cole back to the bench. So, the line-up for the game was: Clarke, Tonkin, Wright, Worley, Purkiss, Bulman, Heslop, Hall, Constable, Midson, Green. Subs: Eastwood, Creighton, Clist, Baker, Deering, Potter, Cole.

Right from the kick-off Accrington looked a lot sharper than we did and within a couple of minutes Clarke was forced to save well at his near post. A quarter of an hour into the game, we still hadn't created anything and Clarke was again called upon to make a save at full stretch. Apart from forcing a couple of corners, the Us offered nothing up front and with the midfield completely mis-firing we lacked any creativity. The previously reliable Heslop was having a torrid time and many of his passes were misplaced or he was simply shrugged off the ball. In fact the whole team seemed to be suffering a hang-over from Tuesday's cup game - everyone looking lacklustre and lethargic. With Accrington well on top in the first half we were grateful to get through to the half-time whistle unscathed.

In the first half Accrington had gone like-to-like with us formation wise, playing a 4-3-3, so it was a surprise for them to change it to a 4-5-1 formation in the second half. This effectively handed the advantage to us and we began to look more threatening . Five minutes into the half Constable managed to break free of his marker on the right hand side but his shot from a narrow angle hit the side netting. Then minutes later a cross by Purkiss was flicked on by Midson to Constable in the centre but his snap volley from 10 yards out was really well saved by the keeper. Unexplicably, now that we'd got the upper hand, Wilder decided to make a double substitution. Potter on for Green was one that most people expected because Green had really struggled in the game but the one that raised most eyebrows was the introduction of Cole for Midson. At a stroke we'd lost the one man who could hold the ball up and link play and we again struggled to make any inroads on Stanley's defence. Accrington, now playing on the break, posed very little threat in the second half and Clarke hardly had a thing to do except punch a ball out of the area. Towards the end of the game Potter had a mazy little run and teed the ball up for Constable but his shot was easily saved by the keeper.

And that was that. Our 3rd 0-0 of the season and easily our worst display since regaining our League status. All we can hope for is that this was just a bad day at the office and count ourselves fortunate that we were still defensively strong to deny the opposition a goal. It was a day where no one came out of with any credit except for Master J Ayres who provided us with the stat of the day. Apparently 36.4% of our team are bald.

Exactly!

Beaten but not Bowed

2010-08-26T11:06:00.005+01:00

Fixture: West Ham United 1 Oxford United 0
Carling Cup Round 2
Date: 24/8/10

Football can be a cruel game sometimes. On Tuesday night Oxford travelled to East London to take on Premier side West Ham in a Carling Cup (that's League Cup to you and me) Round 2 encounter. Several changes were made to the starting line up from Saturday's game at Wycombe, Ben Purkiss started at right back for the injured Damian Batt, Alfie Potter and a first start for Mitchell Cole replaced Jack Midson and Matt Green who were both on the bench. So with a 4-1-4-1 formation, the line up was: Clarke, Purkiss, Wright, Worley, Tonkin, Hall, Bulman, Heslop, Potter, Constable, Cole. Subs: Eastwood, Creighton, Midson, Clist, Baker, Green, Deering.

The game got under way and almost immediately West Ham launched their first attack and a shot by Piquionne was turned round the post for a corner by Clarke. Our formation meant that we held our shape very well in the midfield and although we attempted to play a passing game more often than not any ball forward was easily dealt with by their defence. Fifteen minutes into the game we carved out a good opportunity when Cole took on the Hammers right back. Beating him for pace he delivered a superb cross into the box where Constable was arriving unmarked. Unfortunately his shot lacked any power and the Hammers keeper, Stech (Green was on the bench) saved comfortably. West Ham, as you would expect, were patiently trying to probe our defence, moving the ball around the park but they were looking increasingly dangerous down our left-hand flank. This was due in the main part because Cole wasn't tracking back to help out Tonkin and more often than not he was left exposed, facing two players.

West Ham's final ball though was woeful and for all their possession they hardly put a decent shot on target. Any balls that did find their way into the box were superbly dealt with by Wright, Worley and Clarke. On the 25th minute Potter broke forward and had his shot well saved by the keeper but it was West Ham who squandered the easiest chance of the half, ten minutes before the break, when Piquionne was left completely free in front of goal with just Clarke to beat. In what seemed a formality the striker somehow managed to miss the goal completely when it looked easier to score. Unfazed by their Premier opponents, Oxford pressed forward again and a thunderous and dipping 25 yard shot by Asa Hall produced a magnificent save by Stech who flew across the goal to palm the ball over for a corner. From the resulting corner Constable blazed his volley over the bar. Half time arrived and we were still in the contest much to the obvious disappointment of the West Ham crowd who booed their side off the pitch.

At the start of the second half, Wilder brought on Simon Clist for Cole - obviously to tighten up the left hand flank and to offer Tonkin more protection. It was nearly an inspired substitution as an Oxford attack resulted in a loose ball being poked just wide of the goal by Clist. West Ham, still looking to break our resolute defence, kept probing and another chance from Piquionne went begging. Noble then had a superb chance but his shot in front of goal was sliced horribly wide. With the clock ticking down West Ham brought on strikers Carlton Cole and Benni McCarthy and in an almost un-West Ham manner they started to play longer balls into our box. Wright and Worley were collosic in the heart of our defence, Baker, who had replaced Bulman, and Clist were tigerishly tackling while Hall and Heslop were holding and linking play really well.

With ten minutes left we all thought the game was up when Parker had a clear shot on goal from the edge of the area but a stunning save by Clarke, diving down low to his left, had the Oxford fans chanting "are you watching Robert Green"! Oxford, sensing there was an opportunity for an upset, pressed forward again and Asa Hall had an excellent snap shot which nearly caught out the West Ham defence. Unfortunately it went straight at the keeper who caught it well in his midrift. We were now deep into added time and West Ham had a free kick in a dangerous position. Fearful that this was the sucker punch we waited as the wall was paced back into our area but the shot, when it came, went over the bar. The players were beginning to look really leggy now and no wonder considering the amount of effort they had all put in and with extra time looming it looked as if they would have to draw on extra reserves of energy. So it was that the gods of fortune turned against us in the cruelest fashion with just 30 seconds left on the clock. A cross deep into our box from the right hand side was, probably for the only time in the game, not dealt with cleanly and in a split second Parker found himself in enough space to fire the ball past a helpless Clarke and into the net. It was a mortal blow and we just had time to restart the game when the referee blew for time.

It was a heroic display from a team of players who only last season were playing the likes of Eastbourne, Gateshead and Hayes & Yeading (oh and Luton). So to have held Premier opposition to within an inch was a magnificent achievement. Although disappointed we were all immensely proud of Oxford and at the final whistle the 3,500 travelling fans gave the boys the standing ovation they deserved.

United draw a blank

2010-08-22T11:23:00.004+01:00

Fixture: Wycombe Wanderers 0 Oxford United 0
Date: 22/8/10

Oxford came away from Adams Park with a point after another impressive display.The 0-0 scoreline does little justice to a game that was very competitive and very open. United selected an unchanged starting line-up with Deering dropped completely due to arriving late for the departure to the game. Also makiing his first appearance on the bench was young keeper Nathan Silver replacing the injured Simon Eastwood. So the playing squad was: Clarke, Batt, Tonkin, Wright, Worley, Bulman, Heslop, Hall, Constable, Midson, Green. Subs: Silver, Creighton, Purkiss, Clist, Baker, Potter, Cole.

United began the game really brightly and early on Green nipped in front of a dithering keeper to nick the ball away but a covering defender was on hand to kick the ball into touch. On nine minutes Batt was left sprawling and in obvious distress after a heavy challenge, the referee waved play on and from the resulting attack by Wycombe the shot went just wide of the goal. The trainer was called on to tend to Batt and although a stretcher was brought on the defender hobbled off in considerable pain with suspected ankle ligament damage. He was replaced by Ben Purkiss at right back, making his league debut for us.

Wycombe continued to have the upper hand throughout the first half and we struggled to deal with the pace of their attack down the flanks. A foul by Tonkin on Pittman resulted in a free kick in a dangerous position but the delivery went wide. At the other end Green seemed to be bundled down in the area but the referee waved play on. Moments later we were awarded a free kick about 20 yards from goal, but Heslop's shot just went wide of the top left-hand corner. Again Wycombe pressed quickly and Purkiss endured a nervy start to the game. In the centre of defence Wright was an immense presence and his cool head under pressure was a feature of the first half. Five minutes before half time we were awarded another free kick which Heslop delivered into the box but Constable's glancing header went just wide. With half time approaching we had to endure a period of tense pressure but we held out to go into the break all level.

Oxford again began the half at a cracking pace and almost immediately a superb through ball by Midson picked out Matt Green. Racing clear of the defence and with Wycombe keeper Bull charging out to narrow the angle Green unleashed a fierce shot which cannoned off the bar and back into play. Constable managed to get the ball back to Heslop but his shot went wide of the post. Five minutes later Bull came to Wycombes rescue again as he superbly saved a snap shot from Constable from 10 yards out. United were then nearly caught out when the normally reliable Wright mistimed a clearance right into the path of Betsy. Like Green he raced clear of the defence and with Ryan Clarke advancing to narrow the angle he lifted his shot just over the bar. Shortly after Pittman also had a shot on goal but the ball sailed harmlessly over the bar. Fifteen minutes into the half a poor clearance from Bull was closed down superbly by Hall and fed to Constable who unleashed a shot from 20 yards out that was brilliantly fingertipped by the keeper onto the bar and over for a corner.

Again United pressed looking for a goal and Wycombe's defence began to look more and more shaky as they made some panic-stricken clearances. Constable threaded through a delightful ball for Green but Bull was quickly off his line and managed to get his body in the way of the strikers shot which just deflected wide for a corner. Then a superb deep cross from Purkiss was met by Hall coming in unmarked at the back post but again his header was just wide. As we entered stoppage time both teams were both searching for that elusive goal and we had to defend in numbers to cancel out Wycombe's attacking threat. Tonkin and Wright were always in the thick of the action and defended superbly. Right at the death Oxford nearly nicked it when a free kick taken by Wright was headed on by Midson but his effort just trickled wide of the post. At the end of a very hard-fought contest the game ended as a 0-0 draw - incredible really with the chances for either side it could well have been 2-2 or, based on our second half display, a narrow victory for us.

It was disappointing not to have found the net again after creating lots of chances. As I've said before, in this division you can be punished heavily for not taking those chances but our play suggests that it won't be long before we start finding the back of the net with more regularity. On Tuesday night we take a break from League action to participate in the Carling Cup second round where we have a mouth-watering tie away at Premiership side West Ham United. Whatever the result this match will be a reward for the long-suffering fans to enjoy a game in which we will be the massive under-dogs for a change.

U's shaken by Bury

2010-08-15T10:26:00.006+01:00

Fixture: Oxford United 1 Bury 2
Date: 14/8/10

After Tuesday night's romp against Bristol Rovers in the Carling Cup, Oxford were brought down to earth with a bump in an entertaining game against Bury. Wilder sent out an unchanged side from the midweek game, so the line up was: Clarke, Batt , Wright, Worley, Tonkin, Heslop, Bulman, Hall, Midson, Constable, Green. Subs: Eastwood, Creighton, Clist, Potter, Cole, Deering, Baker.

From the kick off Oxford started the game off at a high tempo and Matt Green was soon on the offensive as he strongly resisted the attentions of a Bury player as he skipped down the wing. His cross was met with a strong shot by Heslop. His effort just went wide but he was ruled offside in any case. Shortly after a delightful flick on by Midson dropped to Asa Hall's feet but his volley was well saved by the keeper. Three minutes later a lovely interchange of passes led to the ball arriving at the feet of Constable whose fierce shot from 20 yards out cannoned back off the bar. Bury looked dangerous on the counter and a minute later Howarth had a long range shot which went just wide of the goal. Their crosses into our box were causing problems and their experienced striker, Bishop, had a powerful header which just cleared the bar. A short backpass to the Bury keeper was charged down by an alert Constable but the ball looped agonisingly over the bar. The game was developing into one of attack and counter-attack by both sides as they sought the opener and defender Worley joined in the attack as his shot went just wide of the post. First blood though went to Bury who were awarded a free kick 20 yards out from goal in the 25th minute. The resulting kick was poorly defended and Tom Lees was given acres of space to pick his spot and head firmly past Clarke.

Buoyed by the goal Bury pressed for a second and Bishop went close with a shot which just cleared the bar. But on the half hour Oxford got themselves back in the game. A delightful move, involving Hall and Heslop, saw us bring the ball out of defence, switching the play from flank to flank. Finally the ball was delivered into the penalty area where Constable rolled the ball across to Jack Midson who passed the ball into the bottom right hand side of the goal from the 6 yard box. Stung by the goal Bury came back at Oxford and a shot was smartly saved by Clarke. Midson, Constable and Green all had shots which went close and just before half time Green had a great chance to put us in front at the break but his header went just over the bar.

The start of the second half saw us quickly out of the blocks as we looked to press Bury. Damien Batt had an early shot which just missed the left-hand post then Midson hit a firm shot from the edge of the area which was superbly tipped over the bar by the Bury keeper Belford. Stung into action, Bury countered with a fierce shot from distance themselves but Clarke saved and held onto the shot well. Ten minutes into the half Wilder made two changes as he brought on Potter and Deering for Green and, somewhat surprisingly, Midson. Batt then Constable both had long range efforts and Deering managed to beat the keeper with a ball flicked over him but a covering defender made the clearance. Then probably the most controversial decision arrived with about 15 minutes to go when Deering burst into the box and was felled by a defender. The Bury man looked nervously at the referee but the official waved play on much to the howls of derision from the crowd.

