Confidence surrounded the Kassam Stadium ahead of the Good Friday fixture with Stevenage. A beautiful, sunny day greeted the fans who had decided to spend their bank holiday watching football. Stevenage sat just above the relegation places having lost their last five league games, and Oxford could secure a promotion spot with a win today.
Oxford skipper Jake Wright returned to the starting XI today after his injury, this meant Jonny Mullins started the afternoon at right back, a less than ideal position for the centre half. Callum O'Dowda and John-Joe Kenny were on Under 21 international duty, so the U's were somewhat underequipped for today's encounter compared to the weekend previous against Barnet.
It was Stevenage who made the brighter start. United saw little of the ball, with the instrumental John Lundstram unable to run the game as he has done so often this season. They mustered the first few shots on target, whilst Oxford produced little to get the fans off their seats in the opening ten minutes.
On fifteen minutes however, just as Oxford were getting into the game, Lundstram was shown a straight red card. His tackle was unnecessary. In the centre of midfield, with no imminent danger, he lunged in on Michael Tonge, winning the ball. Why the ref gave a red card was because he left the floor, it was a one footed high tackle. Lundstram won the ball, but Tonge, who got sent off in the reverse fixture rolled around on the ground as if he had been shot.
It was undoubtedly a stupid tackle by Lundstram, who will now miss our JPT final at Wembley due to a three match ban. But in my opinion, it was not a red card. I can see why the ref did give it, but on 15 minutes the man in the middle had ruined the spectacle.
That certainly brought the home fans to their feet for the first time in the match.
Oxford played the remainder of the half the same as they started. No substitutes, just Liam Sercombe patrolling central midfield, with one of our front two strikers tracking back to aid the lone midfielder.
Now, the feeling was that hopefully we can hold on for a point, very different to that at 3 o'clock.
Stevenage went on to produce the best chance of the first half, Greg Luer found himself one-on-one with Benji Buchel, and hit his shot across the goal just wide. A big let off for the Yellows.
On the brink of half time Oxford were awarded a penalty. Stevenage's keeper Jones was adjudged to have held back Danny Hylton from a corner, quite soft in my opinion. Sercombe stepped up to take it, he had previously scored a penalties against Swansea and Accrington. But today he missed. A tame penalty to the right of the keeper was saved comfortably. This did not improve the mood in the stands.
That was half time. Had Sercombe buried that penalty Michael Appleton would have been able to set up the team defensively for the final 45 minutes. It was another big moment in this dramatic game.
There were no changes at half time for either team and the second half begun much as the first had ended. A midfield battle with few touches for either of the teams strikers. It was clear that we would easily overcome this opposition had Lundstram not been shown red.
Despite this, Oxford took the lead fifteen minutes into the half. Fine play by Kemar Roofe who had been largely absent for most of the game, lead to him getting a cross into the danger zone, Sercombe was there to control it and poke past Jones. The noise in the stadium was something to behold. The goal was unexpected but deserved for our hard work defensively. Sercombe had attoned for his earlier penalty miss.
The ten minutes in between Oxford's goal and Stevenage's equaliser was the most enjoyable of the game. We saw more of the ball as Stevenage threatened little on the attack.
But, the team with eleven men did score. Chey Dunkley had been caught slightly out of position as they got in behind, before pulling a shot back for Morrison to drill under Buchel. It was a decent goal by the relegation-threatened team.
After Stevenage scored, Oxford brought on Josh Ruffels and George Waring. Both of whom, especially Waring, did very little to influence the game positively for Oxford.
The Yellows continued to work very hard for the remainder of the game, and their reward was a draw.
There were too many problems throughout the squad today. Roofe, such a skillful player, did not get involved at all. We also missed Lundstram once he was sent off and will struggle without his presence in the three games without him I feel. Mullins and right back meant there was no attacking threat down that side, and with the absence of O'Dowda on the left, we threatened very little down the flanks.
The game away to Cambridge on Monday is so very important now, as all the teams around us won. The pressure sure is mounting, hopefully our trip to Wembley isn't becoming a distraction. Unfortunately, I am missing that game because I out of the country... Gutted.
