Andy Whinging his way to Oxford?

There are reports this afternoon that Chris Wilder has signed Orient defender Andy Whing on a two year deal.

Whing, 26, was the last player to score at Highfield Road for Coventry - the club he started out at as a trainee and eventually went on to make nearly one hundred appearances for.

He moved on top Brighton in 2006 and while it was initially a loan deal, he made the move permanent in January 2007 and played over one hundred games becoming a bit of a favourite in the process. Brief loan deals at Chesterfield and then Orient followed and Whing signed properly for the Os until the end of the season back in the transfer window.

I've seen the lad play on a number of occasions and he has a real talent and I suspect will add a little steel and experience to Wilder's side. However, Oxford fans should keep a close eye on city centre Italian restaurants while Andy is at the club and steer him well away from them. In 2005, he picked up an injury whilst eating a pasta dish. Coventry manager Micky Adams said at the time:
"Apparently he was eating a lasagna and somehow pulled a hamstring - it has to be a world first."

Albert's Ghana play in the World Cup!

Bristol City’s flying winger Albert Adomah has indicated that he fancies playing for Ghana in the 2014 World Cup campaign.

Adomah, 23, was born in London and played for Barnet before moving to the Robins last summer and has dual nationality. Albert proved himself at Championship level last season and gave a number of defenders headaches when I saw him play. He’s still not the finished article, but has stacks of pace and trickery. From what I saw he still needs to improve on his final ball and decision making, but they are things that come with maturity.

Former Liverpool and Newcastle midfielder Didi Hamann has now been linked with the vacant manager’s job at Swindon. The former German international is currently employed in a coaching capacity at Leicester City and joins Paolo di Canio, Paul Buckle, George Burley, Paul Trollope, my mum and numerous others in the running for the job. Meanwhile defender Michael Rose looks to be off to Colchester. The 28 year old former Stockport defender joined from Stockport last summer and was fuming earlier in the season when Danny Wilson dropped him to the bench after the arrival of Alan Sheehan. He told me: “I didn’t come to Swindon to sit on the bench – not at my age.” It looks as though he won’t be hanging around for more of the same treatment.

Bristol Rovers are also in for Buckle once his play-off involvement with Torquay is over.

Oxford boss Chris Wilder has signed Eastbourne Town’s Ryan James, a 21 year old central defender. James played youth football for both Millwall and QPR. James combined playing for Eastbourne with work for the Nike Academy which helps young players join professional clubs. He has been given a six month deal.

Oxford United 0 Hereford United 2 - Moo!

I’ve been to a few games this season and come away wondering how on earth one or other side managed to win – this was another example.

But credit to Hereford, they game with a game plan and executed it perfectly to secure three more points and edge themselves closer to League Two safety.

Oxford fans appeared frustrated at the end of the game - and there was certainly a lot of message board chat beforehand about how big the score would be – but sometimes you just have to hold your hands up and give the opposition credit where it is due.

Bull’s keeper Adam Bartlett was gushing in praise of the whole experience after the match describing the hosts as the “best side we have played all season”. Bartlett also praised the set up at the Kassam and also the fans.

“There was a bit of banter going on,” he said. “Especially when I was playing for time towards the end and I knew it was only a matter of time before the referee listened to them and booked me, but they have a good vocal support here.”

That’s one of the oddities of football isn’t it? If the opposition keeper is taking his time over goal kicks to run down the clock he’s a cheating so-an-so. If ‘your’ keeper rushes to take a goal kick when you’re one-nil up with minutes to play, he’s a complete pillock.

Goal scorer Stuart Fleetwood admitted they had come to “do a job and needed to be disciplined” and Oxford boss Chris Wilder was left bemused after watching a “decent performance” from his team.

Wilder also said:

“I’m not going to compromise the way we play and get in two bean pole strikers and throw it forward to them. Sometimes you have to play the long balls, but in general that’s not the way I want us to play.

I can't batter my team in the dressing room. It was a decent performance. From tee to green we've done really well, but as always it's about the two main parts of the pitch - in both boxes. We switched off and they scored, and we didn't take our chances."

Bull’s manager Jamie Pitman was honest enough to admit that “we rode our luck at times”, but they came to do a job against a side that – on paper – were possibly better.

And do a job they did.

