Deadbat
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Sheffield United got back to winning ways with a dominant and professional performance against League Two Oxford United. Facing former Blades Chris Wilder and Alan Hodgkinson; who are both part of the U’s coaching staff, the home side were in complete control from the first minute and ended up coasting into round two. A first half brace from Ched Evans and then a third from substitute Ryan Flynn accounted for the final score line in a game that United won probably far easier than even they would have imagined.
The Blades began by making 5 changes with Parrino, McDonald, Porter and loanees Clarke and Williams making way for Lowton, Montgomery, Quinn, Cresswell and Williamson. After a minutes silence ahead of Remembrance Sunday, United were on top from the kick off and pressed Oxford back. Evans and Cresswell nearly combined and then Quinn almost found an opening.
It was not long before the Blades were ahead though. It came from a cross from Quinn and after Cresswell’s attempted bicycle kick did not come off, the ball dropped to EVANS who smashed the ball home to give the keeper Clarke no chance. It was an excellent finish from the Welsh frontman. United were soon on the attack again and swift play saw Evans involved again and Cresswell was blocked out. Soon after this Williamson was in on goal but his shot from close range was blocked from Clarke after a quick free kick.
Everything United did well was coming from the movement and touch of Evans and his quality made it 2-0 with less than 20 minutes on the clock. Cresswell was barged over and from the resultant free kick from a central area around 25 yards out, EVANS hit a firm effort into the bottom left hand corner. It was almost an identikit goal to the one he scored only a week ago at Stevenage and clearly had put United in complete control.
Soon after he nearly had a hat trick as he was in on goal outmuscling his defender before having his shot parried. The best move of the game saw Williamson, Evans and Quinn link and the latter was in after his clever dummy set up the move. However on his unfavoured right foot his poke towards goal was kept out by the keeper. Cresswell then charged down the keepers clearance as the U’s struggled to even get out of their own half at times. It had been complete one way traffic and Simonsen had been a virtual spectator of note only having to come and collect a couple of routine balls through. As half time approached United nearly made it three as Doyle’s cross-cum shot was missed at the far post by Cresswell when any kind of touch would have surely led to a goal.
Oxford made changes at the break as Wilder as Worley and Constable came on for Franks and McClaren. It seemed obvious that the visitors were playing with a further striker up top and they started with more emphasis on attack. They had a flurry of possession and at least were having a spell in the Blades half. They finally created a chance of note when a clever back heel saw a cross come over from the left hand side and Constable got in to head goalwards but Simonsen grasped the ball at his near post. Oxford were now at least showing some life and buoyed by their excellent fans behind the goal tried to inject some life into the game. However, they created few other chances of note and United began to get on top of the midfield area again with Montgomery and Doyle winning most of the loose balls.
Quinn had been struggling since a challenge not long after half time and had to give way being replaced by Flynn. The substitute was involved immediately as he nearly converted Lowton’s cross at the near post before there were two brief flashpoints as Maguire and Constable tussled and were spoken to and then soon after Williamson and Whing also came together. Once again the referee chose to just give the players a talking to rather than brandish any cards.
Lowton was becoming increasingly prominent in the second half and was getting forward at every opportunity. Another teasing cross just missed Cresswell at the far post. Evans then nearly scored again but his shot was palmed away from Clarke as United tried to take advantage of more slack marking. The third goal was not long coming though as Lowton’s cross was not dealt with by the keeper who came and was beaten by Collins. As the ball fell towards the goalline FLYNN knocked it over the line to give him his first goal for the Blades.
McAllister came on for Williamson as the game entered the last 10 minutes and it was now just a question over whether United would add to the scoreline as Oxford looked a team well beaten. Evans was booked late but the final stages and then additional three minutes of stoppage time provided little incident of note as the home side eased into the hat for the next round with the draw to be made tomorrow afternoon.
