Troubling times these for the Us as the team's hard work earlier in the season begins to unravel. The Oxford Utd which started with both drive and organisation seems to have lost its way in both these areas. The absence of some of the stalwart players of early days seems to have had a major impact on the team.
This was a second rate performance by the team, most of whose members were second to the ball against a strong Kettering side. It was a shame for the game that Kettering felt they had to resort quite so often to climbing all over the Oxford players and there were one or two very dangerous challenges by Kettering players which could have been nasty but that aside they played with belief and deserved their point.
As for Oxford, they struggled and they simply didn't give the impression that they were going to win throughout the game, which was at least an enjoyably end-to-end one. The problem in many games has been the lack of service for the strikers but of late it seems to me that the problem has been the failure to take simple chances to put the round thing between the wooden sticks. More than once in this game Oxford had players in the area in great positions but the ball was instead played back, sometimes to the halfway line before another slow build up which the energetic Kettering often broke up.
Now, I don't like criticism of the team as they work hard for 90 minutes and I'd last about 3 at the same pace. Plus I doubt I could score a goal if I was a yard out with all the other players at the other end of the pitch but, put plainly, the team which played yesterday was not a promotion-winning outfit. They lack belief and someone in the role the excellent Adam Murray performed for us of acting as someone to play around and someone to shout at them when things weren't going well. They urgently need to get this back.
Why not have a punt at Sam Deering as captain? There is no doubt he gives 100% throughout the game and he threatens the opposition constantly. We could do a lot worse. Similarly Frannie Green stood out from the others through his sheer application and ability to challenge and create chances. Why not give him a go?
The other thing the team needs is simply to lose its fear of having a shot at goal. Common sense suggests that the more the ball goes towards the goal the more times it will reach it. Oh Beano, where art thou?!
Finally, I have just received a postcard inviting me to renew my season ticket for next year. I'd love to do so but I'm not sure I could face another winter surrounded by the miserable whingers around me, including one whose idea of intelligent comment involved words of one syllable beginning with 'f' which I had to spend the match warning my eight year old son not to repeat on pain of severe action. He of course thought it was hilarious...
For the record the referee did know what he was doing, he did call most of the decisions reasonably well and he had a fair game. Not every tackle by a Kettering player on an Oxford player deserved a yellow card or a sending off and not every challenge by an Oxford player was right and proper. Every time I go just lately I wonder why some of my neighbours bother to turn up if all they are going to do is hurl abuse at the ref and slag off their team.
As my son pointed out at the disappointing end to yesterday's game, showing a lot more maturity than many there, Oxford are still second and they didn't lose yesterday. At the very least there is no doubt that this season is going to be a thriller as it draws to a close and the away game at Stevenage is likely to be a classic. All we need to do is win it.
