Oxford's Amateur Hour
The Blues travelled to Phoenix Club in Slough this week to take on the AFC representative side which have already comfortably beaten the Tabs this season. In a game which they should have won, the Blues battled hard against a very ordinary opposition but had to settle for a draw as a lack of attacking potency again let them down.
Right from the kick-off AFC where happy to concede long periods of possession to the Blues as they packed men behind the ball in a tactical ploy to invite Oxford onto them before crowding them out. As such, Blues fullbacks Nik Light and Roger Milburn saw much of the ball in their own half but were often given few options as they ventured forward as a disciplined display of defending from AFC frustrated them on a regular basis. The upshot of this approach was that chances were few and far between and when they did come, the Blues let themselves down with weak and wayward shooting. AFC were keen to soak up the Blues pressure and then hit back with quick counter-attacks and it was in the aftermath of one such move that the Blues suffered a momentary lack of concentration at the back which allowed AFC to take an undeserved lead. AFC left-back Kevin Lawrance collected Mark Hall?s throw on and swept a low cross into the Blues penalty area. When Tom Battarbee sliced his attempted clearance into the path of Miles Horne, the AFC striker looked odds-on to score. However, a superb reflex save from Alex Hill momentarily averted the danger before Simon Bagshaw placed the rebound firmly through Hill?s legs. The Blues knew that they had conceded a very soft goal and accordingly went about finding the equaliser with renewed vigour. The leveller came on 33 minutes when Matt Lowe found himself free in the inside right position. His unselfish ball across the face of the goal was placed into the top corner of the net by strike partner Nat Armstrong.
For the second period, injured skipper Arran Yentob sent his men out in a 4-5-1 formation as he took the opportunity given by this friendly fixture to test a new system. Arguably, it did not really work for the Blues as the second half saw the game descend into scrappy football which provided little notable action. The Blues backline were constantly outnumbered out wide by runners from deep but to their credit, they withstood this pressure, even following a reshuffle which saw Light move to an unfamiliar centre half position following James Kachel?s withdrawal through injury. With ten minutes remaining, Lowe had a chance to seal the game but instead of sending the ball to better placed teammates in the AFC penalty area, he tried to beat the keeper at his near post with a wild drive which hit the side netting.
Blues - Hill, Milburn, Light, Addley, Kachel (Barkhouse 66), Akkaya, Griffin, Elliott (Walpole 71), Battarbee (Aylott 45), Lowe, Armstrong.
29th Jan 2004