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.

A case for the defence – Brown Sugar

It was pointed out to me after yesterday’s blog that I failed to mention the Robin’s defence.

While this is a fair comment, the fact is that Cheltenham caught the eye going forward and – despite Crewe’s two goals – always looked the better attacking team. As Crewe boss Dario Gradi said: “I thought they were going to score ten in the first 30 minutes!”

Given this, you tend not to concentrate too much on the defending. However, both full backs – Keith Lowe and Danny Andrew – looked good going forward in support of the midfield. Steve Elliott is a solid performer at this level and looked a real rock (I was surprised when he was allowed to leave Bristol Rovers in the summer) and Martin Riley looked equally comfortable alongside him before going off with a hamstring injury on the half hour.

The dependable David Bird replaced Riley and Lowe moved into the centre to accommodate him, but Cheltenham weren’t thrown be the change and carried on playing in the same positive manner.

When you’re a keeper you hate to concede, but Scott Brown was faultless for either goal. Central defender Patrick Ada’s volley from a corner was something he may have done hundreds of times in his dreams, but one would suspect it isn’t something Gradi insists on him practicing on the training ground! And Zola’s header from a free kick was beyond Brown as well.

In fact, had Brown not been at his best in the closing minutes, Shaun Miller might have stolen an undeserved point, but the young keeper palmed away the striker’s point blank header from ten yards to ensure victory.

So to the person who is more interested in the back five, I hope this redresses the balance!!