The salt was well and truly rubbed into the wounds 5 minutes later as a quick break by Bury saw our defence caught cold. Clarke came out to narrow the angle but Ryan Lowe kept a cool head as he calmly sidestepped the keeper to roll the ball into an unguarded net. Stunned, Oxford seemed to momentarily lose their focus and suddenly we looked weary-legged. Wilder then brought on Mitchell Cole for his league debut for Dannie Bulman in an attempt to inject a threat up front as we chased the game. With four minutes to go Constable was presented with probably his easiest chance of the afternoon but he skewed his shot past the right hand post from just 6 yards out. There was just time for Hall to hit a screaming shot which went wide of the goal before the referee signalled the end and our first defeat of the season.

It was a bitter pill to swallow following such a good display and the players were given a standing ovation at the end in recognition of what was a thoroughly entertaining game. Many people commented that although we lost, we probably played one of our best games for ages. There was no disgrace in losing to a Bury side who lived up to their billing as one of the pre-season favourites but what we must learn from this game is that if we don't take our chances we will get punished at this level. Next Saturday we will be travelling to newly-relegated Wycombe Wanderers, where we will be subjected to another stern test again.

It's good to be back!

2010-08-08T11:39:00.004+01:00

Fixture: Burton Albion 0 Oxford United 0
Date: 7/8/10

Oxford gained their first league point for 4 years after hard-fought draw at Burton Albion. The side chosen for this occasion was fairly predictable except for the omission of Alfie Potter who apparently had an illness. The only other surprise in the starting line-up was new signing Harry Worley starting in the centre of defence at the expense of Mark Creighton. Deploying the expected 4-3-3 formation we got to see the new midfield trio of Bulman, Heslop and Hall with Bully being used as the holding player, allowing the other 2 the freedom of joining in with the attack. So the line-up was: Clarke, Batt, Tonkin, Wright, Worley, Bulman, Heslop, Hall, Constable, Midson, Green. Subs: Eastwood, Creighton, Franks, Clist, Baker, Deering, Philliskirk.

On a warm sunny day the early exchanges were tentative as both sides sought to ease themselves into the game. It was Dannie Bulman who had the first effort after about 3 minutes but predictably his shot went well wide! In the centre of defence Worley was commanding the in the air using his 6'4" height to easily clear any danger. Alongside him Wright was his usual cool self and never looked under any pressure on the ball. The first real threat though came from Burton who launched a quick counter-attack catching Worley flat footed. The big centre-half clumsily brought down the Burton player earning himself an early yellow card. Then Bulman conceded another free kick just outside the area, the shot was powerful but it went harmlessly wide of the left-hand post.

After about 20 minutes we finally settled down properly and started to pass the ball around and a shot by Green from just outside the penalty area just missed the left-hand post. Simon Heslop was starting to really shine in midfield and he was making forays into the Burton half. One such run saw him shoot from distance but the ball, taking a wicked deflection of a defender, just looped over the bar. Then arguably the best chance of the half fell to Burton. The Brewers, playing an counter attacking game, broke down one of our moves and launched a quick attack, with the defence on the back foot the ball broke to Harrad just inside the area. He struck the shot with real venom but Ryan Clarke reacted superbly and after taking the pace off the shot quickly smothered the ball.

The game was starting to pick up pace now and a shot by Hall, just inside the area, squirmed wide of the right hand post. We were pressing deep into the Burton half and our passing game started to become a lot more comfortable. At times it was almost as if we were the home team as Burton resorted to long clearances and counter-attacking football. Heslop and Midson both had efforts blocked by defenders while at the other end Worley and Wright were getting the better of Pearson and Harrad. Half time arrived with us slightly on top.

We picked up where we left off at the start of the second half and following a corner from Heslop, a shot from Midson just went wide of the right-hand post. Gradually though, Burton started coming back into the game and we had quite an intense little period of defending. Worley and Wright were again in the thick of things with Bulman tackling tigerishly in the middle and Tonkin making a great block from one shot. Weathering the storm, Oxford hit back and a succession of shots from Bulman, Midson and Hall were all blocked - the one from Hall cannoning off the back of Constable! Needing an injection of pace, Deering was brought on for the disappointing Green. Our best chance of the game came soon after following a surging run by Heslop. Riding several challenges he unselfishly squared the ball across the edge of the area to a late arriving Hall but his really leggy-looking shot was well saved by the Burton keeper.

Shortly after a tiring Midson was replaced by Chelsea-loanee Danny Philliskirk. With the players visibly tiring in the hot sun the pace of the game dropped and the referee proceeded to ruin the game with stupidly soft free kicks. Constable, who had endured a frustrating afternoon with only half chances to sniff at, managed to get to stoppage time before he found himself unfairly booked for one of the softest challenges of the afternoon. Burton brought on a speedy winger called Lewis Young (later to be revealed as Ashley Young's brother). Although very fast he had a touch of the "Yemi's" about him and his final ball and shot was often wayward. By the end of the game Burton were actually time-wasting, settling for the draw - their goalie even berated a ball-boy for retrieving the ball too quickly! After 3 minutes of added time the game inevitably ended in a stalemate.

All in all it was a promising start to life back in the League. Before the game I'd have happily taken the away point so I wasn't disappointed. A superb turn-out from the Oxford fans, having nearly half the attendance, meant that the atmosphere in the away end was always good. We are straight back in action on Tuesday night when we are at home to League One Bristol Rovers in the League Cup which will be another good test for the team. Then on Saturday we entertain Bury in our first home League game where we will be looking to secure our first victory of the season.

A New Hope

2010-08-06T18:12:00.006+01:00

A new Chapter in Oxford United's history opens tomorrow as we take our place back in the football League after a 4 year absence. Burton Albion, who enjoyed a good 1st season themselves last year, will be our opening day opponents - a fixture that would have been a non-League encounter two seasons ago. Since the playoff final victory over York City at Wembley, Manager Chris Wilder has not wasted any time putting together a squad for the new season back in League 2. The biggest profile names to leave in the summer were: Adam Murray to Luton Town, Billy Turley to Brackley and Adam Chapman who was jailed for causing death by dangerous driving. Last seasons loan signings, Alfie Potter, Steven Kinniburgh, Matt Green and Jake Wright all signed permanent deals. Also added to the first team squad is Aaron Woodley, who made his first team debut last season at the age of 16 years old.

The new additions to the squad are detailed below:

Simon Eastwood, Goalkeeper
Eastwood, 21, joined Oxford this summer from League One side Huddersfield Town. Having represented England at both Under-18 and Under-19 level, he is set to offer stern competition to Ryan Clarke in goal. Time spent with the Terriers and Bradford City, where he made 28 starts.

Ben Purkiss. Defender
Purkiss, 26, is a Sheffield-born former Blades trainee who signed for United this summer following spells with Gainsborough Trinity and ex-Blue Square Premier rivals York City where he became a regular over the last two seasons. He completed his transfer to United just five days after losing in the Blue Square Premier play-off final at Wembley to the U's.

Leigh Franks, Defender (Loan)
Franks, 19, is a promising young defender who joined United from Huddersfield Town in July on a six-month loan spell. After being spotted playing for Bridlington in the Northern Counties Eastern League he was signed by the Terriers youth set-up, and went on to mature as a talented centre-back. After impressing as a pre-season trialist, Oxford manager Chris Wilder signed Franks for the first half of the season.

Harry Worley, Defender
Worley, 21, signed for Oxford during the summer of 2010 from Championship side Leicester City. He began his career with Stockport County before joining Chelsea. He went on to have loan spells at Doncaster and Carlisle before securing a permanent move to Leicester in 2008. He then had loan periods at Luton Town and Crewe Alexandra.

Richie Baker, Midfielder
Baker, 22, signed for Oxford this summer and will compete for a place in midfield. After beginning his career with the Manchester United youth system, Baker then went on to join Preston North End as a scholar, before joining Bury on professional terms in 2006. During his time spent with the Shakers he notched up 129 appearances in all competitions and scored eight times.

Simon Heslop, Midfielder
Heslop, 23, signed for United from Barnsley, having ended last season on loan at BSP rivals Luton Town. He began his career with the Tykes in 2005 before embarking upon loan spells at Kidderminster, Tamworth, Halifax, Grimsby, Kettering and Luton. He made 13 league appearances for the Hatters last season before joining Oxford on a free transfer.

Asa Hall, Midfielder
Hall, 23, signed for United in May from Luton Town.He began his career with Birmingham City in 2004. Following loan spells with Boston United and Shrewsbury Town he joined Luton in 2008 where he went on to become a regular fixture in the team. He netted 15 times for the Hatters in 75 games and helped them to victory in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy final at Wembley in 2009.

Mitchell Cole, Midfielder
Cole, 24, signed for Oxford in the summer following his release from last year's rivals Stevenage. As a former Norwich City and West Ham United trainee, Mitchell began his professional career with Grays Athletic before moving to Southend United in 2005. Following a successful two seasons with the Shrimpers he then went on to join Stevenage where he made more than 120 appearances in all competitions and netted 20 goals.

Danny Philliskirk, Striker (Loan)
Philliskirk, 19, joins us on an initial one-month loan deal from Chelsea, joining them from Oldham Athletic in 2007 but yet to make a first-team appearance for any side. The more mature amongst us will remember his father, Tony Philliskirk, who used to play for Sheffield United.

So, the full squad is:

1 Ryan Clarke Goalkeeper
2 Damian Batt Defender
3 Anthony Tonkin Defender
4 Dannie Bulman Midfielder
5 Mark Creighton Defender
6 Jake Wright Defender
8 Simon Heslop Midfielder
9 James Constable Striker
10 Jack Midson Striker
11 Simon Clist Midfielder
14 Asa Hall Midfielder
15 Alfie Potter Striker
16 Rhys Day Defender
17 Mitchell Cole Striker
18 Stevie Kinniburgh Defender
19 Richie Baker Midfielder
20 Sam Deering Midfielder
21 Simon Eastwood Goalkeeper
23 Ben Purkiss Defender
24 Matthew Green Striker
25 Aaron Woodley Striker
Leigh Franks Defender (on loan from Huddersfield)
Danny Philliskirk Striker (on loan from Chelsea)

Tomorrow we start all over again - new season... new league... new players... new kit, but the less said about that the better :(

COME ON YOU... er... YELLOWS!

EE I EE I EE I OH, UP THE FOOTBALL LEAGUE WE GO!

2010-05-18T11:00:00.003+01:00

Fixture: BSP Play-off Final, Wembley Stadium
Oxford Utd 3 York City 1
Date: 16/5/10

So here we are at the seasons end and what a way to end it - at Wembley Stadium. One more game to finish the season, one game away from the Football League. In our way were York City a team who, despite early season predictions of a mid-table finish, had not only finished comfortably in the playoffs but had also deposed the pre-playoff favourites, Luton Town. We knew from our two league encounters with them during the season that they would be tricky opponents and it was with nervous anticipation that we went with into the game.

For me the nerves finally kicked in on the morning of the game when I woke up at 6am having dreamed I was at the game! To stave off the nerves I went for an early morning swim but I still had 3 hours to pace around my flat waiting for Rob to arrive. So it was a relief to be finally on the way to the pub to meet up with the rest of the crew. A couple (ahem) of beers later and feeling a little more relaxed we all then headed off to Wembley Stadium. Emerging from the tube and seeing the arch I needed another drink! Walking towards the Stadium was a surreal feeling and the atmosphere amongst the mingling fans from both sides was one of shared conviviality - with small groups stopping to pose for photos. The two sets of supporters then split to head off in opposite directions and we were finally on our way into the Stadium. Walking down the gangway into the stand gave you an overpowering feeling of space and light. Above, the arch seemed to reach into the heavens and looking to our left we could already see a huge bank of yellow and blue as our supporters took their places. Finally the teams emerged side by side to a cacophony of noise and shooting jets of flames. After a spine-tingling chorus of the National Anthem we were finally ready for the kick-off.

Chris Wilder had selected an unchanged side from the semi-finals, so the Wembley line-up was: Clarke, Batt, Creighton, Wright, Tonkin, Bulman, Chapman, Clist, Matt Green, Constable, Midson. Subs: Turley, Sandwith, Day, Potter, Deering. So, with the prize of a place in the Football League, the game kicked off. Both sides sought to gain the advantage and the early exchanges were very even. Ryan Clarke had an early tester when a dipping shot from former U's man Carruthers bounced short in front of him and he was forced to push the ball over the bar for a corner. Matt Green then had a great chance when he went round the York keeper but couldn't control the ball and didn't manage to get a shot off. We'll blame the pitch on that one! On 15 minutes a clearance out of defence was flicked on by Chapman to Constable in the area. Ingham, the York keeper, came out but Constable managed to flick the ball over him across the goal, Midson then won a header and nodded the ball to Matt Green who chested it, before superbly half volleying the ball into the top corner of the net. We were in dreamland!

York came back at us and we had to withstand pressure from a corner but the City striker's header went harmlessly over the bar. Almost immediately a powerfully headed clearance by Wright found Constable in space who played the ball out to Green. His pass was intercepted by a York defender but Green kept the pressure on him superbly and forced him to head across his own goal. James Constable pounced onto the loose ball, ran powerfully into the area and beat Ingham with a firmly hit left foot shot for his 26th goal of the season. Cue delirious celebrations! Five minutes later it was nearly 3-0 when from a corner, a header from Midson cannoned back off the post. York were a crushed team and seemed devoid of any answer to our play but you just knew that a twist was just around the corner - Oxford never do easy! And so it happened with just 3 minutes left to half time that we handed York a life-line. From a quick throw in, the ball was swung into the 6-yard box and a mix up between the defenders and keeper saw the ball squirm agonisingly through Clarke's fingers and over the line for a goal. Buoyed by this sudden stroke of luck York reacted predictably and piled on the pressure but we stood firm and saw out the half for a 2-1 lead.