United – A comfortable win that was surprisingly easy from the start to the end. 3-0 was about a fair reflection of the game. United were on top from start to finish against an awful side. Evans scored 2 and could have had more and United had around 8 or 9 good efforts/attempts on goal to maybe 1 from Oxford who never won the first or second balls and lost the midfield battle completely. United were not superb but they simply did not have to and did enough; winning the battle of effort and then allowing their superior players to take over. In the week I felt we were lacking in actual effort but today we showed far better application and maybe even surprised Oxford how much we chased loose balls and closed down. The front two were like night and day from the week as they harried and hassled all game and the midfield two, although were still poor in keeping the ball, won most tackles, knock downs and loose balls. This meant we had so much of the possession and even though Quinn and Williamson were a mixed bag they still were able to show enough quality to make chances. Evans was excellent and Oxford could not handle him today. He had some excellent shots and efforts that led to 2 goals and could have been 4 or 5. The defence was solid enough but were under little to no pressure all game as Oxford lacked pace, penetration and numbers and seemed strangely settling for being 2-0 down until a brief flurry after the break. It was a positive to keep a clean sheet after so many awful performances and goals given away. Some of the poorer players in recent weeks, namely Simonsen, Maguire and Lowton looked far more solid and did the basics rather than trying to be too clever. Lowton got forward really well and was one of our best attackers all game. Overall, a solid and improved performance. Oxford were poor but United applied themselves better today and did what they had to. I am sure the games in the next few weeks will be much tougher but if they can add a bit of quality to the better work rate and effort they showed then hopefully we can get back to winning ways in the league.
Oxford – Woeful. Strangely despite being higher up the league than Bradford they were really poor in comparison. Bradford fought hard in the week and had a few trickery customers. They put a lot of effort in, defended in numbers, passed well and created chances. Oxford did none of this. They were second to the ball all over the field and were on the back foot from the start. The entire first half was played in their own half pretty much and they were really struggling. United scored two early-ish goals and dominated the game. Oxford seemed unable to get a foot in the game and regardless of the lack of ball they had, let alone chances they were not even really fighting or winning loose tackles/balls. The game was over at 2-0 and you never felt they would get back in it. They had little quality in their side and seemed quite agricultural at times and did not really try and get it down and play. They had 1 up front essentially and even when they conceded the two goals they kept the same shape. At the break they changed things and put on another forward. They had a bit of a go and credit for them they had 15 minutes where they were on top. They had one or two half chances but never really looked like turning the game and after this period United seemed to get a stranglehold of the midfield again and upped the tempo again. The third goal came and that was it. The last 10-15 minutes was played like a practice game as United could have probably had more goals if they wanted but just kept their shape and discipline. Oxford never really even looked like getting a consolation. I was surprised at how poor the visitors were as Wilder has done a superb job and got them up into league two and maybe even pushing for league one. I felt they had a real chance of an upset especially after United’s recent results and how we struggled so badly against Bradford but it was never really a contest and it was a game the home side coasted really.
Simonsen 7/10 – Had little to nothing to do all game but everything he did he did well. Made a save from a header but cannot recall another save of note all game and barely had any touches. However what he did do he coped with well and more than anything he seemed to be more commanding in terms of general play; often being 5-10 yards further forward when the ball came near him meaning he commanded and directed his box better. Took some routine crosses and balls forward and seemed a lot more confident. Good to see.
Lowton 7.5/10 – Much better performance and he looked like the Lowton of last season and of early stages of this campaign. Defended well although given little in the way of things to do as Oxford did not seem to have anyone play directly wide left. He took advantage and got forward at every opportunity. Involved in some of our best attacks and often he marauded down the wing to allow others to move into gaps in other areas, such as Williamson or Evans. Put in 2 or 3 tremendous crosses that ought to have been converted and looked a real threat down the right flank. Would definitely consider playing him further up the field, if we had a right back of note in the remainder of the squad.
Williams 7/10 – Solid enough and tried to get forward when he could. Did nothing significantly wrong and like the other defenders he snuffed out a pitiful attack fairly comfortably. He started well when he came on loan but has gone off the boil in recent weeks. When he is on form he looks a good defender but needs to cut out the moments of indecision. Today he was fine.
Maguire 7/10 – A better game than in recent weeks. I still feel he needs a rest and is being played to death at the moment but he stuck to the basics today and even by just heading and kicking it out he helped limit the chances to the opponents. Reacted to a grapple by their man and raised his hands and was a bit fortunate to escape any action. Still feel against pacy players and even stronger players he gets exposed and is a long way off being comfortable but hopefully Morgan can be back soon and give him a bit of a break.
Collins 7/10 – Solid performance where he headed/cleared the basics and mopped up necessary. Covered well and limited Oxford or his attacker to any kind of chances. He had been ok this season and I feel with better players around him he would be acceptable at this level but his mistakes get magnified as they often lead directly to goals. He has been much better this season though and become respectable.
Doyle 6/10 - A performance that was improved from the other night where he was wretched but he was still quite mediocre. Sure he won a few tackles and scraps but overall he was quite poor and his touch and passing was a mixture of fairly decent to awful. He never puts any great balls out, has no efforts on goal and never looks in control of the football. Just a ratter but without the energy and fitness of Montgomery. Maybe I am being too harsh as we did control the midfield but Oxford were dire and I felt against better teams these two would get badly exposed (Stevenage for instance last week).
