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.

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.