I am being sent to the Kassam for Oxford’s game on Saturday – my first visit this year – against another United side from my patch – Hereford.
Oxford have been going great guns (according to my totally unbiased sources in the Kidlington area) as they look to force their way into the play-off places and an automatic promotion spot is still a distinct possibility, but they should beware the Bulls.
On paper Hereford look to be there for the taking, but Jamie Pitman has them playing with spirit and work hard, so any Oxford fan looking at the league table and assuming it’s a banker, should lower their expectations. They have only lost one of their last six games and won two others. Of the eight games they’ve managed to win in the league this season, six have been on their travels.
Oxford have alternated between wins and draws in the last four games and, if the trend continues on Saturday, honours will be even.
We’re now entering the business end of the season where form goes out of the window as everyone still has something to play for.
Pitman’s boys are six points above the drop zone and so can’t afford to roll over just yet, but Oxford are just outside the play-off places on goal difference and must fancy their chances of being in the promotion mix-up in May. A win on Saturday would definitely boost their credentials.
But following last weekend’s emphatic 3-0 win at Morecambe, keeper Ryan Clarke and midfielder Paul McLaren were both picked in the League Two team of the week. Again, my sources have told me that McLaren has added something to the team since his January move from Tranmere and so it will be good to see him in action. For my money Clark is one of the best League Two keepers I have seen this season.
I hadn’t realized until I read it on the Bulls best fans site (http://bullsnews.blogspot.com/), but these two teams have only shared a division once before – back in the 1977/78 season.
Darren Drysdale has been named as the man in the middle for the game.
I’ll try to put together a further preview along with some quotes tomorrow.
I've set up this blog (Monday-Friday) to give extra coverage to teams I cover for the national press. Any views and opinions are all my own. Best wishes, Jeff. Follow me on Twitter and I'll update you each time I blog. http://twitter.com/JeffTaplin P.S. During the summer break I reserve the right to ramble on about anything and everything!
Showing posts with label Ryan Clarke. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ryan Clarke. Show all posts
Thursday, 24 February 2011
Wednesday, 29 September 2010
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.
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.
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.
Monday, 20 September 2010
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.
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.
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.
Monday, 6 September 2010
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!
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 :-)
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 :-)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)