-Michael
Friday, 25 March 2016
Saturday, 19 March 2016
Barnet 0-3 Oxford Utd
Ah yes, it's the return of the away day.
Drove to Oxford Parkway Station at 10.15 this morning for the 10.49 train. Traffic on the bypass and the stupidly long distance between the car park and the parking ticket machine meant I made the train by just three minutes. Phew.
I don't know if I'm getting old or what but I was weirdly looking forward to taking the train from Oxford's new station into Marylebone.
Anyway, got into London at around midday, planning to meet my friend Jonny. Jonny text me at 11.50 to say he hadn't left his home yet, his home is in Hackney. This did not go down well seeing as we arranged to meet at midday.
So I wandered around aimlessly outside Marylebone and suddenly found myself in Baker Street. Surrounded by culture and the diverse restaurants, I decided I would get a KFC whilst I waited for my late friend.
Twenty minutes later and regretting the KFC, still no sign of Jonny, so I went and got a coffee from Eat. Exciting day so far, right? This is where Jonny joined me. After the overpriced coffee was done with we headed to the nearest pub we could see, The Globe, of course named after Shakespeare's nearby theatre.
We're two big ale fans, so ale is what we drank. The first, 1893 was bitter after a while and the IPA that followed feels strange in my stomach whilst I write this. So, four pints later and twenty quid spent, we headed to Canons Park, the new home of Barnet FC.
On the tube and feeling somewhat lightheaded, we decided to get off at Queensbury instead of Canons Park and walk from there. The lack of football or indeed any sort of life indicated we were wrong to do so.
And so, just like when I went to Dagenham away in November with Jonny, we found ourselves lost and jogging to the ground.
We could hear the Oxford singing inside fans from way outside the stadium, a helpful aid in our hunt for the ground.
I'd ordered under 19 tickets because hey, why would I spend an extra ten quid on an adult ticket when I'm only six months into being 19? So, feeling slightly nervous, I approached the ticket office, gave them my name, awaiting the ask for ID it was actually quite nerve-racking. The attendant handed over our tickets without any bother, and we were in, buzzin off the ale and tenner we had saved.
I'd been to Underhill, Barnet's old ground, it wasn't a pretty sight with the higgeldy piggeldy stands throughout. This one, The Hive, resembled a community-centre-come-stadium, with one stand having about five tiers before a large building engulfed it. And the stadium has been doing wonders for The Bees, they have the second best home record in League Two.
Good thing we have the second best away record in League Two! A great contest was surely on the cards.
Jonny and I were in the seated away section, where I feared the atmosphere would be far worse than that in the terrace. It was surprisingly noisy! And as the game got underway, it felt as if we were the home team.
Callum O'Dowda was played in on goal after five minutes by John Lundstram, the winger found himself one on one with the keeper, but could not find the back of the net. A good start to this high intensity game for Oxford.
Benji Buchel, Liechtenstein's and Oxford's number one keeper has often been called into question this season regarding his ability to save aerial balls. But Buchel produced an outstanding save fifteen minutes in, getting down low quickly to tip Myles Weston's header round the post. His shot-stopping ability certainly isn't in doubt.
The game slowed down somewhat after the start, but Liam Sercombe should have tucked away a chance from the centre of the box after a pull back from Kemar Roofe. His shot was straight at the keeper, an inch either side would surely have seen the opening goal.
The rest of the first half showed why Barnet had beaten promotion hopefuls at The Hive, they defended resiliently and up top had a confident striker in John Akinde. Chey Dunkley and Jonny Mullins were dealing brilliantly with the threat.
And so that was half time. It was getting cold, and the alcohol warmth had certainly warn off. Tea it was.
Ferocious starts to the second half is something we as Oxford fans are becoming accustomed to. O'Dowda opened the scoring for us after a deflected shot looped high, and he was quickest to react to slot under the keeper. A bizarre goal, but we'll take it, the travelling support went mad.
A period of Oxford pressure followed, we managed to unpick the Barnet defence more and more often as the half wore on. O'Dowda grabbed his second of the day by running from the halfway line across the lonesome defender. His initial shot rebounded back to him, and he was able to shoot low past the goalkeeper and onrushing defence.