Montgomery 6.5/10 – His performance was a microcosm of much of his Sheffield United career. Some tremendous tackles, blocks and covering runs allied to superb work ethic and closing down. At times he made a few nice and simple balls but all often much of the good work was undone by hopeless and misdirected passing into touch, behind players or straight to the opposition. He covered well for Lowton at times who almost had free licence to go forward. Monty will never change but still in game like this is more of a positive than negative and helped us win and have far more of the ball in the key midfield area.
Williamson 6.5/10 – Up and down game. At times he looked good and was involved in all the excellent things we did but then his touch was off and he gave the ball away. He put in a few good balls and then was wasteful on occasions too. He actually came to life in the second half after the incident where he got involved by retaliating after a bad challenge on him. He then put an excellent cross in, had a few good runs and seemed to have the bit between his teeth. However, he also seemed on the edge in terms of putting in a bad challenge and I feared he may get sent off. Was rightly taken off I felt and after a lot of bad changes by Wilson in recent times. This was a good one.
Quinn 5/10 – Carried on his ineffective and generally disinterested performances. He did a few decent things but his touch and passing was not crisp and I felt he was not in the game for long periods. There were a few moments and I recall one move where he played it and then dummied before shooting at keeper with his right foot. After this he did not do much and then got injured; seemed to have ball kicked at him and then got another knock. Did not seem that serious but was enough for him to hobble off and be replaced by Flynn.
Evans 8/10 – Excellent and the stand out player on the pitch. Scored two excellent goals; the first a firm finish when the ball dropped and then a free kick that was a carbon copy of the goal last week against Stevenage. After this he could have easily had another 3 or 4 goals with a few debatable offside decisions and also the keeper making some decent saves. Outside of his efforts on goals, his work rate and link play was good and his touch was far better than in the week. Frustrating that he can look a class above as he did today and then other times he can look so disinterested and so poor. Very inconsistent player who on his day is easily a higher level Championship player but on a bad day looks like a bottom division player.
Cresswell 7/10 – He did work hard today and even at the end was still chasing defender and closing the keeper down. Credit to him for him for that. However, his actual play was inconsistent again and his first touch was very up and down. He linked with Evans a bit better and at least it looked like we had a partnership today which has not been the case in recent weeks. He still gives away daft fouls or makes bad decisions with the ball for such an experienced front man. Also his penchant for forever going to ground frustratingly continued. Fair play for his effort and actually getting close to Evans today though and this made them hard to play against.
Subs
Flynn – After a poor start to the season he has shown glimpses from the bench and today was the same and seems to be at least putting himself about and getting on the ball. Played wide left. Scored a goal, was unlucky to poke just wide from Lowton’s cross and had another chipped effort that had the keeper scrambling back to save. Was involved a lot considering the time he was on. Hopefully he can push for a start and offer us something different in terms of a bit of pace, zip and crossing ability.
McAllister – Good to see him back as he has been unfairly left out of things for me after a decent few games earlier in the season. He has a football brain and I feel offers us something different in that he can shoot and can get goals from midfield. Did not do too much in the time he was on but was given limited time to make much of an impact.
Officials – It was a nothing game to referee and he did his job with the minimum of fuss. The only flash points came with an incident between Maguire and the centre forward which was no more than hand bags but other refs may have reached for cards of some colours. Williamson was then hit with a bad tackle and reacted by lashing out. Again other referees could have sent both players off but he did not even give them a yellow card. After all that he rightly booked an Oxford player for a wild lash out near the touchline but then cautioned Evans for being hit by a ball from the keeper when he was adjudged not to have retreated 10 yards when he barely had time to get out of the way. It must have annoyed Evans when the big centre half had clattered him at least 5 or 6 times and somehow escaped a yellow card. Good to see him overturn a thrown in to us when Quinn too forever although not sure whether it is technically in the rules you can actually do this. Surely you book the player but cannot give the decision the other way? Maybe you can but the comparison is that it is like a player taking too long over a free kick and the referee giving a free kick to the other team?
Crowd/Atmosphere – Very flat. Obviously with just less than 8,000 there and only 2 stands open for the home fans and the Kop being closed, it was not going to be raucous! The John Street stand had hardly anyone in it too. Credit to the oxford fans who supported their team well and even at 3-0 down, the 1,500-1,800 who came were very vocal and supported their team in good spirits with excellent noise and humour. They deserved better than the shocking display their side put in and although they will have enjoyed their day out, they must have expected a bit better from their team.