We were all expecting a second-half barrage from York at the restart but it never happened. Instead Oxford again took control of the game and Midson was unlucky to see his shot cleared off the line. But as the time ticked on, with no increase in the score and in driving rain, we had to anxiously withstand an inevitable period of pressure from York. Rankin missed a glorious chance to equalise when his shot skewed just wide of the post and Clarke redeemed himself with a superb block from Brodie. Throughout this barrage the central pair of Creighton and Wright were like rocks in the heart of the defence. Mid-way through the second half, a single clap of thunder was heard - it was if the Gods were assembling for the titanic struggle that was going on below!

Managing to relieve the pressure Simon Clist then had a powerful shot from just outside the area superbly saved by Ingham. As York were pushing more men forward in an attempt to equalise, Wilder brought on Alfie Potter for Matt Green to try and exploit some of the space exposed in their defence. With five minutes to go Constable had a glorious chance to seal the game when he was put clean through by Potter but he only managed to fire his shot over the bar. By now, with 90 minutes fast approaching, we were all nerviously waiting to see how many added minutes would be shown by the 4th Official, but as the board illuminated 4 additional minutes we finally sealed the game. From a sustained period of pressure, York had a corner which was again well cleared by the defence. Potter then picked up the ball and breaking forward with Deering they advanced on the York goal with just one defender between them. Potter then fed the ball to Deering who played a delightful one-two back to him and, with just the advancing keeper to beat, Alfie Potter remained the calmest man in the stadium to slip the ball into the corner of the net. The Oxford crowd went mental in an outpouring of joy and relief. The final minutes were played out amid joyous celebrations and at the final whistle the journey was over - four years after losing our league status Oxford United were back!

The post match celebrations and the presentation of the trophy by Sir Geoff Hurst seem almost dreamlike as we were all swept up in a tide of emotion and euphoria. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry - I probably did both! So a long hard season has ultimately fulfilled the dream of promotion. Looking back we have seen some incredible highs, like beating Luton at home 2-0, and indescribable lows, like losing 2-1 at home to Hayes and Yeading. We had the high expectations when we led the league for 5 months of the season and then the extreme doubts when we slipped dramatically off the pace. But through all the trials and tribulations we have all stuck together, players, supporters and management, and have now been rewarded with what many of us feel was owed to us after suffering years of agony. We can all now enjoy our summers and look forward to June 17th when we will be rightly back where we belong - in the League 2 fixture list!

The future is bright. The future is YELLOW!

Wem-ber-lee, Wem-ber-lee!

2010-05-05T13:20:00.004+01:00

Fixture: Play-off semi final 2nd leg.
Oxford Utd 2 Rushden & Diamonds 0 (agg 3-1)
Date: 3/5/10

The first leg at Rushden meant both teams came into this game with the tie finely balanced. Wilder named the same side which had performed so well in the first game: Clarke, Batt, Creighton, Wright, Tonkin, Bulman, Chapman, Clist, Matt Green, Constable, Midson. Subs: Turley, Sandwith, Day, Potter, Deering.

With the Stadium packed to the rafters the game got off to a fast start as both sides sought to gain an early advantage. Rushden's game plan was obvious from the start as they fired forward a long ball to big striker and ex-U's player Jefferson Louis who was flagged offside as he tried to beat the last line of defence. Three minutes later Constable had his first effort on goal but the shot was blocked by a defender. For the majority of the first half the game was one of cat and mouse with the play mainly concentrated in the midfield and neither keeper rarely troubled. Midway through the half Matt Green was put through on the right-hand side but he took his shot way too early and the ball went across the face of the goal and wide of the left-hand post. From a Rushden corner, slack marking in the centre meant that Paul Terry had a free header but fortunately for us the ball went high over the crossbar. On 40 minutes a low, hard shot by Dannie Bulman from outside the area was well saved by Roberts in the Rushden goal, Constable pounced on the rebound but was given offside by the linesman. Then just before half-time, a free kick taken by Adam Chapman was met by a close range header from Matt Green but his effort cleared the bar. The half time whistle blew on what was an extremely tight first half of few chances with the score standing at 0-0.

With no changes from either side at half-time the second half started as the first half had ended with both sides playing a cagy game. Five minutes into the half Oxford were awarded a free kick 25 yards from goal. Adam Chapman stepped up and unleashed a powerful shot which went through the wall, it seemed to be going into the goal until it hit Matt Green and agonisingly went just wide of the left-hand post. Undeterred Oxford pressed again and two minutes later an exquisitely threaded ball by Simon Clist through the Rushden defence was matched by a brilliantly timed run by Matt Green who had sprung the offside trap. With just the advancing keeper to beat he flicked the ball to the right and went round him. In an agonising split second it seemed as if he'd overrun the goal but he managed to roll the ball into the empty net and send the stadium into delerium. Four minutes later the lead was doubled following a towering headed clearance by Mark Creighton which was in turn flicked on by Jack Midson to James Constable who broke free of the back line to advance into the area and calmly place the ball past Roberts right hand and into the left-hand corner of the net. Again the stadium erupted into a joyous outpouring of relief. Rushden reacted by making a double substitution, bringing on former U's striker Craig Farrell and winger Matt Pattison. With a change of formation Rushden posed us our biggest threat of the game as they attempted to claw a goal back. The defence had to hold firm as they were given a stern testing and from a Farrell free-kick Louis shot from close in went wide of the right hand post. Wilder then brought on Alfie Potter for Matt Green in an attempt to exploit the gaps that were appearing in Rushden's back line as they pressed to get back in the game. The Diamonds still pressed and a dangerous cross into the area was well cleared by Creighton. Rushden made their last roll of the dice bringing on Cliff Akurang for Louis hoping that the big man would make an impact. For the next five minutes Oxford had some serious defending to do as free kicks and corners rained in, but throughout the defence held firm with Midson and Constable coming back to pitch into the battle. After sustaining the onslaught, Oxford again took the game back to Rushden as Potter, then Sam Deering, who had come on as a substitute for Jack Midson, looked to hit them on the counter-attack. A last four minutes of added time were played out with the crowd singing "Wem-ber-leee, Wem-ber-lee" and the final whistle was greeted with some of the fans running onto the pitch to celebrate with the players.

Looking back on the game you have to say the outcome was deserved and even the Diamonds manager, Justin Edinburgh, stated "We've come up short, we've been beaten by the better side". Credit must go to the Rushden fans who supported their team noisily throughout the game, adding to the terrific atmosphere of the stadium. A few of their fans even stayed on to applaud our team on their lap of honour which shows a lot of humility on their part - it's an action that will not be forgotten by those who witnessed it. Our opponents will not be Luton Town, who were everyone's pre-semi's favourites, but York City who beat them magnificently over the two legs, 2-0. So we end the season as we began it, against York City who will be eager to avenge that first day defeat after they'd outplayed us for 88 minutes only to be undone by two injury time goals by us. May 16th promises to be a tight and nervous affair!

2009-2010 Final Table

2010-04-27T19:54:00.003+01:00

So after a disappointing 1-0 defeat away at Eastbourne Borough on the last day of the season, this is how the final table looked.

Now we go into the lottery of the playoffs as we face Rushden and Diamonds in a two-legged tie with the prize of a trip to Wembley for the winners to face either Luton Town or York City. The first leg is an evening kick-off away at Nene park on Thursday 27th April with the return leg at our place on Monday 3rd May.

Stag-gering Potter sparks United Victory

2010-04-19T11:34:00.003+01:00

Fixture: Oxford United 2 Mansfield Town 0
Date: 17/4/10

With a playoff place assured, Oxford went into this fixture looking to cement a third place finish at least and also to continue to attempt to find some form ahead of them. Tonkin was still out with a knock and Potter wasn't risked from the start so the line-up for the game was: Clarke, Batt, Creighton, Wright, Sandwith, Chapman, Bulman, Clist, Midson, Constable, Matt Green. Subs: Turley, Day, Deering, Potter, Franny Green.

Oxford started the game brightly and at a brisk pace putting Mansfield under early pressure. As early as the 2nd minute Constable had a shot that was saved by Marriot and a minute later Green's shot was just wide of the mark. For the first time in months the midfield really controlled the game and Bulman and Batt both rediscovered their early season form to give problems to the Stags defence whilst also snuffing out any threat from their forwards. With Chapman, Sandwith, Midson and then Clist also having efforts on goal there was always that nagging worry that we weren't putting the chances away. At the other end our defence was comfortably dealing with anything Mansfield tried to do and Clarke, in goal, was hardly troubled. At the other end their keeper, Marriott, was being kept busy with Midson again heading just wide and a superb 20 yard shot by Chapman which was just tipped over the bar by the keeper. The first half ended with Oxford on the offensive but with nothing to show from all their possession.

At the start of the second half Mansfield had more possession but Oxford were still comfortably in control of the game. Ten minutes in Wilder made a change when he brought Potter on for Green. The effect was almost immediate as the tricky winger started creating mayhem in the Stags defence. A mazy run saw him break into the area but his shot was well saved by Marriott and then a long range shot by Batt went just over the bar. Mark Creighton, who had had a very solid game in the heart of the defence, worryingly had to go off clutching his back. He was replaced by Day who slotted seamlessly into the back four. The final substitution was made with half an hour to go when Deering came on for Bulman who had also picked up a knock. With Deering now joining Potter the Stags defence was really being stretched and finally the deadlock was broken with 18 minutes left after another run by Potter, dumping former U's player Andy Burgess on his backside (to much applause) in the process. His pass found Deering who took a shot which Marriott blocked but James Constable was on hand to pounce on the loose ball to fire it into the net from 12 yards. With no response from Mansfield the U's pressed for a second and from another Potter cross, Midson's shot was well saved by the keeper. With five minutes left the victory was sealed after another shot by Deering was deflected again to James Constable who managed to fire the ball into the bottom left hand corner.

On Tuesday we face Wrexham in our final home game of the regular season. A win in that game would see us move to within 1 point of 2nd placed Luton and a win in the final game away at Eastbourne could see us sneak 2nd place if Luton lose. Whatever the outcome, we are now guaranteed home advantage in the 2nd leg of the playoffs and after the final games on Saturday we'll know who we have to face - Rushden and Diamonds or York City.

Varsity Blue

2010-04-14T11:49:00.003+01:00

Fixture: Oxford United 0 Cambridge United 0
Date: 13/4/10

Oxford made it 3 unbeaten games in a row in the play-off run in in a disappointing encounter with Cambridge United. Former Cambridge player Tonkin picked up a knock in training and was left out as a precaution, so Sandwith was drafted in at left back. Clist came back into midfield after his recent injury and Matt Green was preferred to Midson to partner Constable up front. So the line-up was: Clarke, Batt, Creighton, Wright, Sandwith, Bulman, Chapman, Clist, Franny Green, Constable, Matt Green. Subs Turley, Midson, Day, Chalmers, Deering.

Compared the the previous home game against Salisbury, Oxford attempted to play the game at a much quicker tempo. Whilst that was an improvement, the finishing wasn't and with chances coming far and few between it only served to highlight our problem in front of goal. The first real chance of the game fell to Cambridge when from a corner striker Danny Crow managed to get a free header but saw his effort come back off the post. Stung by that Oxford countered and a long range shot by Chapman just missed the left hand side of the goal. On the half hour Franny Green managed to get past his defender on the right hand flank to deliver a great cross into Adam Chapman directly in front of goal but from 6 yards out, instead of volleying the shot, he elected to flick the ball over the keeper allowing him to get his fingertips to it and push it away. Ten minutes from the break a long ball over the top of their defence set Matt Green free but the striker was ruled offside in a tight decision.

A change in personnel was needed but for the start of the 2nd half the line-up remained the same. Cambridge again came close to scoring when a poor pass by Batt was picked off by Crow who then had a long-range effort on goal only to see his shot come back off the bar. Constable then had a great chance from inside the penalty area 10 minutes in but his shot went wide of the target. On 61 minutes Wilder finally made a change when he replaced the disappointing Simon Clist with Sam Deering. His introduction almost had an immediate effect when he just managed to reach a bouncing ball, flick the ball over his head and deliver a great cross into the heart of the area only for it to evade all the strikers. Jack Midson was then brought on for Matt Green but frustratingly we still couldn't make any pressure count with most efforts confined to long range shots.

It was a disappointing result but at least we not only kept ourselves unbeaten going into the playoffs but also managed to keep a clean sheet. Our performance at the other end of the pitch was more concerning and at times we just don't look like scoring at all. At least with Adam Chapman on the field our set piece deliveries were vastly improved, on the right hand side Batt had one of his better performances and along with Franny Green they at least posed some threat down that flank. The threat from the left though was non-existant as Clist was drifting inside far too much and Sandwith's final ball was more often than not mis-placed. It was only after Clist was replaced by Deering, with Franny Green moving to the left, did we start to pose any threat down that side. With Rushden losing tonight it means that a win on Saturday against Mansfield Town at home would guarantee us a 3rd place spot and, importantly, the 2nd leg at home in the play-off semi final.

Wand-erful Potter

2010-04-08T10:58:00.003+01:00

Fixture: Oxford United 1 Salisbury City 0
Date: 5/4/10

Defeat at Hayes & Yeading on Friday effectively put paid to any hopes we may have had of winning the league and it was important that we went into this fixture looking to win to arrest an abysmal run of form that had seen us win just 1 in 8 games. With Matt Green suspended because of his dismissal on Friday, Midson got a rare start up front with Constable. Clist out injured after suffering concussion in the last game meant that the midfield was re-shuffled but to our surprise Tonkin was moved into left midfield with Sandwith coming in at left back. Creighton came in for Day and Franny Green was preferred to provide the width over Deering or Potter who were both on the bench. So the line up was: Clarke, Batt, Creighton, Wright, Sandwith, Franny Green, Chapman, Bulman, Tonkin, Constable, Midson. Subs: Turley, Day, Cook, Deering, Potter.

