Scott Brown proved the old adage that there is nowhere to hide when you make a gaff as a keeper.
Having gone a goal down after a header from the prolific Wes Thomas in the 29th minute, Oxford edged their way slowly back into the game and following a fairly sustained period of pressure in the second half and got their reward in the 59th minute.
My clipping from this morning's copy of The Sun
The Sun’s football website: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football
Tom Craddock let fly with a low shot from about 22 yards that skidded off the wet surface and bounced back off Brown’s chest into the path of Jack Midson who poked in his third of the season from 5 yards.
It was great news for Midson who replaced suspended skipper and leading scorer James Constable for the fixture and will give boss Chris Wilder something to think about before he selects his next team.
Constable will probably get the nod, but both Craddock and Midson showed they are up for the fight when called upon.
It was a bad night for Brown though who must now put it behind him once the papers have been read and thrown away and his team mates have given him some merciless banter in training today.
Mark Yates was fuming last night, but he strikes me as someone who doesn’t hold a grudge and will ultimately put an arm around the shoulder of a player who he has lauded in the past.
And that’s the thing about football – one minute you’re a hero, the next and you’re not fit to wear the shirt. It can certainly be a fickle business. Ask Rob Green. East End hero last weekend and national disgrace a couple of months ago. You have to have thick skin and a lot of bottle to pull on that Number 1 shirt that’s for sure.
The good thing for Cheltenham is that Brown isn’t someone who will shirk his responsibilities and try and hide away. He’ll come out on Saturday with a point to prove and bust a gut to do it. He also has team mates who will back him as they appear to be a close knit group down at Whaddon Road.
Ultimately, a draw was probably a fair result anyway. Oxford took some time to find their feet, but in the second half Simon Heslop started imposing himself in midfield and they looked a real threat going forward.
Debutant Leigh Franks replaced Mark Creighton in the 14th minute - after the captain for the evening seemed to twist his ankle – and despite a couple of dodgy moments, grew into the role and built an understanding with fellow centre back Harry Worley.
In goal, Ryan Clarke was the pick of the bunch for me. He pulled off two low saves from David Bird and Jeff Goulding in the first half. He produced a brave double save from Thomas and Goulding late in the second half and also spared Franks blushes when the youngster’s sliced clearance looped over up and threatened to bounce into the net, before the former Bristol Rovers stopper managed to back pedal and scoop the ball the safety.
Maybe Wilder and Yates will have felt they both could and should have taken three points, but from my point of view a draw was the right result.
Song artist: Doris Day
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