The Blades began by making 5 changes with Parrino, McDonald, Porter and loanees Clarke and Williams making way for Lowton, Montgomery, Quinn, Cresswell and Williamson. After a minutes silence ahead of Remembrance Sunday, United were on top from the kick off and pressed Oxford back. Evans and Cresswell nearly combined and then Quinn almost found an opening.
It was not long before the Blades were ahead though. It came from a cross from Quinn and after Cresswell’s attempted bicycle kick did not come off, the ball dropped to EVANS who smashed the ball home to give the keeper Clarke no chance. It was an excellent finish from the Welsh frontman. United were soon on the attack again and swift play saw Evans involved again and Cresswell was blocked out. Soon after this Williamson was in on goal but his shot from close range was blocked from Clarke after a quick free kick.
Everything United did well was coming from the movement and touch of Evans and his quality made it 2-0 with less than 20 minutes on the clock. Cresswell was barged over and from the resultant free kick from a central area around 25 yards out, EVANS hit a firm effort into the bottom left hand corner. It was almost an identikit goal to the one he scored only a week ago at Stevenage and clearly had put United in complete control.
Soon after he nearly had a hat trick as he was in on goal outmuscling his defender before having his shot parried. The best move of the game saw Williamson, Evans and Quinn link and the latter was in after his clever dummy set up the move. However on his unfavoured right foot his poke towards goal was kept out by the keeper. Cresswell then charged down the keepers clearance as the U’s struggled to even get out of their own half at times. It had been complete one way traffic and Simonsen had been a virtual spectator of note only having to come and collect a couple of routine balls through. As half time approached United nearly made it three as Doyle’s cross-cum shot was missed at the far post by Cresswell when any kind of touch would have surely led to a goal.
Oxford made changes at the break as Wilder as Worley and Constable came on for Franks and McClaren. It seemed obvious that the visitors were playing with a further striker up top and they started with more emphasis on attack. They had a flurry of possession and at least were having a spell in the Blades half. They finally created a chance of note when a clever back heel saw a cross come over from the left hand side and Constable got in to head goalwards but Simonsen grasped the ball at his near post. Oxford were now at least showing some life and buoyed by their excellent fans behind the goal tried to inject some life into the game. However, they created few other chances of note and United began to get on top of the midfield area again with Montgomery and Doyle winning most of the loose balls.
Quinn had been struggling since a challenge not long after half time and had to give way being replaced by Flynn. The substitute was involved immediately as he nearly converted Lowton’s cross at the near post before there were two brief flashpoints as Maguire and Constable tussled and were spoken to and then soon after Williamson and Whing also came together. Once again the referee chose to just give the players a talking to rather than brandish any cards.
Lowton was becoming increasingly prominent in the second half and was getting forward at every opportunity. Another teasing cross just missed Cresswell at the far post. Evans then nearly scored again but his shot was palmed away from Clarke as United tried to take advantage of more slack marking. The third goal was not long coming though as Lowton’s cross was not dealt with by the keeper who came and was beaten by Collins. As the ball fell towards the goalline FLYNN knocked it over the line to give him his first goal for the Blades.
McAllister came on for Williamson as the game entered the last 10 minutes and it was now just a question over whether United would add to the scoreline as Oxford looked a team well beaten. Evans was booked late but the final stages and then additional three minutes of stoppage time provided little incident of note as the home side eased into the hat for the next round with the draw to be made tomorrow afternoon.
United – A comfortable win that was surprisingly easy from the start to the end. 3-0 was about a fair reflection of the game. United were on top from start to finish against an awful side. Evans scored 2 and could have had more and United had around 8 or 9 good efforts/attempts on goal to maybe 1 from Oxford who never won the first or second balls and lost the midfield battle completely. United were not superb but they simply did not have to and did enough; winning the battle of effort and then allowing their superior players to take over. In the week I felt we were lacking in actual effort but today we showed far better application and maybe even surprised Oxford how much we chased loose balls and closed down. The front two were like night and day from the week as they harried and hassled all game and the midfield two, although were still poor in keeping the ball, won most tackles, knock downs and loose balls. This meant we had so much of the possession and even though Quinn and Williamson were a mixed bag they still were able to show enough quality to make chances. Evans was excellent and Oxford could not handle him today. He had some excellent shots and efforts that led to 2 goals and could have been 4 or 5. The defence was solid enough but were under little to no pressure all game as Oxford lacked pace, penetration and numbers and seemed strangely settling for being 2-0 down until a brief flurry after the break. It was a positive to keep a clean sheet after so many awful performances and goals given away. Some of the poorer players in recent weeks, namely Simonsen, Maguire and Lowton looked far more solid and did the basics rather than trying to be too clever. Lowton got forward really well and was one of our best attackers all game. Overall, a solid and improved performance. Oxford were poor but United applied themselves better today and did what they had to. I am sure the games in the next few weeks will be much tougher but if they can add a bit of quality to the better work rate and effort they showed then hopefully we can get back to winning ways in the league.