Danny Hylton and Jordan Bowery's introduction after the goal gave Oxford different options, with the two harder working and pressing the Barnet defence whenever they had the ball, this meant they were unable to create any meaningful chances. Andy Yiadom came closest for them, a shot from the edge of the area forced Buchel to parry round the post.
It was Hylton who sealed the three points. Lundstram showed pace we were unaware he had to get down the right flank, before lifting the ball into the path of the ever-willing Oxford striker, who shot across the keeper.
As the ref blew for full time, every Oxford fan was beaming. This was a confident performance with class and a killer instinct. Beating a team with an excellent home record was cause for encouragement.
Leaving the ground, Jonny and I headed back to Queensbury station, and met the Oxford fans who had rightly got on the tube at Canons Park on the train. All in good voice as you can imagine, a chap behind me looked as if he'd had one too many and was beginning to drop off.
And then back to Oxford it was, a fantastic day. This season is promising, very promising. We now sit second in the table, with Plymouth losing it is looking more and more like automatic promotion beckons... But don't say that too loudly.
-Michael
Drove to Oxford Parkway Station at 10.15 this morning for the 10.49 train. Traffic on the bypass and the stupidly long distance between the car park and the parking ticket machine meant I made the train by just three minutes. Phew.
I don't know if I'm getting old or what but I was weirdly looking forward to taking the train from Oxford's new station into Marylebone.
Anyway, got into London at around midday, planning to meet my friend Jonny. Jonny text me at 11.50 to say he hadn't left his home yet, his home is in Hackney. This did not go down well seeing as we arranged to meet at midday.
So I wandered around aimlessly outside Marylebone and suddenly found myself in Baker Street. Surrounded by culture and the diverse restaurants, I decided I would get a KFC whilst I waited for my late friend.
Twenty minutes later and regretting the KFC, still no sign of Jonny, so I went and got a coffee from Eat. Exciting day so far, right? This is where Jonny joined me. After the overpriced coffee was done with we headed to the nearest pub we could see, The Globe, of course named after Shakespeare's nearby theatre.
We're two big ale fans, so ale is what we drank. The first, 1893 was bitter after a while and the IPA that followed feels strange in my stomach whilst I write this. So, four pints later and twenty quid spent, we headed to Canons Park, the new home of Barnet FC.
On the tube and feeling somewhat lightheaded, we decided to get off at Queensbury instead of Canons Park and walk from there. The lack of football or indeed any sort of life indicated we were wrong to do so.
And so, just like when I went to Dagenham away in November with Jonny, we found ourselves lost and jogging to the ground.
We could hear the Oxford singing inside fans from way outside the stadium, a helpful aid in our hunt for the ground.
I'd ordered under 19 tickets because hey, why would I spend an extra ten quid on an adult ticket when I'm only six months into being 19? So, feeling slightly nervous, I approached the ticket office, gave them my name, awaiting the ask for ID it was actually quite nerve-racking. The attendant handed over our tickets without any bother, and we were in, buzzin off the ale and tenner we had saved.
I'd been to Underhill, Barnet's old ground, it wasn't a pretty sight with the higgeldy piggeldy stands throughout. This one, The Hive, resembled a community-centre-come-stadium, with one stand having about five tiers before a large building engulfed it. And the stadium has been doing wonders for The Bees, they have the second best home record in League Two.
Good thing we have the second best away record in League Two! A great contest was surely on the cards.
Jonny and I were in the seated away section, where I feared the atmosphere would be far worse than that in the terrace. It was surprisingly noisy! And as the game got underway, it felt as if we were the home team.
Callum O'Dowda was played in on goal after five minutes by John Lundstram, the winger found himself one on one with the keeper, but could not find the back of the net. A good start to this high intensity game for Oxford.
Benji Buchel, Liechtenstein's and Oxford's number one keeper has often been called into question this season regarding his ability to save aerial balls. But Buchel produced an outstanding save fifteen minutes in, getting down low quickly to tip Myles Weston's header round the post. His shot-stopping ability certainly isn't in doubt.