It was clear from the start that the side looked really unbalanced with Tonkin in midfield and Green was not supplying the front two with any good balls. From the 19th minute Salisbury signalled their intentions when they started timewasting and their players spent more time rolling around on the floor trying to get our players booked. The first half was a turgid affair with neither side creating any real chances of note and both teams were restricted to long range punts which didn't really trouble either keeper. The best chance of the half fell to Tonkin just before half time but his close-range header was smothered by the Salisbury keeper.

The start of the second half saw no changes to the side and no change to the pattern of the game. On 54 minutes Wilder finally rang the changes when he brought on Deering for Sandwith and dropped Tonkin back to his more natural left back position. The effect was immediate and with Deering we finally had some width to trouble their defence. On 73 minutes the ineffectual Green was taken off and Potter was brought on. Now with two wide attacking players Salisbury were backpedalling and their spoiling tactics became even worse. With about 10 minutes to go Chapman broke strongly from the halfway line and from about 30 yards out unleashed a powerful shot which the keeper could only parry straight into the path of Potter who put the ball into the net. The celebrations were cut short when the linesman flagged Potter offside - a very marginal decision. Undeterred, and with a hostile crowd behind them, Oxford increased the pressure on a rocking Salisbury defence. Constable had a long range effort blocked and a shot from Chapman from the edge of the box missed just to the right of the goal. Finally the pressure told five minutes from the end when a long throw by Tonkin was flicked on in the box by Creighton to Alfie Potter who made no mistake from close in, heading the ball back past the advancing keeper into the net. The goal was no more than we deserved and the relief was palpable. Two minutes later Tonkin had a shot from the edge of the area but just missed the goal but, despite Salisbury suddenly ditching the spoiling tactics, the remaining minutes were played out comfortably by Oxford with no real threat to our goal.

That result, coupled with others on the day, means that we are now definitely in the playoffs. With Stevenage and Luton battling it out for the title we have to make sure we are in decent form and look to secure 3rd place to give us home advantage in the second leg. We've been here before, 3 years ago, so we know that we dare not dream of Wembley till that 2-legged semifinal is put to bed. Where's my blood-pressure tablets?

Green the saviour!

2010-03-28T16:28:00.005+01:00

Fixture: Oxford United 2 Gateshead 1
Date: 27/3/10

Perhaps stung by criticism after the draws at Tamworth and Rushden, Wilder dropped Grant to the bench but surprised everyone with his selection of Jamie Cook. With Batt serving a 2-match suspension Adam Chapman was drafted into the starting IX at right back. Alfie Potter, returning from a hamstring injury, was on the bench along with Matt Green, a player many thought would start. So the line-up read: Clarke, Chapman, Day, Wright, Tonkin, Bulman, Chalmers, Clist, Deering, Constable, Cook. Subs: Turley, Creighton, Potter, Matt Green, Grant.

It's fair to say we all went to this game expecting victory. After all Gateshead managed to ship 8 goals in their game against Rushden 2 weeks ago, so surely we could do similar? But Oxford, clearly low on confidence after seeing our lead at the top of the Conference disappear and sitting 5 points behind Stevenage, couldn't do similar and we had to witness another display where we struggled against a side fighting to avoid the drop. The first half was a dour affair with neither side creating hardly any worthwhile chances. In fact the first chance fell to Gateshead on the 25th minute when Clarke was called into action to block a shot. Our first effort on goal came about 5 minutes later when Constable had a shot that was blocked by the Gateshead keeper. That was about the extent of the excitement in the first half and the half-time whistle was greeted with a certain amount of disquiet from the crowd.

The second half started with no changes to the Oxford side and Gateshead very nearly took the lead after one of their players had a virtually free header following a free kick. Luckily for us it cleared the crossbar. Five minutes later we made the breakthrough. A long throw by Chalmers was flicked on by Wright, James Constable pounced and drove the ball into the net from close range. Now we had the breakthrough we all expected the team to push on and extend the lead. Instead 3 minutes later we found ourselves pegged back following a controversial decision from the referee. Chapman committed a needless foul on their winger close to the by-line. The resulting free kick was swung into the area but, as has been happening recently, we failed to clear the ball properly and it fell to the feet of Armstrong who fired it back through a crowd of players. Daryl Clare, standing right in front of Clarke, clearly put the keeper off by making a movement towards the ball allowing the ball to go into the corner of the net. The linesman immediately raised his flag to indicate an offside, but after a consultation the referee deemed that as Clare had made no contact the goal stood.

It was a terrible blow and seemed to rock us back and again Gateshead had a good chance to take the lead but didn't take their chance. After 63 minutes Alfie Potter came on to replace Dannie Bulman who had been having a bad game by his standards. At least we now started to press Gateshead and a cross by Potter was forced out of play by a defender. We then had a succession of corners but frustratingly chances were squandered, with Day in particular heading wide. With 15 minutes to go Wilder finally brought on Matt Green to replace a disappointing Jamie Cook. With our favoured front pairing of Green and Constable, we all hoped the tide would turn our way but Gateshead again came close when Armstrong should have bagged his second goal but managed to miss the target from inside the area. With time running out and news of both Stevenage (3-0) and Luton (8-0) winning, Wilder played his last card by bringing on Grant for Day, effectively meaning we were playing a 2-3-5 formation. It was a risky strategy leaving us vulnerable to the counter-attack but with 5 strikers on the field we still weren't creating clear-cut chances. With time running out and facing the prospect of dropping to 3rd place Oxford conjured a goal out of nothing. From a free kick on the left there was a scramble in the area where the ball was firstly touched on by Constable, then Grant to Matt Green who was lurking on the back post to bundle the ball into the net. The relief was immense, but it was extremely hard on Gateshead who probably thought they had done enough to get a draw. With the clock fast ticking down Gateshead desperately tried to counter attack but the defence held firm to see out the remaining minutes. At last we'd manage to win our first game after a winless streak of 5.

It was a vital goal to get. Another draw would have seen us lag 7 points behind Stevenage. As it is we go into Tuesday's game against them knowing that if we can win we'll have closed the gap to 2 points. It will be a massive game and could well determine the outcome of our season.

Oxford lose advantage at the top

2010-03-15T11:19:00.003Z

Fixture: Oxford United 1 Kettering Town 1
Date: 13/03/10

Following the mid-week defeat at home to Hayes and Yeading, Wilder rung the changes, most noticably up front where Midson was partnered with surprise selection, Franny Green - no doubt hoping for the "Basham effect" with Green facing his former side. At the back Tonkin returned after his one-match ban and the centre-back pairing of Wright and Day was once again restored. So the line-up was: Clarke, Batt, Wright, Day, Tonkin, Bulman, Chalmers, Clist, Franny Green, Midson, Deering. Subs: Turley, Creighton, Chapman Matt Green, Grant.

Kettering arrived at the KasStad with one of the best away records, but it was difficult to see why when all they did from the first minute was put 10 men behind the ball and cynically time-wasted. Their game-plan seemed to be one of frustrating the opposition with niggly fouls (reflected in the 6 bookings they received) and the hoofed clearance to hopefully catch us on the break. Oxford, no doubt stung by the criticism following their midweek break, looked to press forward at every opportunity with Deering on the right-hand flank and Tonkin getting forward well on the left. Green was looking for the ball over the top while Midson was involved in a tough aerial battle with their colossal centre back.

Frustratingly our dead ball deliveries were still abysmal and why Deering is handed the responsibility when he hardly ever beats the near post defender is a mystery to everyone. Ketterings main threat seemed to be coming from Marcus Kelly, no doubt himself buoyed after being shipped out by Wilder earlier on in the season. His corners were in direct contrast to Deering's and his whipped in deliveries caused us great problems. For half an hour the game consisted of us pressing forward and failing to deliver crosses with shots off target, and Kettering relying on the counter-attack interspersed with blatant time-wasting. On 35 minutes we finally broke the deadlock when Deering just managed to put the faintest of touches with his head on the ball which put Franny Green through on goal to deftly flick the ball past the oncoming keeper and into the net. Hoping we had now rocked Kettering back on their heels we kept the pressure on but the finishing was poor. We were made to pay just 6 minutes after taking the lead when another well delivered corner by Kelly was headed in by Dance who managed to get in front of Wright. It was a real sucker punch and the rest of the half reverted back to the pattern of the first 30 minutes.

If we thought the first half was frustrating we had more to come in the second. On 50 minutes Wilder made a double substitution when Matt Green replaced Clist and Grant replaced Midson giving us 3 strikers up front but with the final ball still being poor their impact on the game was very minimal. What it was crying out for was for Chapman to come on, someone who could take decent dead ball kicks but instead we were persisting with the poor deliveries by Deering and relying on long throw-ins from Chalmers. None of it bore any fruit and as the half wore on we were increasingly launching hopeful balls forward and, with time running out, Grant had a shot on goal from just outside the area but his effort went wide of the post.

The final whistle was greeted with a huge sense of disappointment that we had failed to win and take over at the top again. The advantage has swung most definitely towards Stevenage who now have a one point lead and a 10 goal advantage over us. There is a terrible feeling of deja-vu at the moment and it's difficult not to think back to 3 years ago when we faltered in a similar fashion after heading the league for so long. The game at Stevenage on 30th March now takes on a huge significance - lose that and the horrors of the playoffs lie in wait for us again!

U's undone by Harriers bogeymen

2010-02-22T22:57:00.004Z

Fixture: Oxford United 1 Kidderminster Harriers 2 (FAT 4th Round)
Date: 20/2/10

Oxford entertained Kidderminster Harriers again two weeks after drawing 0-0 at home in the League. This time the meeting was for a potential Semi-final place in the FA Trophy. Wilder made 6 changes from the last game against Kidderminster bringing in Turley for a rare start in goal, Creighton in for Day, Sandwith for the cup-tied Tonkin, Chapman, Cook and Matt Green. The bench included latest loan signing Ashley Cain, a winger from Coventry City. The line up was: Turley, Batt, Creighton, Wright, Sandwith, Chapman, Bulman, Clist, Cook, M Green, Constable. Subs: Clarke, Day, Hargreaves, Deering, Cain.

We were positive in the early stages with Chapman and then Clist both having stinging shots brilliantly saved by Harriers keeper Atkins. Kiddy were always dangerous on the counter attack and their big striker, Spencer, and right winger, Bennett, were real handfuls. This was no more apparent when on 15 minutes, following a poorly taken corner, Kidderminster broke quickly from defence, feeding the ball to Bennett who put in a low dangerous cross into the 6 yard box which Smikle turned into the net on the near post. The first half then followed a similar pattern of United going close with efforts from Creighton and Constable, and Kidderminster looking dangerous on the break. At least we were being treated to an open flowing game.

At the start of the second half, Wilder took off the disappointing Cook and gave a debut to Ashley Cain, hoping his pace would cause problems to the Harriers back line. The game swung in our advantage as we pressed for the equaliser and dominated the early stages of the half. Then on 65 minutes a mix up in the Harriers defence after a long pass by Creighton, allowed Matt Green an open goal to roll the ball into the net for the equaliser. Both sides now looked for a winner and Cain came close with a long range shot. With time running out and United especially not wanting the tie to go to a replay, the game started to really open up. By now Creighton was playing as an extra striker as we sought to seal the tie but we were always susceptible to Kidderminster's excellent counter attacks. And so with time running out the Harriers struck a fatal blow when they broke quickly down the right flank again, Smikle this time turned provider as he picked out Matthews on the near post to fire the ball into the net. With hardly any time left Kidderminster defended well to see out the remaining time to book their place in the semi-final.

I left with mixed feelings. Sad that we'd been knocked out - a Wembley final would have been nice - but relieved that the competition wouldn't add to our fixture congestion. The league campaign and promotion has always been the prime objective. Tuesday sees the visit of AFC Wimbledon for a league fixture that is far more important than the FA Trophy as it represents a chance for 3 more valuable points. It will be a tough game as Wimbledon will be buoyed by a fantastic away victory at Luton on Saturday and they will fancy their chances of causing another upset.

Happy Chappy, the Diamond Geezer

2010-02-17T11:24:00.002Z

Fixture: Oxford United 1 Rushden and Diamonds 0
Date: 16/2/10

The only change to the line-up from Saturday's against Histon was the returning Constable for Potter who limped off in that game with a hamstring injury. The team selected to play was: Clarke, Batt, Wright, Day, Tonkin, Bulman, Hargreaves, Clist, Midson, Constable, Deering. Subs: Turley, Creighton, Chapman, Matt Green, Franny Green.

With Rusden coming into this fixture top of the table and on the back of four straight victories, and Oxford top of the table, this should have been a classic encounter. Unfortunately, as often happens, it didn't live up to the billing and the game turned out to be a frustrating evening of pretty dour stuff at times. Both sides put in plenty of endeavour but for the most part the contest took place in the middle of the park with poor finishing at either end. Only two moments of controversy in either half provided the real talking points. Just two clear cut chances from open play happened in the first half, one for either side. The first fell to Constable who was played through on goal, but his shot cannoned off the chest of Roberts, the Rushden keeper. Then later on a poor headed backpass by Day was intercepted by Tomlin, but the Rushden midfielder's shot was weak and Clarke gathered easily. With the first half drawing to a disappointing close we were unexpectedly given a penalty. From where we were, we couldn't see what the offence was (post match theory's were an arm around Wright's neck or handball) and I certainly didn't see any mass appeals from the Oxford players. Anyway, after a delay for appeals from Rushden players, Constable stepped up but blazed the ball over the goal and out of the ground! Given the psychological boost, Rushden went into the break with their tails up.