This was a classic away performance. Fleetwood and Bartlett both described it as smash and grab, although I think they were being a little modest as they and their team mates were very well organised throughout.

Fleetwood, 24, now has 15 goals to his name this season and admitted:

“I got one goal off each shin pad. I didn’t know too much about the second one as it came through the defender’s legs at speed, but that’s what happens when your confidence is high.

That was my target at the start of the season, but I hadn’t scored after the first twelve or thirteen games and I must admit I didn’t think I’d get to five.

I was even played out on the wing for a few games, but once I got that first goal the confidence returned.”

I also had a chat to Stuart about his temperament as I’ve noticed that – in every game – he becomes a little over-exuberant top put it mildly. But having spoken to him on Saturday I found that he’s one of those typical manic players on e the pitch and mild mannered and very pleasant off it. He does recognise that it’s an area of his game that needs work and admitted:

“I do wear my heart on my sleeve and know I need to channel my emotions in the right way. I guess that’s why I’m on seven bookings, but just like the fans, I love the club and just want to see us do well.”

I suspect that Hereford fans will forgive him his excesses if he keeps on scoring important goals like the brace against Oxford.

One lad who was lucky to get away with a little over-enthusiasm of his own was Joe Colbeck. The winger set up Fleetwood’s 8th minute opener and worked his socks off defensively, but one touch line challenge on Tom Craddock could have ended the Oxford player’s career. It wasn’t so much a two-footed lunge as an assassination attempt. Fortunately Craddock had time to see it coming and managed to avoid any serious injury.

But that incident was the only real unsavoury moment of the game.

Oxford meanwhile must dust themselves down and focus on the next game. This wasn’t a performance that signalled the end of their season and the table is so tight that promotion is still on.

Whether they can make the automatic places is up for debate, but a play-off spot is well within the grasp of this bunch.

Despite Wilder’s public protestations, I suspect that at half time he had a few harsh words to say to some of his players as they were a little too sloppy at times. They didn’t appear to have the cutting edge up front on Saturday either. A bad day at the office for the strikers? Maybe. Oxford fans will know better than me as to whether there are more deep-rooted problems, but from what I have seen of them this season, they do look as if they are more than capable of finding the net in this division.

From a neutral’s point of view, this was more of an intriguing game than an exciting one. Hereford look like a side that will survive in League Two to fight again next season and Oxford fans look like they might be singing in the beer garden of the Green Man in Wembley again in May*.

As promised this morning, my clipping from this morning's copy of The Sun ... not really woorth waiting for was it?

* I've just been reminded that the play-off final is at Old Trafford this May, but you get my drift. Oh, and the beer's cheaper up there!

Oxford v Hereford – Meat Is Murder

So it’s the Ox(en) versus the Bulls tomorrow and great excuse to use one of my favourite songs in the headline above (that gives you some idea of how old I am!). Having said that, you’ll still find me munching my way through a burger or two before kick-off.

Hereford’s goalkeeping coach and the assistant manager to Jamie Pitman, Russell Hoult, has registered as a player at the grand old age of 38 and will presumably by used as back up for regular stopper and former skipper Adam Bartlett.

Oxford will be hoping to ‘do’ the double over Hereford after beating them 2-0 at Edgar Street with goals from James Constable and Tom Craddock. However, the visitors are on fire away from home and will be hoping to notch up their sixth away win on the bounce.

Craddock’s former Luton team mate, Hungarian defender Janos Kovacs, 25, returns to the squad following a suspension, but Pitman is expected to retain a settled side.

Kovacs didn’t play against Oxford earlier this season, but will be hoping for the sort of rip roaring end to the game he played in for Luton against last year against the Yellows. Luton scored two goals and had a man sent off in the last minute if memory serves me correctly while Oxford replied through Matt Green.

But Chris Wilder will live with that outcome if he ends up with a similar result at the end of the season – promotion.

Wilder has taken time out this week to praise the Oxford support and told the club website:

“Look at the fantastic support we have had for the last two away games. To take somewhere in the region of 500 to Morecambe was amazing.

The atmosphere our fans can create at home can really drive the players forward. I want this place to be difficult for the opposition to come to.”

Pitman allayed any concerns regarding new injuries and told the Press Association:

"Everyone`s in full health. Everyone`s ready to go so as long as it stays like that we`re at full-strength again apart from the long-term injuries."

