Oxford United 4 Morecambe 0 – Good Luck Charm

I have a couple of mates who watch Oxford week in week out and have been telling me that the side have been playing well despite failing to notch up their first league win. Well they got in on Saturday - and in some style too.

My last visit to the Kassam saw Oxford destroy Bristol Rovers 6-1 in the League Cup and so in my two visits to watch the Us this season I’ve seen them score ten goals. The local reporters in the press box were practically begging me to come again and while my presence obviously has an effect, I really think I should give a little credit to the players!

My clipping from this morning's copy of The Sun

The Sun’s football website: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football

First on the roll of honour is 25 year old skipper James “Beano” Constable.

The last time I spoke to Constable was when he had just joined Walsall. After re-introducing myself to him (and mistakenly aging him by 6 years – sorry about that James!), he told me how much he was enjoying life at the club and what had happened in the intervening years. He said:

“The move to Walsall and another one to Shrewsbury didn’t work out for me and when Oxford showed an interest I jumped at the chance. You only had to see the set-up and the fan base to know it wouldn’t be a Conference club for long and so I jumped at the chance to join them. To be captain here is special and I take the responsibility seriously.”

James scored his first in the 25th minute and I had a gut feeling that a goal was coming and so had the camera video running as Simon Heslop took the corner. The footage isn’t that good and certainly doesn’t do justice to the goal. Then again, it’s better than nothing and gives you an idea of the view we have in the press box.

Heslop’s opening goal was the pick of the bunch and while Constable deserved his man of the match champagne, Heslop is rapidly becoming the main man in Oxford’s midfield following his signing in the summer.

Heslop, 23, started out – and spent five years - at Barnsley and said:

“I lost count of the number of clubs I’ve been to on loan over the years, but I think my career only really took off when I signed a three year deal with Oxford this summer.

I was asked to drop back a little bit in the second half as we didn’t want to throw away the lead, but I definitely enjoyed the goal.”

Laurence Wilson picked up a second yellow card for Morecambe before Constable added two more goals late on and the assist by Alfie Potter saw him being immediately thanked by his skipper.

Substitute Potter said:

“It was typical of Beano to come straight to me and pat me on the back rather the run off celebrating. It also shows that practice makes perfect as we’ve been doing that in training.”

At two-nil Oxford looked comfortable and keeper Ryan Clarke had been a mere onlooker for most of the game, but showed that he was ready and willing when called upon by producing a superb (and brave) double save from Paul Mullin. He reacted instinctively to palm away the striker’s header before diving to smother and hold on to a point blank follow up shot.

Afterwards though Clarke was full of praise for Constable and said:

“He’s a bully, but in the best possible way. Our defenders were complaining about the treatment they got from Damian Spencer when we played Aldershot, but I pointed out that Beano dishes that out every week. It’s a lot better playing with him than against him!

I’ll try to tell him that my saves and a clean sheet are just as important as his goals, but I doubt whether he’ll be having it.”

After Oxford’s League Cup demolition of Rovers I predicted that they would be there or thereabouts at the end of the season and on this display I have to say I saw nothing to change my mind, although obviously they will need me sitting on my fat behind in the press box if they’re to rack up the goals :-)