The game slowed down somewhat after the start, but Liam Sercombe should have tucked away a chance from the centre of the box after a pull back from Kemar Roofe. His shot was straight at the keeper, an inch either side would surely have seen the opening goal.
The rest of the first half showed why Barnet had beaten promotion hopefuls at The Hive, they defended resiliently and up top had a confident striker in John Akinde. Chey Dunkley and Jonny Mullins were dealing brilliantly with the threat.
And so that was half time. It was getting cold, and the alcohol warmth had certainly warn off. Tea it was.
Ferocious starts to the second half is something we as Oxford fans are becoming accustomed to. O'Dowda opened the scoring for us after a deflected shot looped high, and he was quickest to react to slot under the keeper. A bizarre goal, but we'll take it, the travelling support went mad.
A period of Oxford pressure followed, we managed to unpick the Barnet defence more and more often as the half wore on. O'Dowda grabbed his second of the day by running from the halfway line across the lonesome defender. His initial shot rebounded back to him, and he was able to shoot low past the goalkeeper and onrushing defence.
Danny Hylton and Jordan Bowery's introduction after the goal gave Oxford different options, with the two harder working and pressing the Barnet defence whenever they had the ball, this meant they were unable to create any meaningful chances. Andy Yiadom came closest for them, a shot from the edge of the area forced Buchel to parry round the post.
It was Hylton who sealed the three points. Lundstram showed pace we were unaware he had to get down the right flank, before lifting the ball into the path of the ever-willing Oxford striker, who shot across the keeper.
As the ref blew for full time, every Oxford fan was beaming. This was a confident performance with class and a killer instinct. Beating a team with an excellent home record was cause for encouragement.
Leaving the ground, Jonny and I headed back to Queensbury station, and met the Oxford fans who had rightly got on the tube at Canons Park on the train. All in good voice as you can imagine, a chap behind me looked as if he'd had one too many and was beginning to drop off.
And then back to Oxford it was, a fantastic day. This season is promising, very promising. We now sit second in the table, with Plymouth losing it is looking more and more like automatic promotion beckons... But don't say that too loudly.
-Michael
Tuesday, 15 March 2016
Oxford Utd 4-0 Dagenham & Redbridge
A 1-0 home defeat on Saturday to Leyton Orient meant trepidation greeted the game for fans and players alike of Oxford United.
George Waring, on loan from Stoke City, kept his starting place in the squad ahead of the injured Jordan Bowery and Ryan Taylor. But it was somewhat surprising not to see Danny Hylton in the starting XI.
It's got to be said, I now have a love for the Tuesday evening fixtures. In seasons gone by they have been depressing to say the least - and you feel the bitter cold when the team isn't performing. Tonight, from the off we commanded the game.
Within the opening minutes Kemar Roofe came close, forcing a fine save from Daggers keeper, Liam O'Brien.
But O'Brien was helpless on fifteen minutes to a low drive from the edge of the area by Roofe. Great build-up play from Liam Sercombe and Alex MacDonald lead to the chance; a web of intricate passes before the decisive assist from Sercombe.
That goal settled any nerves Oxford had, and forced Dagenham to come and play their football. If York last Tuesday was anything to go by, we should be in for a comfortable ride.
And so it proved, Dagenham looked bare on the attack, and unable to deal with the quality we possessed throughout the squad. It must be noted, that nothing escaped Chey Dunkley in central defence. Every aerial ball was claimed by the big lad, something we often lack with Jake Wright in the squad. It's fair to say Dunkley has filled his boots admirably.
Half time was again greeted, like the York game, with a slight frustration that we had not put the game to bed before the break.
The kid sat in front of me in the North Stand went onto the pitch for half time's crossbar challenge and hit the bar twice. Good effort.
Oxford came out fired up for the second half, something becoming a regular theme. Their second goal of the evening was the reward. Waring won the ball back off a Daggers defender before sliding in Roofe, who confidently poked the ball passed the onrushing keeper. Sheer relief at that goal.