The second half was an even more abject affair than the first if that was possible. Again both sides were guilty of poor final ball deliveries and both keepers were relatively untroubled. Tomlin again was put through on goal but he was rather cynically brought down by Wright and we were relieved, not knowing if he was the last man or not, that he was only shown a yellow card. Rather surprisingly, Midson, who was one player who'd been having a good game, was substitued, being replaced by Matt Green. Then about five minutes later Bulman limped off to be replaced by Chapman. With the game seemingly heading for a 0-0 result we were given an unexpected lifeline with the second penalty of the game. Matt Green collected a pass inside the area with his back to goal. Backing into Stuart, the Rushden defender, the referee suddenly blew his whistle and pointed to the spot! It was a very harsh decision in all fairness but what probably made the referees mind up was that the defender put his arms around Green. We then had another delay while the Rushden players argued the decision and their goalie was nearly on the half-way line. In all this melee, Adam Chapman had picked up the ball, then keeping his cool he powered the ball down the centre of the goal and into the net. We then had to endure five minutes of stoppage time as Rushden sought to find an equaliser. They had two decent efforts on goal but Clarke safely gathered them both. The final whistle was greeted by a mixture of relief and joy.

Graham Westley, Stevenage's manager was watching the game - he left after Chapmans penalty no doubt frustrated that Oxford had extended their lead at the top of the table to three points. It was an important victory on two counts - that we had won one of our games in hand on Stevenage and also halted a Rushden run that had put them into title contention. Saturday sees a break in the league for a FA Trophy quarter final game against Kidderminster before we get back to action again against Wimbledon next Tuesday.

Super Sammy sparks Oxford win

2010-02-15T11:54:00.004Z

Fixture: Oxford United 2 Histon 0
Date: 13/2/10

Oxford got back to winning ways after a disappointing defeat midweek at Luton Town. Chris Wilder's team was unchanged from that game so the line-up was: Clarke, Batt, Day, Hargreaves, Tonkin, Potter, Wright, Bulman, Clist, Deering, Midson. Subs: Turley, Creighton, Chapman, M Green, F Green.

As the last home game, Oxford started the first half at a cracking pace and Histon struggled to contain both Potter and Deering who were troubling their defence with their pace. Hargreaves, who captained the side, was playing a holding midfield role which allowed both Clist and Bulman to get forward a lot more than we've seen of them for most of the season. With both full backs, Batt and Tonkin also getting forward frequently we pressed Histon back for long periods of play. We had plenty of corners and free kicks but the final ball was very poor as was the finishing of Deering, Potter and Midson who all squandered very good chances. The worst example came from Potter who did everything right in beating defenders and drawing the keeper out but then inexplicably put the ball wide of the post. Three minutes before half-time Histon were reduced to 10 men when Potter, who was played through, was brought down right on the edge of the area by Bygrave. As the last man there was no question at all that he'd be shown a straight red card.

At the start of the second half, with the team unchanged, we again started really brightly. Two minutes in Deering was cynically hauled down about 20 yards from goal. Picking himself up, Sam Deering stepped up to take the free-kick himself and hit a fierce shot which went through a crowded pack of players and into the net. On possession alone, it was no more than Oxford deserved. Histon's attacks were virtually non-existant and Clarke, in goal, had a really quiet afternoon not having a shot to save. Not that we could relax because although we were still making chances we weren't taking them and at 1-0 you could never relax properly even with an opposition who were so poor. Potter and Deering were still causing all sorts of problems for the Histon defence and chances came and went. Ten minutes from the end, Alfie Potter, running for a ball, pulled up with what looked to be a hamstring injury. He hobbled off to be replaced by Matt Green who joined Midson and Deering in attack. Two minutes from time Oxford finally secured the game with a second goal after Midson dispossessed a dithering Histon defender, ran into the penalty area, then drawing the keeper squared the ball to an unmarked Matt Green who rolled the ball into an unguarded goal. It was no more than we deserved in a game we should have probably won by 4 or 5 goals.

At the final whistle news filtered through that Stevenage Borough and York City had both lost meaning we had once again returned to the top of the league on goal difference. Tuesday night sees the visit of Stevenage's conquerers in an in-form Rushden and Diamonds side currently sitting fourth in the table. It will be a close fought game but one which needs to be won to keep our momentum going for the last few months of the season.

No Kidding

2010-02-08T10:19:00.002Z

Fixture: Oxford United 0 Kidderminster Harriers 0
Date: 6/2/10

Oxford failed to find the net again in consecutive league home games but still managed to go back to the top of the league after Stevenage lost to Tamworth. The team for Saturday was: Clarke, Batt, Day, Wright, Tonkin, Potter, Bulman, Clist, Cook, Deering, Constable. Subs: Turley, Creighton, Hargreaves, Midson, M Green.

Kicking off, Oxford immediately went on the offensive and within 10 seconds we should have had the lead. Breaking into the box on the left hand side, Jamie Cook took on a shot which missed the right hand post. If he hadn't had been so selfish, he'd have picked out Alfie Potter who was standing in space right in front of the goal. Then a couple of minutes later Anthony Tonkin had a shot from outside the area which went just side of the left hand post. Sam Deering was tormenting their defence and the only way the Kidderminster defence were able to stop him was to foul him. It took till nearly the 15th minute for Kidderminster to have their first shot on goal and from that point they started to come into the game more, making us really rue the missed early chances. We were getting plenty of free kicks and corners but the deliveries were consistently poor and their goalkeeper, who's handling was impeccable all afternoon, was rarely troubled. Constable had a strong penalty shout after he was sandwiched by two Kidderminster defenders while trying to bear down on goal. The referee, who had been lenient in the extreme with Kidderminsters misdemeanours - persistent fouls on Deering and deliberate handballs - bizarrely decided to book Constable for a 50/50 clash with their left back. Granted he was left with a blooded nose but neither he or his team mates complained at what was a fair challenge. Then Jake Wright was booked just before half-time for another innocuous looking challenge.

The second half started with another booking, this time for a Kidderminster player who probably committed the softest foul for his team of the afternoon! Both sides were now evenly matched and the game swung from end to end. Kidderminster's Marc Goodfellow had a shot just inside the area but the ball just missed the right hand post and then a shot by Jamie Cook just outside the box went wide just the the left of the goal. On 58 minutes Wilder made a double substitution when he brought on Matt Green for Jamie Cook and a first home game for the returning Chris Hargreaves who replaced Alfie Potter. The game seemed to be a stop-start affair as we pressed forward and Kidderminster consistenly gave away fouls but we were making no impression on the oppositions goal. Simon Clist delivered a shot from a free-kick from just outside the area but it was well saved by the Harriers keeper, Coleman. Wilder then made his final substitution, bringing on Jack Midson for Simon Clist in an attempt to find a winning goal. Almost immediately Midson was put through on the left hand side but took his shot far too early and fired the ball straight at the keeper. Damian Spencer had come on as a substitute for Kidderminster and the big striker started to cause our defence problems. Ryan Clarke then pulled off a miraculous double save when it seemed certain that the Harriers would score and at the other end Midson squandered another glorious chance to score.

It was a disappointing scoreline after we had started so brightly. Had we taken that early opportunity we may have gone on to win handsomely because Kidderminster looked in disarray in those first 15 minutes. To their credit they came to play football and it turned out to be a very competitively fought game. We go back top because of a 2 goal difference but it would have really put more pressure on Stevenage if we'd have won and had a 2 point advantage with 2 games in hand. On Tuesday we face a tough encounter at Luton Town who will no doubt be looking to avenge their defeat at our hands earlier on in the season.

Silenced by the Lambs

2010-01-17T16:39:00.003Z

Fixture: Oxford United 0 Tamworth 1
Date: 16/1/10

After a frustratingly long list of postponements over the recent bad spell of weather we made our way to the game in anticipation of getting our campaign back on track. During the break Oxford had signed 3 new players in the transfer window - midfielder Lee Fowler from Kettering Town, central defender Jake Wright from Brighton and left back Anthony Tonkin from Cambridge United. Two of the three, Wright and Tonkin, made their debut yesterday, the team being: Clarke, Chapman, Creighton, Wright, Tonkin, Bulman, Murray, Clist, Potter, Constable, Franny Green. Subs: Turley, Batt, Matt Green, Midson and Day.

Oxford started the game very positively and within 30 seconds could have taken the lead after Alfie Potter pounced on a loose ball but managed to steer his shot just wide of the post when a flick over the outcoming keeper looked a better option. Within the next ten minutes we had three or four more good chances coming from Constable and Potter but Tamworth began to settle and started to grow in confidence. Their record suggested they would be very difficult to break down defensively and they looked very organised and threatened time and again to hit us on the break. On 27 minutes a long ball picked out the veteran Iyseden Christie on the left hand side. Seemingly out of options and with no support, he lobbed the ball speculatively towards our goal. With the ball seemingly going wide, Clarke decided to try and catch it but only succeeded in diverting the ball towards the goal and into the net! Stunned we tried to hit back but Tamworth comfortably dealt with everything as our passing became more and more ragged. Our best chance came just before half time when a corner ball from Murray was just headed over the bar from Constable.

There were no changes at half time but after just five minutes with no change Wilder decided on a double substitution to try to put a bit of spark in our game. On came Batt for Chapman and Matt Green for the ineffectual Frannie Green. Batt began to give us more attacking width down the right and Matt Green, joining Constable up front, started giving some support to the previously lone striker. At last we started to press the Tamworth defence and began putting some crosses into the box. Jake Wright connected with an Adam Murray corner, but just cleared the bar and Constable also went close with a header. By now Tamworth had decided to start slowing the game down and began the usual time-wasting tactics we've become so familiar with at home. Goal kicks and throw-ins were taking an age over and one of their players even got a yellow card for one of the slowest exits off the pitch when he was substituted. In a final throw of the dice, Alfie Potter was replaced by Jack Midson in an attempt to counter the big physical Tamworth back line. Sensing there was something to get from the game we upped the tempo signifiantly and for the first time in the match the Tamworth defence looked a little nervous. Within about 5 minutes Constable had 3 shots well saved by their keeper, Alcock and with minutes left on the clock from a corner a thunderous shot from Creighton was brilliantly saved by the keeper again. Deep into stoppage time, and with Crieigton now playing as a forward, the defender managed to blast the ball into the net but with him clearly offside the goal was rightly disallowed. The final act of the game saw Batt stupidly getting sent off after getting a yellow for contesting the disallowed goal and then even idiotically receiving a second yellow immediately afterwards for something he said to the referee.

It was a disappointing way to lose our unbeaten record at home, but even more disappointing was that with Stevenage's game posponed it would have given us a chance to go back to the top of the league with a win by 2 clear points and 2 games in hand. As it is we remain in 2nd place and have to get back to winning ways next week with a win at Grays. We've managed to bounce back after previous defeats and we really need to again or else the ghosts of 3 years ago will start to haunt us once again!

Oxford left un-inSpired

2009-12-31T18:02:00.004Z

Fixture: Salisbury City 1 Oxford United 1
Date: 28/12/09

Well Paul and I ventured into deepest darkest Wiltshire to see us take on Salisbury. An impressive 1,546 Oxford fans made the trip hoping to see us break our hoodoo and win there for the 1st time and ensure that we went into the new year heading the table. The team selection was: Clarke, Chapman, Foster, Creighton, Sandwith, Potter, Bulman, Clist, Midson, Constable, F Green. Subs: Turley, Perry, M Green, Sodje, Cook.

This was a typical game of 2 halves. First half Salisbury were hardly in it and we dominated without really testing their keeper properly. Constable had a shot from the edge of the area saved by the keeper and was then given very questionably offside as he centred for Potter to score. Potter then had a definite penalty appeal waved away when one of their defenders was clearly pulling his shirt as he burst into the area. Midson was causing a lot of problems in the air for the Salisbury defence and himself went very close to breaking the deadlock a couple of times. After missing too many chances we went into the break at 0-0.

In the second half all we seemed to do was lump the ball up to the front men and hope something came from it. Salisbury sensed they could get something from the game and Tubbs especially started causing problems. From a corner, their other striker, Gray, went very close when his header went just over the bar. He then had another shot from outside the area which cleared the bar. Then on the 79th minute, virtually out of nothing, we scored when Chapman fired in a brilliant free-kick into the 6-yard box which created mayhem in their defence. Onome Sodje, a second half substitute, reacted the quickest and headed home in the confusion. With the time ticking down and news that Stevenage were being held at home by Wimbledon, we all hoped we would be increasing our lead at the top. So it was absolutely criminal then to concede with just a minute left on the clock. Dreadful defending at the near post and an inability to put a boot through the ball to clear it saw a header by Gray squirm over the line past a scrambling Clarke. With hardly any time left, the game played out to a disappointing 1-1 draw.

Stevenage also drawing softened the blow a little and at least we go into the new decade still on top of the league, but oh what could have been had we defended sensibly!

Potter weaves a magic spell

2009-12-07T11:45:00.004Z

Fixture: Oxford United 4 Ebbsfleet 2
Date: 5/12/09

Oxford entertained an Ebbsfleet side coming into the game following 2 impressive victories against Mansfield and Stevenage. Wilder's starting line-up included Alfie Potter, with James Constable and Onome Sodje as the front pairing. The one surprise though was the total exclusion of Luke Foster - available again after his one-match ban. With only one substitute defender the bench had an attacking feel to it. So the line-up was Clarke, Chapman, Perry, Creighton, Sandwith, Clist, Bulman, Murray, Potter, Constable, Sodje. Subs: Turley, Batt, Cook, Midson, F Green.