Rotherham United 2 Oxford United 1 - Alfie

My clippings from this morning's copy of The Sun

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

Oxford’s biggest mistake in this game was that they didn’t keep a close eye on Adam “Alfie” Le Fondre.

As he scored two goals that probably sounds like I’m “stating the bleedin’ obvious” - as Basil Fawlty once said, but I was left wondering whether any of the Oxford lads had been told about his goal poaching exploits last season … when he netted 30 times for the Millers.

All the goals in this game came in the first half and Oxford were by no means embarrassed, but they were second best - just.

The first twenty minutes of the game threatened to send all 3800 spectators into a coma and the near 500 travelling fans resorted to singing the Headington Road ditty “Stand Up If You Hate Swindon”, such was the lack of entertainment on show.

I suspect that most players were a little nervy though given the poor run of recent results from both sides and it took Le Fondre’s opener to settle everyone down.

Rotherham had been booed off after their previous two performances and manager Ronnie Moore told me later:

“Frankly I didn’t blame the fans for that as we deserved it. We weren’t at our best in those games.”

But the victory against Oxford approached the standards they set for themselves last season and if Le Fondre can keep finding the room he did on Saturday, then his final tally from last season will easily be beaten.

Moore is well aware that he might come under pressure to sell Le Fondre if a big money offer is made, but he said:

“Frankly, no-one has made an enquiry for Alfie and I’m hoping that no-one does. He has been working hard on his game. I told him that the harder he works, the more he will score. I told him to look at someone like Ian Rush and use him as an example. Rushie (Ian) didn’t just hang around waiting to score at Liverpool, he played his part for the team and that probably got him more goals.”

I don’t think that many Rotherham fans would begrudge him a big money move at the end of the season, but Le Fondre didn’t seem too keen to jump ship when I caught up with him. He said:

“If I do leave it will have to be right for me, right for my family and right for Rotherham, but I haven’t even thought about it. I’m scoring goals regularly and you only do that when you’re happy. There’s no point in even thinking about it.”

Oxford boss Chris Wilder was fairly philosophical after this defeat and said:

“We had three new players in the team and I think we acquitted ourselves well against a very good side.”

The three new players looked comfortable. Paul Wotton came in as skipper and was unlucky not to score with a powerful 25 yarder late on which was turned over the bar by inspired home keeper and Father Ted look-a-like Andy Warrington.

Central defender Ben Futcher looks very commanding when anything is in the air … and his 6’7” frame helps. While striker Steve MacLean was extremely industrious and never gave up running for the cause.

Most of the talk was understandably about Le Fondre after the game, but Warrington deserves a special mention as he made a series of fine saves to thwart the away team. He was even unfortunate to see a save from Tom Craddock fly off his legs and into the path of the lively Simon Clist for the equalizer.

On this show I would suspect Oxford will be a must tougher proposition against Gillingham next weekend after the three new lads have learned their team mates’ names and had a few training sessions.

It will also be interesting to see how MacLean and James “Beano” Constable work together over 90 minutes. Constable had a sickness bug himself during the week and came off the bench to play a small part in this game and Craddock didn’t look best pleased as he made way for his club captain. I suspect that Craddock will be warming the bench on Saturday if Beano is fit.

N.B. I’ll have more quotes from this game in tomorrow’s blog.

More from the A40 derby - We’ve got your back

After you’ve had a bad day at the office – or on the football pitch – it’s good to know that your friends or colleagues have your back. I speak from experience.

From school football, to Sunday morning games and five-a-side kickabouts the football chant “You’re sh*t and you know you are” was actually created for me and has followed me around … it was usually sung my team mates! Come to think of it, people hum it in the office too! I digress.

On Tuesday night Cheltenham keeper Scott Brown was culpable for Oxford’s equalizer, but striker Wes Thomas – who scored the Robins’ opener – leapt immediately to Brown’s defence and was refreshingly honest in his evaluation of the game. He said:

“As a goalkeeper you’re totally exposed when you make a mistake. No-one will be talking about the chance I missed, but Scott has nowhere to hide. I should’ve scored in the second half as well. One mistake doesn’t make you a bad player and Scott will bounce back. Everyone has faith in him.”