Oxford – Woeful. Strangely despite being higher up the league than Bradford they were really poor in comparison. Bradford fought hard in the week and had a few trickery customers. They put a lot of effort in, defended in numbers, passed well and created chances. Oxford did none of this. They were second to the ball all over the field and were on the back foot from the start. The entire first half was played in their own half pretty much and they were really struggling. United scored two early-ish goals and dominated the game. Oxford seemed unable to get a foot in the game and regardless of the lack of ball they had, let alone chances they were not even really fighting or winning loose tackles/balls. The game was over at 2-0 and you never felt they would get back in it. They had little quality in their side and seemed quite agricultural at times and did not really try and get it down and play. They had 1 up front essentially and even when they conceded the two goals they kept the same shape. At the break they changed things and put on another forward. They had a bit of a go and credit for them they had 15 minutes where they were on top. They had one or two half chances but never really looked like turning the game and after this period United seemed to get a stranglehold of the midfield again and upped the tempo again. The third goal came and that was it. The last 10-15 minutes was played like a practice game as United could have probably had more goals if they wanted but just kept their shape and discipline. Oxford never really even looked like getting a consolation. I was surprised at how poor the visitors were as Wilder has done a superb job and got them up into league two and maybe even pushing for league one. I felt they had a real chance of an upset especially after United’s recent results and how we struggled so badly against Bradford but it was never really a contest and it was a game the home side coasted really.
Simonsen 7/10 – Had little to nothing to do all game but everything he did he did well. Made a save from a header but cannot recall another save of note all game and barely had any touches. However what he did do he coped with well and more than anything he seemed to be more commanding in terms of general play; often being 5-10 yards further forward when the ball came near him meaning he commanded and directed his box better. Took some routine crosses and balls forward and seemed a lot more confident. Good to see.
Lowton 7.5/10 – Much better performance and he looked like the Lowton of last season and of early stages of this campaign. Defended well although given little in the way of things to do as Oxford did not seem to have anyone play directly wide left. He took advantage and got forward at every opportunity. Involved in some of our best attacks and often he marauded down the wing to allow others to move into gaps in other areas, such as Williamson or Evans. Put in 2 or 3 tremendous crosses that ought to have been converted and looked a real threat down the right flank. Would definitely consider playing him further up the field, if we had a right back of note in the remainder of the squad.
Williams 7/10 – Solid enough and tried to get forward when he could. Did nothing significantly wrong and like the other defenders he snuffed out a pitiful attack fairly comfortably. He started well when he came on loan but has gone off the boil in recent weeks. When he is on form he looks a good defender but needs to cut out the moments of indecision. Today he was fine.
Maguire 7/10 – A better game than in recent weeks. I still feel he needs a rest and is being played to death at the moment but he stuck to the basics today and even by just heading and kicking it out he helped limit the chances to the opponents. Reacted to a grapple by their man and raised his hands and was a bit fortunate to escape any action. Still feel against pacy players and even stronger players he gets exposed and is a long way off being comfortable but hopefully Morgan can be back soon and give him a bit of a break.
Collins 7/10 – Solid performance where he headed/cleared the basics and mopped up necessary. Covered well and limited Oxford or his attacker to any kind of chances. He had been ok this season and I feel with better players around him he would be acceptable at this level but his mistakes get magnified as they often lead directly to goals. He has been much better this season though and become respectable.
Doyle 6/10 - A performance that was improved from the other night where he was wretched but he was still quite mediocre. Sure he won a few tackles and scraps but overall he was quite poor and his touch and passing was a mixture of fairly decent to awful. He never puts any great balls out, has no efforts on goal and never looks in control of the football. Just a ratter but without the energy and fitness of Montgomery. Maybe I am being too harsh as we did control the midfield but Oxford were dire and I felt against better teams these two would get badly exposed (Stevenage for instance last week).