Ebbsfleet kicked off and immediately looked to attack, obviously following victories against two table topping teams their confidence was high. Adam Chapman, playing right back, was completely out-paced by winger Ishmael Welsh who then whipped in an excellent cross which had to be put out for a corner. This tricky winger was to continue to test our back line for most of the afternoon. Luckily for us we had our own tricky winger in Alfie Potter who on 3 minutes scored in a most spectacular fashon. Quick feet saw him turn a defender on the right hand side of the area, cutting in he unleashed a ferocious left foot shot which flew into the top left-hand corner of the net giving Fleet's keeper, Cronin, no chance whatsoever. Buoyed by this goal, a couple of minutes later a cross by Chapman was met by Constable who's shot was blocked by a defender. On 9 minutes Oxford extended their lead. Clist passed to James Constable on the left hand side of the area whereupon the striker cut inside the defender and fired off a shot. Cronin managed to get a hand to the ball but it had enough pace on it to nestle in the right hand corner of the net. Undaunted, Ebbsfleet came back at us and we had to endure some awkward moments as they looked for a way back into the game. Shots were blocked well by Murray and Bulman and Clarke made a stunning save from a close range header that looked destined to end up in the net. At half-time we were happy to be going in 2-0 up.

The second half started where the first had left off with a very open game between two sides trying to play football. Clist had a decent chance but his shot just went wide and for the Fleet, Welsh was continuing to cause Chapman problems. Ten minutes into the half Ebbsfleet got themselves back into the game. Again it was Welsh who skipped past Chapman to deliver the ball into the box where Viera was lurking to poke in the ball from 6 yards. Wilder reacted immediately to this by bringing on Batt for Chapman in an attempt to nullify the pacy threat of Welsh. After a nervy couple of minutes, Alfie Potter produced another piece of magic to calm our fears. Collecting the ball just inside Fleet's half and advancing on goal, he spotted Cronin just off his line and produced a lovely lobbed shot. Cronin backpeddled furiously but the ball just cleared his outstretched fingers and dropped into the net. Buoyed by the goal Oxford pressed forward in search of more and Potter was denied a hat-trick with a fantastic save by Cronin. But we didn't have to wait long for a fourth goal. A ball into the heart of their area was only partially cleared to the edge of the box where James Constable was lurking to fire home his 17th goal of the season.

After recent back problems, Wilder chose this moment to substitute Constable to guard against another injury and replace him with Franny Green. Almost immediately Green had a chance to extend the lead after cutting in from the left but his shot went just wide of the right hand post. Amazingly Welsh was substituted and received a warm round of applause from an Oxford crowd who while appreciating his skill were also very relieved to see him depart! Batt also had to leave the field after picking up a thigh injury to be replaced by Midson. This seemed to highlight the folly of only having one defender on the bench as the back line had to be reorgainised with Clist moving to left back, Sandwith to left centre and Perry to right back. Almost immediately we came under pressure as the make-shift back line struggled to contain the visitors. Inevitably, with three minutes remaining on the clock, Ebbsfleet scored a second goal after Ginty fired home from just inside the area. With four minutes of added time we had to endure a nervous finish but we did enough to protect the lead and run out winners.

With Stevenage winning below us, it was important to make sure we didn't slip up against Ebbsfleet. That win now puts us on 55 points for the season at the half-way stage - an amazing total in any league. It also keeps us 5 points clear of Stevenage with a game in hand. Tuesday sees us take on Barrow once again in an FA Cup replay with all the financial implications should we win and progress to a 3rd round meeting with Sunderland.

Ten-man Oxford held in afternoon of frustration

2009-11-29T16:07:00.002Z

Fixture: Oxford United 1 Barrow 1 (FA Cup 2nd Round)
Date: 28/11/09

In a repeat fixture of last week, Oxford again faced Barrow at home - this time in the FA Cup. Leading scorer James Constable, suffering from a back injury, was dropped down to the bench and the two new loan signings, Sodje and Franny Green, were both ineligible for the cup game. The line-up was as follows: Clarke, Chapman, Foster, Creighton, Kinniburgh, Bulman, Murray, Clist, Potter, Midson, Cook. Subs were: Turley, Batt, Sandwith, Constable, Day, Perry and Deering.

Barrow started the game very brightly and their new signing Marc Goodfellow was creating most of their chances down the right hand side, giving Kinniburgh a very testting time. As last week though we made a quick breakthrough when Jamie Cook collected the ball on the edge of the area where his shot took a heavy deflection leaving the goalkeeper stranded. At 1-0 up we looked very comfortable, Potter and Midson were combining well up front and the midfiend three of Bulman, Murray and Clist were restricting any of Barrows forward play. On 20 minutes Midson had a shot from just inside the area, but his effort went just over the bar. Seemingly in control of the game, the afternoon was about to take a cruel twist of fate. A good ball, straight down the centre of the pitch was siezed on by Barrows Hulbert who broke into the area at pace. With players struggling to catch him, Luke Foster made a clumsy challenge with resulted in the referee quite rightly pointing to the spot. It was a blow as Barrow had hardly troubled us since we scored but even worse was to follow when the referee showed Foster a straight red card for a professional foul. At the time it seemed a really harsh decision because we didn't think he was the last man, but seeing the incident again last night on the TV I think the referee was probably right. After a slight delay the penalty was taken by Andy Bond who squeezed the ball just past Clarkes outstretched fingers for the equaliser. Wilders response was to sacrifice Potter up front - unlucky on the forward who had been playing well up to that point - and bring on Perry to bolster the defence. Undaunted by being a man down we immediately responded by taking the game again to Barrow and Creighton was inches away from putting us back in front when his superb volley just dipped over the bar.

In the second half we carried on where we left off in the first by putting Barrow under constant pressure and it was easy to forget that we were the team with 10 men as they defended desperately. Cook had a headed effort go just wide of the post and again went close with a turn and shot inside the area. Kinniburgh then limped off with a leg injury to be replaced by Batt who took up his usual right back position with Clist dropping to cover the left back spot. Chapman moved into midfield alongside Murray and Bulman, who was having an immense game. With 10 minutes to go we probably had our best chance to win the game when a clever cross by Murray, flicking the ball over his head into the area, was headed inches wide by Midson - if he'd have put it on target there was no way the keeper would have kept it out. With Barrows backs to the wall we tried time and time again to get the winner but time ran out and we had to settle for the draw. The fact that Barrows players and supporters celebrated the full time whistle as if they'd just won the cup shows just how much pressure they had to withstand in the second half.

A draw wasn't the result we were hoping for as it means an extra fixture to fit in when we don't really want any extra distractions from our prime objective of getting out of this league. Saying that we are in the hat for the 3rd round and at least know who our next opponents will be should we win - a mouthwatering tie at Sunderland! But first on Tuesday night we are back to the important business of winning league games when we have a tricky trip to Crawley - never the easiest of places to go.

Constable arrests Barrow's run

2009-11-22T21:10:00.003Z

Fixture: Oxford United 1 Barrow 0
Date: 21/11/09

In a dress rehearsal for next week's FA Cup 2nd Round tie, Oxford played hosts to a Barrow side undefeated in 9 games. With Green and Creighton injured, and Kinniburgh suspended the line-up was: Clarke, Batt, Foster, Perry, Sandwith, Bulman, Murray, Clist, Constable, Midson, Cook. Subs: Turley, Day, Chapman , Deering, Potter.

With last weeks defeat to Kidderminster still fresh in their minds, Oxford came out of the blocks firing on all cylinders and before the first minute was out should have taken the lead but Batt, with a clear sight of goal, blasted his effort over the bar and out of the ground. Five minutes later Midson broke free but was adjudged to be offside - which looked to be a very tight decision. Barrow weren't looking like a team who had been on such an impressive run and were continually on the back foot as Oxford probed their nervous looking defence. Twenty minutes in we were awarded a free-kick to the left of the penalty area when Constable was fouled. Adam Murray swung in a viciously curling free-kick which beat the keeper and came back off the upright. Five minutes later the breakthrough finally arrived. A ball played over the top and into the area was chased down by James Constable whereupon he was felled by the keeper who charged out off his line in an attempt to get the ball. The referee pointed to the spot immediately, Constable dusted himself down to take the spot kick himself and tucked it away to record his 13th goal of the season. Spurred on by the goal Oxford continued to press and a shot by Cook was well saved by the keeper. Then a corner from Murray was met by a header from Foster who saw his effort go just wide of the post. We went into the break a goal up and well on top.

In the second half we looked to carry on where we left off in the first and the corner count in our favour gradually racked up as we piled more pressure on Barrow's defence. More and more chances were created and squandered as we went in search of a second goal. Cook, inside the area, managed to create space for himself but his shot went wide of the post when he should have put the ball on target. He then had a superb strike from outside the area which seemed to be destined for the bottom right hand corner but the keeper pulled off the save of the match managing to get a strong hand to the ball to flip it over the bar. Another great run and cross by Cook to the near post was very nearly put away by Midson but a great block by a defender just managed to scramble the ball away. Then a cross into the area directed at Midson should have been put away by the striker but he completely misdirected his header with the ball going out for a throw-in instead. In what should have been a comfortable victory by 3 or 4 goals was now becoming one of concern that one slip could cost us the 3 points. Sensing this Barrow applied some pressure near the end but thankfully all their efforts were wasted without putting our goal in any danger. After what seemed excessively added time at the end of the game the final whistle was greeted by relief that we'd got back to winning ways but disappointment that the scoreline didn't reflect the amount of pressure we'd had during the afternoon.

Next up we are away to Forest Green Rovers on Tuesday evening where we will hope to pick up our first victory on the road since September when we beat Wrexham. Then on Saturday its back at home to face Barrow once more in the FA Cup where we will hope to win by a more convincing scoreline.

Spooktacular ghoul by Batt seals win for United

2009-11-01T14:23:00.003Z

Fixture: Oxford United 1 Altrincham 0
Date: 31/10/09

You could say that the script was written for Batt to turn in a bewitching performance on Halloween against a dogged Altrincham side intent on spoiling the party. Constable and Green came back into the side after serving 1-match bans with Cook dropping to the bench and Midson starting. The line-up was: Clarke, Batt, Foster, Creighton, Kinniburgh, Murray, Bulman, Clist, Green, Constable, Midson. Subs: Turley, Sandwith, Cook, Deering, Perry.

Unusually for Oxford, we started at a very high tempo and had Altrincham under pressure from the start of the game. On 10 minutes United had an ideal opportunity to make the early pressure pay when we were awarded a penalty after Clist was brought down in the box by Altrincham's keeper. After a slight delay for protests and a yellow card for the keeper, Matt Green stepped up to take the spot kick but, although well placed, the shot lacked power and the keeper was able to save it. For the remainder of the half the pattern was the same, with Oxford having the majority of possession and chances and Altrincham restricted to long range efforts, none of which were on target. Just before half-time Midson had the ball in the net but was ruled offside.

As last week the 2nd half was livened up by the introduction of Sam Deering 15 minutes in, replacing Jack Midson. Almost immediately the youngster started to cause Altrincham's defence problems and a delightful run into the penalty area saw an exquisite ball across the six-yard box begging for just a touch to put it into the net. Two minutes later we finally grabbed the lead after a partially cleared ball fell to Damien Batt on the edge of the area whereupon the full back hit a superb first-time shot to rifle the ball into the corner of the net. It was no more than he deserved in what had to be a man-of-the match performance. Matt Green then set off on a mazy run at their defence ending with a shot that narrowly missed its target. A hefty challenge saw the striker then limp off to be replaced by Jamie Cook. Constable saw a shot blocked and despite having more possession and chances it was becoming increasingly clear that more goals weren't going to come. With that in mind, with 2 minutes to go, Perry replaced Murray to stiffen up the defence to see out the game, which we more than comfortably did - Altrincham not managing an effort on goal all afternoon.

It was disappointing not to have won handsomely again, but a year ago we'd have either drawn or lost this type of fixture. Altrincham came to make life difficult for us by putting virtually every man behind the ball and time-wasting at every opportunity. A 1-0 win represents a job well done and 3 more points - made even better as all the teams directly below us dropped points. Next week we can look forward to an FA Cup 1st round tie against Yeovil where we can pit our wits against opponents placed two divisions higher than ourselves before getting back to the nitty-gritty of the league away at Kiddiminster Harriers.

The "Beast" bags a beauty

2009-10-25T14:12:00.001Z

Fixture: Oxford United 2 Thurrock 0 (FA Cup 4th Qualifying Round) Date: 24/10/09

United went into the hat for the First Round draw after seeing off a tricky Thurrock side. It was never going to be easy with Thurrock, who were 3rd in the league below us and coming into the game unbeaten away from home - and so it proved as they started the game confidently. They weren't overawed by the occasion at all and made the most of our excellent playing surface to display a nice passing game, pressing at every opportunity. Particularly dangerous was their right winger, Bodkin, who was causing a lot of problems for Kinniburgh. For our part there was no pattern of play, the passing was sloppy and the final ball non-existent. For all Thurrocks possession and higher corner count, Clarke was very rarely tested and ironically we came closer to taking the lead when a left-footed shot by Adam Murray clipped the base of the goal post and went behind for a goal kick. Cook and Midson both had opportunities to test their goalkeeper but the shots were weak and ineffectual. The end of the first half was greeted with relief and muted applause with many of us agreeing that an injection of pace was needed to try an spark things up front.