Manager Mark Yates was understandably fuming, but has also praised Brown in the past and I predict he will stick with him and make sure he doesn't dwell on it for too long. He said:

“There’s no beating around the bush, Scott’s cost us three points and he knows I’m not happy. The way the goal went in just deflated us. We went from up there to down there.

We worked our socks off and that has to be the minimum expectation every week. I’m just disappointed for everybody that we didn’t get all three points.”

Yates knows though that in football you can’t dwell on the past and Thomas himself has cited his boss as someone who has given him self-belief and confidence. He’ll do the same with Brown.

Oxford’s Chris Wilder was the happier of the two managers after the game and funnily enough made the point I’ve made on this blog. He said:

“Despite the fact that we only came up last year, I’ve said to the players that we’re seen as one of the big clubs in this league. Other clubs will have a go at us and Mark Yates set up his side to do that. That was always going to be Cheltenham’s biggest fixture of the season.

We were a bit naïve at times, but one thing we do is work for each other. I didn’t enjoy the first 20 minutes when we were out fought, out passed and out battled, but then we started passing and looked a decent side.”

Cheltenham Town 1 Oxford United 1 – Oops

Ouch!

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.

Cheltenham v Oxford - Legal Eagle Shuffle

I'll be off to Cheltenham tonight to watch the A40 derby and think that this one could be too close to call if both sides play to their full potential.

I suspect that the bookies will have Oxford down as favourites, but manager Chris Wilder will be aware that when the Robins play the way they can, they are a match for any team.

In Wes Thomas, Jeff Goulding and England U-19 international Shaun Jeffers (on loan from Coventry), the Robins have a wily and stylish attacking threat. The midfield is just as strong with Brian Smikle and Michael Pook taking front and rear positions respectively in a diamond formation. Pook can expect some good natured 'banter' from the away support given his Swindon background, but isn't the sort of guy to let it affect him.

Cheltenham are looking to bounce back following defeats away at Chesterfield and at home last Saturday to Bury. After that game, manager Mark Yates said:

"We went out with a whimper but we've got a chance to put it right on Tuesday. I take full responsibility, but we need to grow up and start putting in consistent performances. One fan shouted at me that I didn't have a clue, and he was right today, as a team we didn't have a clue today."

Well there's no better game than this one to get things back on track.

Oxford on the other hand managed a credible 1-1 draw up at Crewe, although skipper James Constable - who saw red for his second booking in the 89th minute of the game - will be missing. When you consider that he has scored seven times so far this season for the Us, his absence might just play into the home side's hands - although co-strikers Jack Midson and Tom Craddock might see it as an opportunity to make names for themselves.

Having said that, Cheltenham have also been missed the influential winger Josh Low who has been out with a calf strain, but has an outside chance of making the tonight's game.

If he does, fans will see two lawyers doing battle on the pitch rather than in the courts as is usually the 'case'.

Low ,31, earned a law degree with the Open University and spent much of last season gaining work experience with Gloucester-based solicitors Iacopi Palmer, but having been offered a full time job, decided to stay with the Robins. He said:

"I was dealing with criminal and clinical negligence work one day each week last season, but the temptation to continue playing proved too great, although it is something I will obviously hope to continue with once I've retired."

Ben Purkiss,26, has forced his way into the Oxford starting line up and may well have cemented his place as first choice right back following his move from York - the team the Us beat in the play-off final last May -  in the summer. Like Low, Purkiss is a bright lad and hasn't given up a career in the legal profession just yet. He told me recently:

"I got my degree from Sheffield University and have spoken to people about the law profession, but football's all I'm concentrating on at the moment. You have to consider life after football at some stage and I did have a chat once with the company that Stuart Ripley (former Blackburn and England winger) works for, but at the moment I'm just enjoying life as a player."

Smash ‘n’ grab - Frustration

Oxford United were given a taste of what to expect from many visitors to the Kassam when they were frustrate by Stockport on Saturday.

Whether they like it or not – and despite the fact that the have just been promoted from the Conference – Oxford are arguably the biggest side in League Two. In my view only Bradford challenge them in terms of support and resources and that makes them a scalp worth having.

I suspect that Stockport boss Paul Simpson would have been delighted with a point prior to kick off and his side worked hard to frustrate the home team from the off.

