Beaten but unbowed

From an Oxford supporter's point of view, Saturday's performance wasn't as bad as the result makes it look and there were some positives to be taken from the game.

First of all, Michael Duberry came through his second game in one week and looked good. 

I had a quick chat with Dubes after he had warmed down and he told me that the neck and head felt fine. He was disappointed to be out of the Cup, but you could see how delighted he was to be playing again after seven months out and he could well be vital to Oxford's promotion or play-off chances.

I remember James Constable telling me about six weeks ago that he felt that Oxford were still in the hunt if they put a good run together. Well they seem to be doing that and Duberry's experience and classy defending should only serve as a boost to the squad.

Despite a glaring miss on Saturday, I also think that Justin Richards could prove to be a canny buy.

When he was asked to describe Saturday's 'sitter' he responded by asking whether we wanted to hear the PG or X-rated version! He was obviously unhappy about it, but while watching him play, I felt that he put in a good hard-working shift and created a fair bit of room for Tom Craddock who - if it hadn't been for some good goalkeeping by George Long - might have had a couple of goals himself.

In the absence of Constable, Richards has the experience to keep things tickling over and by his own admission he is in the shop window. At 29 years of age, he knows it is important that he shows what he can do to find himself another club when his Burton contract runs out in the summer.

This may not ultimately be at Oxford, but by signing a player who is hungry to secure his future, I think Chris Wilder might just have pulled off a mini masterstroke.

The feeling in the Oxford camp on Saturday evening seemed to one of "we gave it a good go, we played well, but the league is our priority - bring it on".

A final word for the fans at the Kassam on Saturday. They were great in support of the U's and I was especially pleased to see them stand up and applaud Sheffield full back Matthew Hill who had obviously hurt himself in a clash of heads and was carted off to hospital for a CT scan.

They weren't quite so forgiving of the referee however, but then again, I also lost count of the number of players and staff members from both clubs who quietly (and not so quietly in some cases!) questioned his ability after the game.