The introduction of Sam Deering for his first appearance of the season was just what was called for. He replaced Adam Chapman who had had a bad half by his standards. The change had an immediate effect and we looked a lot more dangerous going forward with Deering forcing their left back to defend a lot deeper and preventing him pressing forward as much as he did in the first half. Jamie Cook had a gilt-edged chance to put us in front, after dribbling past their defence and taking it round the keeper he managed to roll his shot against the post when the goal was gaping wide open. His blushes were spared a minute later when we finally took the lead. From a corner, the ball was cleared only as far as to Adam Murray whose cross found Mark Creighton with plenty of space inside the area. The big defender vollied the ball past the helpless defence and keeper into the back of the net. Despite visibly tiring, Thurrock still looked dangerous on the counter attack and we all knew that a second goal was imperative. Our chances came and went. Foster had a header that just went wide, Midson put one shot over the bar and a diving header by Deering beat the keeper but clipped the post. Finally the game was made safe after a nice little bit of skill by Midson put Deering through into the area where he fired over a low and hard cross towards the near post. A late arriving Simon Clist managed to steer the ball towards the goal where it deflected off a Thurrock defender and into the net. It was a shame that Clist couldn't have claimed his first home goal but it was clear to all that it was an own goal. Midson then had a goal dissallowed for being miles offside and Dannie Bulman, in nose-bleed territory for him, fluffed a 1-on-1 with the keeper after being put clear.

The final whistle was greeted with relief at getting through a potential banana-skin of a cup tie. Thurrock played very well and stuck to their passing game even after we went in front. I've seen far worse teams in the Conference and they certainly wouldn't look out of place in the Premier division. The next round should prove to be interesting (although we won't be there to see it) as we will be at home to Yeovil Town. Currently sitting in 12th place in L1 but with a decidedly average away record, they could be an interesting side to test ourselves against. Needless to say we will be facing an old-boy in Craig Davies who ironically was the last Oxford player to score against them!

Gray-t Expectations

2009-10-11T18:46:00.005+01:00

Fixture: Oxford United 5 Grays Athletic 0
Date: 10/10/09

A polished and consummate performance by Oxford, which rarely saw us get out of third gear, brushed aside a Grays team who in all fairness came to play football at the KasStad. That was probably their downfall as it exposed huge gaps in their defence which were ruthlessly exploited.

The U's line up was altered only slightly with Chapman coming in for Batt at right back and no place at all on the bench for Turley. Perry was absent on duty for Scotlands U21s. So the 16 were: Clarke, Chapman, Creighton, Foster, Kinniburgh, Bulman, Murray, Clist, Cook, Constable, Green. Subs: Midson, Batt, Sandwith, Day, Woodley.

Grays Athletic, managed by Julian "The Terminator" Dicks, started brightly with some nice one touch passing. Although pleasing on the eye it became apparent early on that they lacked any punch up front and at the back they looked very lightweight except for their big centre-half Hoyte who had a very steady game all afternoon. An early warning of things to come came after Green was narrowly given offside, racing through on goal with just the keeper to beat. We didn't have long to wait though. Following a handball on the edge of the area, Jamie Cook delivered a perfect ball into the 6 yard box where an unmarked James Constable had the easiest of headers, putting the ball into the corner of the net for his 10th goal of the season. Grays continued to play their passing game but Oxford were containing them comfortably restricting them to desperate long range shots that weren't even hitting the target. On 23 minutes a bizarre sequence saw Oxford increase their lead. Matt Green helped on a ball which bounced just in front of the Grays keeper, Edwards. James Constable went to challenge for the ball and must have been really surprised when Edwards made no attempt to jump for the ball, instead hanging his hands up in the air like an Orang-u-tang! Beano then flicked the ball over the stranded keeper and had the simplest of tap-ins to register his 11th goal of the season. The red-faced keeper earned a yellow card for his vociferous protest to the referee. Now completely in control Oxford were passing the ball around the park almost Arsenal-esque - Green almost added to the score and Constable was inches away from a hat-trick when his shot squirmed just past the post. Just before half-time the game was effectively over as a contest. With Constable put through and seemingly bearing down on goal for his 3rd, he unselfishly squared the ball to Jamie Cook who had the easiest of tasks to tap the ball home. Constable was then withdrawn from play after taking a knock on the bottom of his foot - a sensible precaution with York away next week. The strength of our bench was highlighted when the man coming on for him was Jack Midson.

The second half continued in the same vein with Oxford hardly troubled by the Grays attack, instead being content to soak up any pressure and then counter attack with devastating pace. Adam Murray was involved in absolutely everything and the Greys midfield seemed unable to to anything to stop him. With Bulman and Clist behind him mopping up any loose balls he was able to play with complete freedom. If the midfield did get breached the Grays forwards were met with an impregnable wall of Foster and Creighton. The result was that Ryan Clarke had probably his quietest afternoon in goal. If we were guilty of anything it was that we had a tendency to overplay at times so as a result we had to wait to the 72nd minute for the lead to be increased. From 25 yards out, Adam Chapman fired in a low hard shot that looked to be drifting wide of the goal. With the Grays defence statuesque and a defender slow to come off his goal-line, Jack Midson reacted the quickest to deftly divert the ball past the keeper and into the net. Again Grays laboured in vain for a consolation goal but in the 2nd minute of injury time the game was wrapped up with a 5th goal. Midson sprung the offside trap and, running into the area, was floored by the keeper giving away a penalty. Although not the last man the keeper got his marching orders for receiving a 2nd yellow card. After a comical couple of minutes as the referee helped to dress the nominated outfield player with the keepers jersey, Jack Midson himself stepped up and cooly dispatched the ball to give us the convincing scoreline we deserved.

A tougher game beckons next week when we make the long journey up to York City who will be eager to avenge the defeat we inflicted on them in the first game of the season when they outplayed us for 88 minutes. Thankfully we came through the game with no major bookings for our players and only a slight knock for Constable. With a full squad to pick from this could be an important fixture in our quest, to quote our Lord Wilder.... to get out of this poxy league!

Kinniburgh chips in

2009-09-30T21:10:00.007+01:00

Fixture: Oxford United 3 Crawley Town 1
Date: 29/9/2009

The chant to the handful of Crawley fans before the game was "you could have come in a taxi". Maybe. What was certain though was that the Crawley Town team arrived in a mini-bus - perhaps a coach is only needed when it has to contain the over inflated ego of their much reviled manager, Steve Evans, currently serving a ban which prevents him from even entering stadiums on match day. That should be enough to tell you exactly what the character of his team is like.

United's line up was Clarke, Chapman, Foster, Creighton, Kinniburgh, Bulman, Murray, Clist, Green, Constable and Midson with the subs being Turley, Perry, Sandwith, Rhodes and Woodley. After 15 seconds of the game we had an indication of what the referee was going to be like when he awarded the games first free kick to Crawley for a questionable foul by Bulman. We looked to get the ball down immediately and try to play our passing game and 2 minutes in Murray had a good shot blocked. Crawley's threat was on the counter with ex-U's Jefferson Louis and strike partner Willock being the targets of their big punts up field trying to take advantage of their physical attributes. The referee seemed blind to their efforts of trying to yank the shirts off the backs of Creighton and Foster, something that would later lead to a controversial decision.

On 19 minutes Oxford were awarded a free kick outside the area. Murray, Chapman and Kinniburgh stood over the ball and after Murray had feigned a shot, Chapman blasted the ball towards goal only to see a Crawley defender jump up and deliberately handle right on the edge of the area. He was promptly booked and the free-kick was re-spotted on the edge of the area. Again the same three men stood over the ball and again it was Adam Chapman who blasted the ball - this time it went straight through the wall and rocketed into the net past the keeper. 1-0 and it was no more than we deserved for our flowing football. Six minutes later the jubilation turned to anger as the referee awarded Crawley a free-kick 20 yards out for a foul by Creighton on Louis when clearly the Crawley striker had handfuls of the defenders shirt. As Creighton was the last man there was real fear as the referee reached into his pocket for a card but bafflingly he produced a yellow which poured even more scorn on his decision. From the free-kick the ball was rolled to Louis who fired his shot into the mass of players in the area and a wicked deflection took the ball past Clarke and into the net. The Stadium erupted into a boiling cauldron of hatred which was directed at the referee (Rob Essex, sat next to me, was almost turning purple!). On 35 minutes a defence splitting ball played from the left across the area was met by Constable whose side-footed effort went just wide of the post and just before half time Constable also had a shot that just cleared the crossbar. The half-time whistle was greeted with a chorus of boo's, all directed at the referee and his assistants, who had to be escorted off the pitch.

Crawley were obviously trying to play mind games as they dallied coming out for the second half. They started brighter and we were extremely lucky to see a rasping shot from Louis hit the bar and bounce down without crossing the goal line. Before long were treated to that old infuriating game of time-wasting from Crawley as early as 5 minutes into the half and 15 minutes in the Crawley keeper managed to try even the referee's patience who eventually booked him for blatant time wasting. A minute later he was looking even more stupid. Steven Kinniburgh, who had been having a really good game at left back, picked up the ball in their half and ran with the ball across the edge of the area. Checking back and seemingly at a dead end, he spotted the keeper slightly off his line and produced an exquisite chip which just cleared the goalies fingertips and nestled into the right-hand corner of the net. It was a stunning goal of extraordinary quality and the crowd and players alike celebrated wildly. Worryingly we took the foot off the pedal slightly after the goal and Crawley pressed forward trying to find an equaliser (no time-wasting now!). After weathering a mini storm, we started to gather pace again and Matt Green was causing all sorts of problems for their defence with his pacy running at defenders. He himself forced their keeper to make a save and Constable and Midson were both narrowly off target as we searched for a third goal to seal the points. Eventually we did just that with just 8 minutes to go. Again Green picked the ball up and ran directly at the Crawley defence who backed off him as he drove into the area. His shot was initially saved by the keeper but he immediately lost control of it allowing Jack Midson to nick the ball off him and leave himself with the easiest of tap-ins. The final piece of action in the game saw teenage prodigy Aaron Woodley, subject of much interest by Premier scouts, introduced to the game for his senior debut. He just had time to outjump the 6'4" Crawley defender to win a header before the final whistle blew but hopefully we will see more of this young man in a yellow shirt in the future.

The final result of 3-1 was in the end a fair reflection of a game against an obstinate and direct Crawley team. At times we played delightful football but when needed the players were fully committed to match their physical approach too. It's also pleasing that we have reacted positively to the defeat by Mansfield by winning the next two on the bounce, thereby keeping our lead at the top of the table to 8 points. Another tough encounter at Barrow on Saturday is next on the cards where we'll need all of that tough resolve we've shown against Gateshead and Crawley Town.

Fantastic Four seal the points for United

2009-09-20T18:23:00.004+01:00

Fixture: Oxford United 4 Eastbourne Borough 0
Date: 19/9/09

Oxford had their own Fantastic Four (Green, Constable, Cook and Midson) to thank for bringing home the points yesterday. In truth the 4-0 scoreline flattered us and manager Chris Wilder left his men in no doubt that their second half performance was not up to standard.

With Kinniburgh serving a 1 game suspension, Kevin Sandwith was recalled at left back in an otherwise unchanged starting line-up: Clarke, Batt, Foster, Creighton, Sandwith, Bulman, Murray, Clist, Green, Constable, Cook. Subs: Turley, Chapman, Midson, Potter, Perry. Eastbourne had former U's Simon Weatherstone and Danny Brown in their line-up and it was the former who nearly made a sensational start to the game when he found him self in space inside the box only to screw the ball wide with barely a minute on the clock. Barely two minutes later a good block by Luke Foster repelled yet another good chance for the visitors. It took us nearly 15 minutes to muster a decent effort on Eastbourne's goal but eventually we started to get our passing game together, gradually stretching their defence and a viciously struck free-kick by Murray from 25 yards out was tipped over the bar by the Eastbourne keeper. The breakthrough came in the 25th minute when Damian Batt broke down the right flank, delivering a ball into the 6 yard box where Matt Green used quick feet to convert the chance from close range. Three minutes later the lead was doubled after Dannie Bulman knocked a ball into James Constable who controlled the ball perfectly on his chest to take him past a defender, steady himself and then dispatch the ball clinically past the helpless keeper. Eastbourne refused to lie down and came close on a couple of occasions with Weatherstone shooting over the bar and big centre forward Atkin having his shot well saved by Clarke. With just a minute left in the half Oxford stretched their lead further when a high deep cross by Sandwith was met at the back post by an unmarked Jamie Cook who cushioned the ball perfectly on his head and looped the ball back over the keeper into the far corner of the net.

At the start of the second half we were all expecting a goal-fest which never came. Sure we had really strolled to a 3-0 lead but it seemed from the players attitude that all they had to do in the second half was to repeat the dose to bag another 3 goals. Inevitably we started to make sloppy mistakes which only fuelled hope in the Eastbourne camp. More than once Ryan Clarke was called on to make important saves and you could see the belief starting to spread amongst the Eastbourne as again Wetherstone and Atkin went close. Jack Midson came on for Constable 15 minutes into the half and then Green was replaced by Potter as Wilder tried to liven up the front line. It seemed to have no effect as Eastbourne continued to trouble the defence and with hardly any service, Midson was dropping too deep trying to get the ball. Potter wasn't faring any better and looked incredibly lightweight - being brushed off the ball far too easily. In a final throw of the dice, Adam Chapman replaced skipper Adam Murray with 15 minutes to go. Oxford finally broke Eastbourne's resolve with 5 minutes to go. Collecting the ball on the edge of the area, Jack Midson side-stepped a couple of challenges to fire a crisp shot past the keeper to make it 4-0 and chalk up his first United goal. It was clearly a huge weight lifted from his shoulders as he ran to the sidelines, pulling his shirt over his head in celebration. Inevitably it led to a yellow card - amazingly the only card shown during the whole match!

At the final whistle the players received a rapturous ovation but clearly Wilder was not in such a benevolent mood - locking the dressing room door and prohibiting the players from giving post-match interviews. A very honest interview with Wilder left us in no doubt he was less than happy with the second half, pointing out that the players hadn't worked hard enough and were extremely sloppy - all very valid points. It just further enhances his reputation that he will not be happy with second best and will not tolerate complacency from his players. At last we have a Manager who we can be rightly confident that his own ambition matches that of the fans.