It was good play from Waring, who demonstrated he has more in his locker than being a 6'7" target man.
From here on, the Yellows were carving out the Daggers defence time and time again. Hylton came off the bench with immediate impact, hitting the bar. And it was a surprise we hadn't scored four or five before MacDonald headed home the third of the evening. That's right, the shortest player on the pitch scored a header. I think that says all you need to know about Daggers' marking, but it was a good ball into the middle from Hylton.
We were so comfortable, Michael Appleton substituted our midfield duo of Sercombe and John Lundstram, for Josh Ruffels and Josh Ashby. Kind of strange to see Ashby, a kid that was in the year below me at school on the pitch for Oxford. Good for him.
Dagenham actually created a chance after we went three nil ahead. Veteran striker, Jamie Cureton saw his effort from the edge of the box fly just over the bar.
Five minutes from time, Oxford scored their fourth of the evening. Fantastic build up play from Hylton, who played a neat one-two with Callum O'Dowda, before flicking a header on to Roofe to seal his hat-trick! A similar finish to his second goal, across the goalkeeper into the corner of the net.
Absolutely brilliant. Full time was greeted with a chorus of 'We are Going Up!'..... Uh oh, this means we're at the part where it all goes wrong.
In other news, I placed a 12/1 bet at half time on us to win 4-0, happy days!
-Michael
George Waring, on loan from Stoke City, kept his starting place in the squad ahead of the injured Jordan Bowery and Ryan Taylor. But it was somewhat surprising not to see Danny Hylton in the starting XI.
It's got to be said, I now have a love for the Tuesday evening fixtures. In seasons gone by they have been depressing to say the least - and you feel the bitter cold when the team isn't performing. Tonight, from the off we commanded the game.
Within the opening minutes Kemar Roofe came close, forcing a fine save from Daggers keeper, Liam O'Brien.
But O'Brien was helpless on fifteen minutes to a low drive from the edge of the area by Roofe. Great build-up play from Liam Sercombe and Alex MacDonald lead to the chance; a web of intricate passes before the decisive assist from Sercombe.
That goal settled any nerves Oxford had, and forced Dagenham to come and play their football. If York last Tuesday was anything to go by, we should be in for a comfortable ride.
And so it proved, Dagenham looked bare on the attack, and unable to deal with the quality we possessed throughout the squad. It must be noted, that nothing escaped Chey Dunkley in central defence. Every aerial ball was claimed by the big lad, something we often lack with Jake Wright in the squad. It's fair to say Dunkley has filled his boots admirably.
Half time was again greeted, like the York game, with a slight frustration that we had not put the game to bed before the break.
The kid sat in front of me in the North Stand went onto the pitch for half time's crossbar challenge and hit the bar twice. Good effort.
Oxford came out fired up for the second half, something becoming a regular theme. Their second goal of the evening was the reward. Waring won the ball back off a Daggers defender before sliding in Roofe, who confidently poked the ball passed the onrushing keeper. Sheer relief at that goal.
It was good play from Waring, who demonstrated he has more in his locker than being a 6'7" target man.
From here on, the Yellows were carving out the Daggers defence time and time again. Hylton came off the bench with immediate impact, hitting the bar. And it was a surprise we hadn't scored four or five before MacDonald headed home the third of the evening. That's right, the shortest player on the pitch scored a header. I think that says all you need to know about Daggers' marking, but it was a good ball into the middle from Hylton.
We were so comfortable, Michael Appleton substituted our midfield duo of Sercombe and John Lundstram, for Josh Ruffels and Josh Ashby. Kind of strange to see Ashby, a kid that was in the year below me at school on the pitch for Oxford. Good for him.
Dagenham actually created a chance after we went three nil ahead. Veteran striker, Jamie Cureton saw his effort from the edge of the box fly just over the bar.
Five minutes from time, Oxford scored their fourth of the evening. Fantastic build up play from Hylton, who played a neat one-two with Callum O'Dowda, before flicking a header on to Roofe to seal his hat-trick! A similar finish to his second goal, across the goalkeeper into the corner of the net.