George Donnelly’s 41st minute winning goal was well worked and executed, but was an unexpected bonus. And, one save and a punched clearance aside, Oxford keeper Ryan Clarke had one of his quietest games in a long time.

Even before the goal Stockport didn’t look like they wanted to take advantage of the superb surface and get the ball down and play football. Had they done so, I suspect that Oxford would have creamed them.

But County stuck to their game plan and their travelling fans drove back up the M6 grinning from ear to ear. A job needed to be done and the players had done them proud.

Oxford’s problem isn’t so much dropping points to Stockport, but learning to adapt their game to get past the numerous teams who visit the Kassam using similar tactics.

Having seen them three times this season, I have no doubts that they are smart enough as a group to learn from the Stockport experience. They have already shown plenty of guile, inventiveness and imagination this term and so boss Chris Wilder knows it’s in their locker and I’d bank on him bringing it out.

This result was a blip for Oxford. Indeed, Wilder was able to put the result into perspective and said:

“I’m not going to criticize my side because they were throwing everything at them towards the end.

We need to be a lot more clinical than that. Beano is disappointed he didn’t score at the end of the game, but a few of our players had chances and we didn’t take them.

Stockport changed their shape after 25 minutes, which, I guess, was a compliment to the way we were playing.

A lot of sides will come here and play like that and so we have to get used to it.”

Paul Simpson has an altogether trickier problem at Stockport. The club as a whole are finding their feet again after a turbulent couple of years that nearly saw them go out of business and Simpson will need to be given time to restructure the team before they can begin to play the type of football he once graced the Manor Ground with when he played nearly 150 games for Oxford.

In the meantime, Simpson is wily enough to know how to get results with what he has got. His team may not be very attractive, but they work hard for each other and they all seem to be pulling in the same direction.

I suspect they’ll end up in the top half of the table, but can’t see them making the top seven this season. However, I’m sure that this would be seen as a move in the right direction by the County faithful after all they’ve been through.

Oxford United 0 Stockport County 1 – Mojo

Before the game I was discussing Oxford with my U’s friend Chris. As readers of this blog will be aware, I had already seen ten goals in two Oxford home games this season. Chris had seen them lose twice.

My clipping from this morning's copy of The Sun

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

Now I’m a neutral, but Chris is a diehard and so it was a case of seeing whose mojo was the stronger. United fans will be glad to hear that I’ve now banned Chris from the Kassam!

Stockport came to do a job and left smiling. They managed to score a well worked goal in the 41st minute – a long cross field ball from Greg Tansey, superbly controlled by Adam Griffin on the left and then whipped over for George Donnelly to nod in his fifth goal in seven games.

Keeper Ryan Clarke stood no chance with the goal and, one decent save an a punched clearance aside, must have been wondering whether he needed to change his deodorant as no-one really came near him for the rest of the game.

Oxford then spent most of the match huffing and puffing, but failed to break County’s defence down. Skipper and striker, James Constable, became increasingly more desperate to score against former manager Paul Simpson – the man who had ditched him from his Shrewsbury side.

Towards the end Constable did manage to find the net, but was ruled offside and that decision just about summed up Oxford’s day. I can’t say whether it was a correct one (the press box was at the furthest point from the action), but I suspect that the players realized t that point that they’d be having a quiet night in with the missus rather than clubbing it in the city centre.

It was frustrating for the home support, but I guarantee that there will be games like this later in the season when Oxford need to do what Stockport did and the fans will be delighted if they sneak a result in the same way.

It was the first time County had won away at Oxford and their boss - former U’s winger Simpson – was honest enough to admit that it was a “smash and grab” performance.

Chris Wilder was obviously frustrated at the final whistle, but showed what a class act he is by putting himself up for three or four interviews. He said:

“I can’t criticise my team as we threw everything at them. They are disappointed and no-one more so than James.”

I’m away on business this week drinking Belgian beer and eating Belgian chocolate in Antwerp, but will post more quotes from the key players in tomorrow’s blog.

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 :-)

Oxford United 6 Bristol Rovers 1 – The Massacre

My clipping from this morning's copy of The Sun

It’s easy, this writing lark!
One hundred words on the final whistle. Piece of piss really when you’re covering a fairly minor first round Carling Cup tie unless …

I was looking forward to seeing how newly promoted Oxford fared against League One outfit Bristol Rovers. It was going to be a good test for them against a decent side and a win wouldn’t necessarily have been a shock – this wasn’t a footballing win though, it was blood sport at its most horrific.

