On a bitterly cold March evening Oxford hosted an in-form Barnet. Edgar Davids was making his first appearance at The Kassam, and the champions league winner showed his class on the night. For Oxford, Adam Chapman's loan spell at Mansfield has opened the door to new signing Scott Davies from Crawley, the centre midfielder had a good game tonight.
The Yellows were keen to put last Tuesday's home game behind them as they suffered a 4-0 defeat at the hands of Rotherham.
And they started brightly, Damian Batt barely put a foot wrong in the opening exchanges and was instrumental; even firing the occasional shot at goal.
Banet had a small flurry of chances, a driven ball across the box was missed by everyone, when any contact would have seen McCormick having to pick the ball out of the net.
Chances kept coming Oxford's way as James Constable lacked the composure to seal the deal and put Oxford in front. Sean Rigg also managed a half chance. But it was the story of Oxford's home form at the break; good play, but very little composure when it mattered.
Edgar Davids was playing for Barnet today. The Dutchman controlled the flow of the game from start to finish and is surely too good for a League Two club, even on this, his 40th birthday. It was a joy to see such a majestic footballer at The Kassam, playing football the way it should be, truly exquisite.
Barnet must have faced a rollocking from the Dutchman at half time because The Bees came out for the second half fired up, with McCormick having to be at his best to deny some point-blanc chances.
Potter also saw a chance go begging as he skyed over the bar in a one-on-one situation.
The nets fell after a ferocious Vilhete strike. And some Chuckle Brother esq figures took to the pitch to repair the damage. This happened once more before the final whistle, providing the valuable injury time Oxford capitalised on.
And as the game seemed to fade in the final stages, into another predictable Oxford performance, Michael Raynes nodded in the winner five minutes into added on time. A delightful cross from Man of the Match Scott Davies saw Tom Craddock head back across goal for Raynes to head into the open net.
A dream ending for Oxford and Raynes. The centre back's two goals have now come in the last minutes of games, last against Accrington Stanley in the FA cup. But this one mattered more as it leaves The U's five points off the play-offs.
I cannot attend the next match as I'll be at Brunel University on an open day. It's against Chesterfield, who sit five points behind Oxford. I consider myself an optimistic person, but fail to see us getting anything from that tie.
Attendance: 5,027
Man of the Match: Scott Davies - Had to deal with the threat of Edgar Davids throughout. Delivered ball for goal.
Match Rating: *** - The main entertainment was watching the groundsmen hoist the net back up!
Referee Rating: ***** - Excellent officials. Let the game flow very well. Understood that slide tackles aren't always fouls! Something hard to come by these days...
Wednesday, 13 March 2013
Sunday, 3 March 2013
Oxford United 2 - 1 Port Vale
Matches between these two at the Kassam have been a treat for the spectators over the last couple of seasons. And this was to be no different. And for the third season in a row, the scoreline was the same.
The atmosphere was terrific as the match got underway, the loyal as ever Port Vale fans had come in their droves and were determined to make themselves heard.
Alfie Potter had won it for the Yellows against first-place Gillingham on Tuesday, and the man of the moment put Oxford ahead with just ten minutes on the clock. A tame back pass from the Vale defender was latched onto by Potter, and he showed the composure to slot it past Neal.
Despite the pressure on Port Vale's goal after Potter had netted, Loft beautifully struck from 30 yards to leave Luke McCormick starstruck as the ball flew past him. The Vale fans were jubilant, and there were ripples of applause from some of the Oxford fans.
The rest of the half saw Oxford pressure but without the clinical edge; the story of their season so far.
Two minutes before the half time whistle, Chris Wilder substituted an out of sorts Adam Chapman. He was distraught to say the least, and remained on the bench through the interval, like a sulking teenager.
After the break it was much of the same. Port Vale didn't look like a team challenging for first place; the players were becoming frustrated, and even more so, the fans.
Oxford capitalised on this with some swift football. A corner fell to Andy Whing on the edge of the box, his pin-point pass to Deane Smalley was met with a first touch and a tidy shot through the keeper's legs. It was 2-1.
In an attempt to get back into the match, Vale threw on Lee Hughes. The threat was neutralised by an outstandingly dogged Andy Whing.
And with five minutes left, Liam Davis drew a penalty. Dean Rigg's failure to convert meant the final parts of the match were tense. But The Yellows held on, and made it two wins in two against League Two's high-flyers.
As I walked away from the ground, I looked around, and everyone seemed to have a smile on their face, and if we're going all soppy, there were elements of pathetic fallacy tonight as the sun shone throughout. I am very pleased.
We seem to be cracking these big teams' strategies. With the introduction of Dean Smalley up front, the big, strong forces the top teams possess have been countered by his pace. Knowing us though, we'll lose to Rotherham next Tuesday.
Attendance: 6,322
Man of the Match: Jake Wright - Another solid performance from a player who is surely League One quality.
Match Rating: ***** - Great atmosphere, great result.
Referee Rating: *** - Failed to see some sneaky Port Vale tackles, and gave yellow cards unnecessarily.
The atmosphere was terrific as the match got underway, the loyal as ever Port Vale fans had come in their droves and were determined to make themselves heard.
Alfie Potter had won it for the Yellows against first-place Gillingham on Tuesday, and the man of the moment put Oxford ahead with just ten minutes on the clock. A tame back pass from the Vale defender was latched onto by Potter, and he showed the composure to slot it past Neal.
Despite the pressure on Port Vale's goal after Potter had netted, Loft beautifully struck from 30 yards to leave Luke McCormick starstruck as the ball flew past him. The Vale fans were jubilant, and there were ripples of applause from some of the Oxford fans.
The rest of the half saw Oxford pressure but without the clinical edge; the story of their season so far.
Two minutes before the half time whistle, Chris Wilder substituted an out of sorts Adam Chapman. He was distraught to say the least, and remained on the bench through the interval, like a sulking teenager.
After the break it was much of the same. Port Vale didn't look like a team challenging for first place; the players were becoming frustrated, and even more so, the fans.
Oxford capitalised on this with some swift football. A corner fell to Andy Whing on the edge of the box, his pin-point pass to Deane Smalley was met with a first touch and a tidy shot through the keeper's legs. It was 2-1.
In an attempt to get back into the match, Vale threw on Lee Hughes. The threat was neutralised by an outstandingly dogged Andy Whing.
And with five minutes left, Liam Davis drew a penalty. Dean Rigg's failure to convert meant the final parts of the match were tense. But The Yellows held on, and made it two wins in two against League Two's high-flyers.
As I walked away from the ground, I looked around, and everyone seemed to have a smile on their face, and if we're going all soppy, there were elements of pathetic fallacy tonight as the sun shone throughout. I am very pleased.
We seem to be cracking these big teams' strategies. With the introduction of Dean Smalley up front, the big, strong forces the top teams possess have been countered by his pace. Knowing us though, we'll lose to Rotherham next Tuesday.
Attendance: 6,322
Man of the Match: Jake Wright - Another solid performance from a player who is surely League One quality.
Match Rating: ***** - Great atmosphere, great result.
Referee Rating: *** - Failed to see some sneaky Port Vale tackles, and gave yellow cards unnecessarily.
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