Absolutely brilliant. Full time was greeted with a chorus of 'We are Going Up!'..... Uh oh, this means we're at the part where it all goes wrong.
In other news, I placed a 12/1 bet at half time on us to win 4-0, happy days!
-Michael
Tuesday, 1 March 2016
Oxford Utd 4-0 York City
Liam Sercombe said before tonight's fixture that an early goal for Oxford would lead to many more for the home team. And the central midfielder wasn't wrong.
York City's away form was poor, so it could be expected that Oxford would run out easy winners. But this was to be no walkover, Barnet who also have a dire away record came here and won 3-2 earlier in the season. The U's were also yet to record a league home win in 2016; thankfully their away form has been outstanding, and kept them in the automatic promotion places.
There were no fresh injury concerns for the Yellows. Jake Wright and Ryan Taylor remained sidelined with injuries, whilst Chris Maguire wouldn't feature to improve his personal match fitness. John Lundstram also hadn't recovered in time to feature tonight.
York had brought an admirable 200 fans down the M1, a mildly impressive figure considering the distance of the journey on this cold Tuesday evening.
It looked like they were in for a long night from the off. Jordan Bowery came close within minutes of the start as Danny Hylton teed him up for a low shot from the edge of the area that fizzed just wide.
Bowery has been an interesting signing for Oxford. He started slow, but in recent times has scored often at important times in the match. It has become obvious that he is not the type of player we initially thought he was, he prefers playing down the channels rather than having long balls punted up to him.
Our wing backs continued to hit the balls down those flanks, contrary to in most home games where we try to patiently pass through a side. This also has something to do with the absence of Kemar Roofe; without him Oxford have two physical players up front in Hylton and Bowery so are able to lob the ball further up the pitch.
Oxford got the deserved break through 15 minutes into the game. Callum O'Dowda's shot was parried into the path of Bowery, who applied the decisive touch with his thigh to give Oxford the lead.
That was the goal which put Oxford in command, York posed very little threat for the remainder of the half, and Oxford could have scored more. Somehow the U's were denied a second despite a barrage of shots in a matter of seconds towards the end of the half, York keeper Michael Ingham saving well from Hylton and Alex MacDonald.
Half Time was greeted with applause, yet there was frustration that we had not scored a second and put the tie to bed.
In the opening stages of the second half Oxford created a few half chances but nothing significant, thankfully York created next to nothing. Although, MacDonald almost gave away a penalty 15 minutes into the half, proving just how important a second goal would be for the home side.
MacDonald was duely substituted for Kemar Roofe.
United's second goal eventually came through Chey Dunkley. The stand-in centre back for Wright powered home a header from a terrific Roofe corner. I was delighted for Dunkley, his second goal in two games and he was proving his worth after some criticism early in the season. His goal was greeted with an almighty roar, the goal meant a hopefully settled end to the game, and if Sercombe's pre-match comments were anything to go by, we would go on to score more.
That goal put an end to any attempt from York to get back into the match. The Minstermen lacked serious organisation and attacking threat.
Oxford's third goal was due to the outstanding work of Hylton. He received a throw in on the left, lobbed it over one defender, knocked it past another before smashing the ball into the opposite bottom corner of the goal from the edge of the area. The goal showcased Hylton's ability, something which has been called into question at times this season, despite his excellent start to the campaign.
Josh Ruffels is a player that I've criticised in past match reports, saying he is not adequate back up in central midfield. However, tonight I am happy to say that I was wrong. He started ahead of the injured Lundstram and performed admirably. His stamina is something truly noteworthy, throughout the game he covered some serious ground and was instrumental in United's fourth of the evening.
Ruffels charged into box, sweeping aside some shocking York City defenders before unleashing his effort across goal. It forced a good save from Ingham, but similar to the opener, he could only parry it to an Oxford player. Roofe was there to seal the deal for Oxford. It was satisfying to see Roofe on the scoreboard after two games of rest for United's top scorer.
And that was that. Oxford were superb, but they were helped by a York team who lacked any desire, defensive ability and attacking threat. They look destined for relegation. But Oxford showed many qualities, especially defensively, and took their goals well.