Striker James Constable in particular looked to be a man making up for lost time after several seasons plying his trade in the conference. On Saturday in the goalless draw against Burton, Constable had to deal with veteran defender Darren Moore and the Oxford skipper admitted he had to check Moore still wasn’t behind him before kick off in last night’s game. However, he had no such problems with the Rovers defence.

Constable scored two and had a hand in two others (for winger Matt Green and midfield Simon Heslop) and his awareness was superb. Constable’s co-striker Jack Midson also found the net and Heslop wrapped things up with his second in the dying seconds with the Rovers players desperate to get back on the team bus and go home.

Simon Heslop also deserves special mention (as an excited Oxford fan called Ian Smith pointed out to me at half time) and he certainly helped boss the midfield and gave his teammates the platform on which to strut their stuff.

Whatever the level of football, most of us have been on the end of a drubbing like this at one time or another, but something was seriously wrong with the Rovers players last night and, although Paul Trollope claimed afterwards that spirit was good in the camp, I have seen a fair bit of these players in the last couple of seasons and felt that the problems ran deeper than a bad day at the office.

There are some very good footballers in the Rovers team which makes it an even more puzzling result and it’ll be interesting to see how they get on in the West Country derby game against Yeovil on Saturday. My feeling is that the cider drinkers will be licking their lips in anticipation if they get their hands on the DVD of this one!

But it would be churlish to put this result down to Rovers’ ineptness. As bad as they were, Oxford were excellent.

Every Oxford player got stuck in and the movement and passing were superb – the finishing wasn’t too shoddy either!

Poor Mike Green – making his first competitive start in the Rovers goal after four years with the club – deserved much better protection. Frankly the goals weren’t his fault and I hope that his teammates all chip in to buy him a decent bottle of malt so he can drown his sorrows – it’s the least they can do for him. Trollope said that several of them apologized to him in the dressing room afterwards and so that’s a start.

Mikkel Andersen is first choice as Rovers keeper for the next month while on loan from Reading, but he was away on international duty with the Danish U-21s last night. Don’t be surprised if he “misplaces” his passport when he gets wind of this performance.

Chris Wilder was chuffed with his players last night and well he might be. It’s a tricky job sitting in the dugout knowing what your players should be doing and yet not being able to really influence proceedings (ask Paul Trollope), but last night’s game was one of those that Wilder could sit back and enjoy knowing his players were doing everything right.

I suspect he wasn’t too disappointed with Chris Line’s Rovers goal either. It allowed former Rovers’ keeper (and fan) Ryan Clarke to bend down and pick the ball up and stretching exercises are good for an athlete after all!

Oxford versus Rovers – Keep your eye on the money

I’m off to watch the 'big one' tonight in the Carling Cup and while the Premiersip sides seem to increasingly see this tournament as a bit of an inconvenience, for the cash strapped smaller clubs, it could be a way of easing their financial pressures.

Arguably both of these clubs need the money as well .

Having done well last season to get back into the league, Oxford have every chance of making it two promotions on the trot in what is a fairly even division and so any extra cash would be welcomed by boss Chris Wilder as he looks to strengthen.

Paul Trollope is in the same situation at Rovers.

The Memorial Ground fans have backed him for the last few seasons, but are becoming more demanding and the pressure will build if they aren’t in the play-off places come May. The problem is that the crowds at the Mem don’t bring in enough revenue to underwrite big money signings and so a win against Oxford - and therefore the chance to get one step nearer to meeting a ‘big’ club later in the competition - is certainly something the bank manager would be keen on!

I suspect that Trolls would love to buy (or loan) a target man to act as a foil for striker Jo Kuffour and I believe this could help spur them on. Certainly another 3-0 drubbing like the one they received at Peterborough (managed by former Bristol City boss Gary Johnson) won’t help with finances or morale.

Money aside, the game will be a good test for Oxford. It’s an opportunity for them to pit their wits against an established League One side.

Personally I see it going to the wire and penalties … so – as my predictions are usually crap - put your money on one or other side being three-nil up by half time!!