Cook in Wonderland as Mad Hatters crash out of the party

2009-09-13T18:47:00.004+01:00

Fixture: Oxford United 2 Luton Town 0
Date: 8/9/09

Picture the scene. Local boy returns to his home-town team after an absence of 9 years. He then marks his return with a 25 yard screamer of a goal which ultimately seals the victory for his side. Surely another one of those schmaltzy Hollywood films? No, this time fact was truer than fiction.

Luton Town arrived at the KasStad aiming to protect, like Oxford United, an unbeaten start to the season. A crowd of 10,613 turned up in anticipation of seeing a hard-fought game between the two pre-season favourites - we weren't disappointed. After a delayed kick-off the game started off at a ferocious pace with both sides trying to gain the early advantage. After just 3 minutes it seemed as though the advantage would be to Oxford - Jamie Cook played a ball into the box for Constable who was bundled down by a Luton player .... penalty! Constable himself elected to take the penalty but his weakly hit shot was well saved by the keeper. A minute later though he atoned for his miss. Matt Green broke superbly down the right hand flank and put a cross into the six-yard box. With the jeers of the Luton fans still ringing in his ears and seemingly no room, Constable somehow managed to find the space to fire home the ball past a despairing keeper to put the U's 1-0 up.

Ten minutes later came the "Hollywood" moment. A corner by Cook was cleared, but Constable managed to keep the ball alive and play it back to Cook. He neatly sidestepped a challenge and then unleashed a ferocious left-footed shot from outside the area past a rooted keeper into the top far corner of the net. It was a perfect way for him to announce his return to his hometown club and caused scenes of wild celebration on and off the pitch. Luton were down but by no means out and pressed for a way back into the game, looking increasing dangerous coming forward only let down by their terrible crossing and shooting. Following a corner their centre back was left with what looked like a simple chance but he blazed the ball over the bar. A bad pass back by Batt was nearly punished by Craddock but Clarke saved well.

At the start of the 2nd half Luton inevitably pressed even harder and our defence was given a severe examination - especially by the dangerous Adam Newton. After surviving the first 10 minutes of the half the advantage again swung back Oxford's way when Luton were reduced to 10 men. Gathering the ball on the half way line, Matt Green deftly turn his man and pushed the ball past him, sprinting clear of the player after the ball. The Hatters captain, Kevin Nicholls then took out Green with a horrendous scything tackle at thigh-height leaving the referee no alternative but to show a straight red card. The 10 men regrouped well though and 5 minutes later Clarke was called on again when he made a brilliant double save at the feet of Craddock. The game was going end to end and Constable saw a deflected shot go just inches wide of the post. The Luton keeper then made a great save at the feet of Dannie Bulman who nearly made the most of a short back-pass. With 10 minutes to go the 10 men of Luton finally started to flag and the fight seemed to drain out of them. In nearly the final piece of action a shot by Chapman was well saved again by the Luton keeper.

So 2-0 was a brilliant result for us in a game that most thought would end in a draw. Once again Wilder got his tactics spot on and although there was nothing between the two teams, in the end our better finishing won the game for us. You could hardly single out any of our players as we performed really well as a team and although Cook got the MOTM most people were agreed that Luke Foster was immense in the heart of our defence. We are 5pts clear at the top now after 9 games which is more than I expected at the start of the season but there is still a long way to go yet and we have been here before 3 years ago - I won't be counting my chickens yet!

Forest Groan Rovers

2009-09-13T18:37:00.003+01:00

Fixture: Oxford United 0 Forest Green Rovers 0
Date: 31/8/09

After an excellent result against Wimbledon on Saturday we all went to yesterdays game expecting another fruitful afternoon against a Forest Green side yet to register a single point. Instead the afternoon proved disappointing and frustrating in a game in which Green could have easily scored a hat-trick. The first chance was probably the worst, blazing the ball over the bar and over the fence with practically an open goal in front of him.

The team looked leggy and tired all afternoon and we really struggled to counter Forest Green who looked lively and composed on the ball - belying their lowly position in the league. Blatant time wasting with 20 mins to go slightly marred their performance - although if I'm being honest and I were in their shoes I'd have been expecting my team to do that if it was to guarantee your first point of the season. We have to expect teams to come to our place and play like that. Luckily for us other results elsewhere went for us but we really should have been looking to win a fixture like that at home by 4 or 5 goals. We have to be more clinical and more disciplined to win those types of games in the future.

Stevenage Buried

2009-09-13T18:22:00.004+01:00

Fixture: Oxford United 2 Stevenage Borough 1
Date: 22/8/09

Well it was obvious yesterday that Stevenage's gameplan was to stop us playing at any cost. In the past we would have caved in to such a physical battle but the current team are more than ready to dish it back - and boy did that upset Westley who was like a frog in a blender at times on the touchline.

It really backfired on them because we started the game really sluggishly and Ashton's attempts to get Constable sent off not only fired up the crowd but also the players and we responded in the best way possible by taking the lead. A deep corner was knocked back into the mix by Creighton where Potter reacted quickly to fire the ball home. We should have been 2 or 3 up by half time and Potter was guilty of a glaring miss when he missed an open goal after Constable charged down a clearance by the keeper. In the 2nd half the game was constantly stopping and starting meaning there was no rhythm but eventually we doubled the lead after Constable flicked on a ball to Murray who rifled it into the corner of the net.

Stevenage had plenty of endeavour but no real end product with many shots way off target. Clarke did pull off an amazing save from point-blank range and was left stranded when one shot came back off the crossbar but you just knew who would be their goalscorer when the chance came. Coming on as a sub Yemi received a warm reception and with a minute to go he managed to squeeze the ball past an advancing Clarke to set up a nervous finish. It was a tough test but I think the 2-1 scoreline was a fair result and keeps up our excellent start this season.

Histon Broke

2009-09-13T18:06:00.004+01:00

Fixture: Histon 3 Oxford United 4
Date: 15/8/09

Well Paul and I decided to make the trip into Cambridgeshire to the small village of Histon on Saturday. It turned out to be a good, if not a nerve-wracking, decision as we saw Oxford come out on top in a 7 goal thriller.

We were a little surprised on entering the ground to find out that Adam Murray was on the bench, with Carruthers called into the team as a left wing-back. Sandwith was moved into the middle to join Creighton and Foster as the 3 CB. Chapman was deployed as the right wing back. Constable and Midson were the 2 strikers with Green being given licence to roam on the left or right of the attack. The team selected was: Clarke, Foster, Creighton, Sandwith, Chapman, Bulman, Clist, Carruthers, Constable, Midson, Green. Subs: Turley, Batt, Day, Murray, Potter

You know that you are going to be in for an afternoon of aerial bombardment with Histon's style of play and straight from the kick-off that's what we got. The choice of 3 CB was a wise one in light of this and they dealt with all that was thrown at them early on in the game - Creighton especially seemed to relish the physical battle. Defending well we caught them on the break about 15 minutes into the game when Green outpaced their defence to lob the ball over their keeper into the net. No doubt this time the ball had crossed the line! For the rest of the half we came under pressure but the defence coped with all that was thrown at them and at the break we went in with a deserved lead.

We all felt that a second goal was a necessity and this fear was rammed home when Histon equalised through Barker with virtually the first attack of the second half. We just had time to register our disappointment when we were back in front again. Straight from the kick-off we attacked Histon and a ball through to Clist on the edge of the area was powered home past the keeper by the midfielder. The game was constantly niggly with Oxford matching Histon's physical style and you always felt that a red card wouldn't be surprising. Eventually one did come but the manner of it was bizarre. Green was, in my opinion, very harshly given a foul against him. Their keeper came out to take the free-kick but, as they had been doing all afternoon, was attempting to take it further forward than where the offence took place. Green and the keeper became embroiled in a tussle as to where the ball should be placed whereupon the keeper punched Green in the stomach! The keeper, needless to say was shown a straight red with Green thankfully only getting a yellow. Now with the extra man we looked to exploit the situation and with about 15 mins to go we scored the third goal. A nice move down the right flank saw Green put over a cross which Bullman chested into the path of Constable who fired the ball past the replacement keeper. Two minutes later we thought the game was wrapped up when again Green burst into the area but then unselfishly squared the ball to Constable who slotted home from close range.

4-1 with 10 minutes to go and we were all looking forward to scoring more goals but to Histon's credit they came back really strongly and within 3 minutes had pulled a goal back when for once they didn't launch the ball into the box but squared it across where Simpson shot low and hard through a mass of bodies into the corner of the net. With just 2 minutes remaining Histon scored again to set up a nervous finish. Bad marking and hesitation from Clarke gave Langston a virtually free header to make it 4-3. Histon nearly levelled the game but a great save by Clarke foiled them and under increasing pressure we were all relieved to hear the final whistle.

The final scoreline was probably closer than it should have been given that we were 4-1 at one stage and they were down to 10 men but many teams will not come away with all 3 points from Histon this season. A point would have been a job well done but 3 was a magnificent result for us. We now have 7 points from three very tricky opening games and with two home games up next we must look to capitalise on this great start.

United bowl City a Yorker!

2009-09-13T17:41:00.005+01:00

Fixture: Oxford United 2 York City 1
Date: 8/8/09

For 88 minutes we looked like a dead team but in 2 amazing minutes we managed to turn this game around and quite literally "steal" the points from under York's noses.

The first surprise came when the team was announced and there was no place at all for Turley. The starting line up was Clarke, Chapman, Foster, Creighton, Sandwith, Murray, Bulman, Clist, Kelly, Constable and Midson with the subs being Green, Potter, Rhodes, Batt and Day. York started really brightly and could have had a goal early on if it hadn't been for the brilliant reflex save at the foot of the post from Clarke. The new keeper, making his league debut for us, certainly looked assured which is more than could be said for the defenders in front of him. Creighton was hardly winning a thing against the big York striker Rankine and Sandwith was struggling against the pace of their winger. Foster, as ever, looked solid, winning most balls in the air and Chapman, playing right back looked to get forward whenever he could. In midfield, Bullman was working his socks off but Kelly and Clist struggled to cope with the physical attributes of their York counterparts while Murray, deployed wide right, looked out of position and hardly made any impact whatsoever. Up front Constable and Midson were all hustle and bustle but couldn't make any impression on York's goal. York were clearly in the ascendency with their crisp and incisive passing so it was hardly a surprise when they took the lead on the half hour. With our back line looking very square, the ball was played over the top for Brodie who had sprung the offside trap. Advancing on goal, Clarke came out in an attempt to narrow the angle. He succeeded in forcing the big striker wide without bringing him down (a heart stopping moment in itself seeing as we had no sub keeper on the bench), Brodie's shot cannoned off the foot of the post but luckily for him it rebounded straight back to him and he netted from an acute angle. It was no more than they deserved really and if we thought the goal would provoke a reaction we were wrong as we continued to struggle to create any worthwhile chances. The half time whistle was a relief and we all hoped that one of Wilder's legendary team talks would buck their ideas up.

Potter came on for Kelly at the start of the second half and immediately looked more livelier than the player he'd replaced. For the first time in the match their defence had something to think about as he closed down the ball and took players on. With Potter operating down the right flank, Murray was switched to the left but was still ineffectual. Sandwith was still struggling against the pace of their winger and it was no surprise he was taken off when Green was introduced. Clist moved back to left back and at last Murray was moved into the middle where he almost immediately started to look more comfortable. Green was deployed as a wide left-sided player and with two wide men on the park we at last started to stretch their defence a bit. York were still comfortably in control and the two front men of Rankine and Brodie were continuing to cause problems with our defence. It was with great surprise and relief that Rankine was withdrawn and replaced with Michael Gash, their big money summer signing, with 20 mins still to play. With 15 mins left to play Wilder played his last card when he took off Midson and replaced him with left winger Alex Rhodes - Green moved into the centre to join Constable in attack.

We still continued to struggle but crucially it increasingly looked as if York had settled for the 1-0 victory by only playing one player up front and looking to play a containing game for the last 10 minutes. This gave us the opportunity to press a higher line and with time running out the game was turned on its head. A hopeful ball into the area from Foster was seized on by Matt Green who managed to get to the ball just before their keeper and flick it over him. The ball took an agonising age to drop into the goal where a York player, chasing back, attempted to hook it clear. With the linesman signalling that the ball had crossed the line (it certainly looked it from where I was), the Stadium erupted into celebration of a point saved. Clearly rocked, the York players were now on the backfoot as the initiative swung our way and with the game just into stoppage time a goalmouth scramble saw the ball pop out to Creighton who smashed the ball into the corner of the net. With barely any time remaining we comfortably saw out the rest of the game against a now demoralised York team.

We were very, very lucky. In hindsight, if York hadn't settled for the 1-0 win and had kept pressing, I'm sure they would have gone home with all 3 points. We were shocking, there was no cohesion, players looked unsure what they were meant to be doing. It was ironic that Creighton should score the winner because he had been awful during the game - he looked slow and ponderous and despite his height and physical appearance he hardly won a ball against Rankine and Brodie. Sandwith was outpaced and Kelly looked weak. Clarke looked pretty assured between the sticks and could hardly be blamed for their goal. Foster put in another superb display in the centre of defence and in the midfield Bullman was like a Terrier, continually snapping and snarling. Up front Beano and Midson struggled to make any impact but then that was probably more down to the lack of service they received. Potter and Green certainly livened things up and put much needed pressure on their defence in the 2nd half. Rhodes also looked very lively when he came on and made a couple of very dangerous runs at the centre of their defence. Clist had one of his more quieter games but looked pretty assured when moved to left back. Murray has to play in the centre of midfield to get the best out of him - deploying him on either flank is a waste of his talents.

With games away at Kettering and Histon coming up next, we have to get this bad performance out of our system quickly as I don't think we'll be as lucky as we were against York.