Results elsewhere had gone the way of the Yellows and now have an eight point gap in third place above Accrington Stanley. A first home league win of 2016 feels fantastic, and this season is starting to look promising, very promising.
-Michael
York City's away form was poor, so it could be expected that Oxford would run out easy winners. But this was to be no walkover, Barnet who also have a dire away record came here and won 3-2 earlier in the season. The U's were also yet to record a league home win in 2016; thankfully their away form has been outstanding, and kept them in the automatic promotion places.
There were no fresh injury concerns for the Yellows. Jake Wright and Ryan Taylor remained sidelined with injuries, whilst Chris Maguire wouldn't feature to improve his personal match fitness. John Lundstram also hadn't recovered in time to feature tonight.
York had brought an admirable 200 fans down the M1, a mildly impressive figure considering the distance of the journey on this cold Tuesday evening.
It looked like they were in for a long night from the off. Jordan Bowery came close within minutes of the start as Danny Hylton teed him up for a low shot from the edge of the area that fizzed just wide.
Bowery has been an interesting signing for Oxford. He started slow, but in recent times has scored often at important times in the match. It has become obvious that he is not the type of player we initially thought he was, he prefers playing down the channels rather than having long balls punted up to him.
Our wing backs continued to hit the balls down those flanks, contrary to in most home games where we try to patiently pass through a side. This also has something to do with the absence of Kemar Roofe; without him Oxford have two physical players up front in Hylton and Bowery so are able to lob the ball further up the pitch.
Oxford got the deserved break through 15 minutes into the game. Callum O'Dowda's shot was parried into the path of Bowery, who applied the decisive touch with his thigh to give Oxford the lead.
That was the goal which put Oxford in command, York posed very little threat for the remainder of the half, and Oxford could have scored more. Somehow the U's were denied a second despite a barrage of shots in a matter of seconds towards the end of the half, York keeper Michael Ingham saving well from Hylton and Alex MacDonald.
Half Time was greeted with applause, yet there was frustration that we had not scored a second and put the tie to bed.
In the opening stages of the second half Oxford created a few half chances but nothing significant, thankfully York created next to nothing. Although, MacDonald almost gave away a penalty 15 minutes into the half, proving just how important a second goal would be for the home side.
MacDonald was duely substituted for Kemar Roofe.
United's second goal eventually came through Chey Dunkley. The stand-in centre back for Wright powered home a header from a terrific Roofe corner. I was delighted for Dunkley, his second goal in two games and he was proving his worth after some criticism early in the season. His goal was greeted with an almighty roar, the goal meant a hopefully settled end to the game, and if Sercombe's pre-match comments were anything to go by, we would go on to score more.
That goal put an end to any attempt from York to get back into the match. The Minstermen lacked serious organisation and attacking threat.
Oxford's third goal was due to the outstanding work of Hylton. He received a throw in on the left, lobbed it over one defender, knocked it past another before smashing the ball into the opposite bottom corner of the goal from the edge of the area. The goal showcased Hylton's ability, something which has been called into question at times this season, despite his excellent start to the campaign.
Josh Ruffels is a player that I've criticised in past match reports, saying he is not adequate back up in central midfield. However, tonight I am happy to say that I was wrong. He started ahead of the injured Lundstram and performed admirably. His stamina is something truly noteworthy, throughout the game he covered some serious ground and was instrumental in United's fourth of the evening.
Ruffels charged into box, sweeping aside some shocking York City defenders before unleashing his effort across goal. It forced a good save from Ingham, but similar to the opener, he could only parry it to an Oxford player. Roofe was there to seal the deal for Oxford. It was satisfying to see Roofe on the scoreboard after two games of rest for United's top scorer.
And that was that. Oxford were superb, but they were helped by a York team who lacked any desire, defensive ability and attacking threat. They look destined for relegation. But Oxford showed many qualities, especially defensively, and took their goals well.
Results elsewhere had gone the way of the Yellows and now have an eight point gap in third place above Accrington Stanley. A first home league win of 2016 feels fantastic, and this season is starting to look promising, very promising.
-Michael
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