Montgomery 6.5/10 – His performance was a microcosm of much of his Sheffield United career. Some tremendous tackles, blocks and covering runs allied to superb work ethic and closing down. At times he made a few nice and simple balls but all often much of the good work was undone by hopeless and misdirected passing into touch, behind players or straight to the opposition. He covered well for Lowton at times who almost had free licence to go forward. Monty will never change but still in game like this is more of a positive than negative and helped us win and have far more of the ball in the key midfield area.
Williamson 6.5/10 – Up and down game. At times he looked good and was involved in all the excellent things we did but then his touch was off and he gave the ball away. He put in a few good balls and then was wasteful on occasions too. He actually came to life in the second half after the incident where he got involved by retaliating after a bad challenge on him. He then put an excellent cross in, had a few good runs and seemed to have the bit between his teeth. However, he also seemed on the edge in terms of putting in a bad challenge and I feared he may get sent off. Was rightly taken off I felt and after a lot of bad changes by Wilson in recent times. This was a good one.
Quinn 5/10 – Carried on his ineffective and generally disinterested performances. He did a few decent things but his touch and passing was not crisp and I felt he was not in the game for long periods. There were a few moments and I recall one move where he played it and then dummied before shooting at keeper with his right foot. After this he did not do much and then got injured; seemed to have ball kicked at him and then got another knock. Did not seem that serious but was enough for him to hobble off and be replaced by Flynn.
Evans 8/10 – Excellent and the stand out player on the pitch. Scored two excellent goals; the first a firm finish when the ball dropped and then a free kick that was a carbon copy of the goal last week against Stevenage. After this he could have easily had another 3 or 4 goals with a few debatable offside decisions and also the keeper making some decent saves. Outside of his efforts on goals, his work rate and link play was good and his touch was far better than in the week. Frustrating that he can look a class above as he did today and then other times he can look so disinterested and so poor. Very inconsistent player who on his day is easily a higher level Championship player but on a bad day looks like a bottom division player.
Cresswell 7/10 – He did work hard today and even at the end was still chasing defender and closing the keeper down. Credit to him for him for that. However, his actual play was inconsistent again and his first touch was very up and down. He linked with Evans a bit better and at least it looked like we had a partnership today which has not been the case in recent weeks. He still gives away daft fouls or makes bad decisions with the ball for such an experienced front man. Also his penchant for forever going to ground frustratingly continued. Fair play for his effort and actually getting close to Evans today though and this made them hard to play against.
Subs
Flynn – After a poor start to the season he has shown glimpses from the bench and today was the same and seems to be at least putting himself about and getting on the ball. Played wide left. Scored a goal, was unlucky to poke just wide from Lowton’s cross and had another chipped effort that had the keeper scrambling back to save. Was involved a lot considering the time he was on. Hopefully he can push for a start and offer us something different in terms of a bit of pace, zip and crossing ability.
McAllister – Good to see him back as he has been unfairly left out of things for me after a decent few games earlier in the season. He has a football brain and I feel offers us something different in that he can shoot and can get goals from midfield. Did not do too much in the time he was on but was given limited time to make much of an impact.
Officials – It was a nothing game to referee and he did his job with the minimum of fuss. The only flash points came with an incident between Maguire and the centre forward which was no more than hand bags but other refs may have reached for cards of some colours. Williamson was then hit with a bad tackle and reacted by lashing out. Again other referees could have sent both players off but he did not even give them a yellow card. After all that he rightly booked an Oxford player for a wild lash out near the touchline but then cautioned Evans for being hit by a ball from the keeper when he was adjudged not to have retreated 10 yards when he barely had time to get out of the way. It must have annoyed Evans when the big centre half had clattered him at least 5 or 6 times and somehow escaped a yellow card. Good to see him overturn a thrown in to us when Quinn too forever although not sure whether it is technically in the rules you can actually do this. Surely you book the player but cannot give the decision the other way? Maybe you can but the comparison is that it is like a player taking too long over a free kick and the referee giving a free kick to the other team?
Crowd/Atmosphere – Very flat. Obviously with just less than 8,000 there and only 2 stands open for the home fans and the Kop being closed, it was not going to be raucous! The John Street stand had hardly anyone in it too. Credit to the oxford fans who supported their team well and even at 3-0 down, the 1,500-1,800 who came were very vocal and supported their team in good spirits with excellent noise and humour. They deserved better than the shocking display their side put in and although they will have enjoyed their day out, they must have expected a bit better from their team.
