LEAGUE TWO FOOTBALL AT ITS BEST (WITH THE ASSOCIATED OFFICIALS AT THEIR WORST)

Early Start

Given the anticipated larger than usual crowd and nature of the opposition, we set out early and by 13:10 were parked up in Grenoble Road pointing towards Garsington. It seemed like a good idea at the time, particularly as we were still some way from the Stadium. The radio commentary of the North London derby provided the entertainment for almost an hour until Radio Oxford sport came on as we observed a steady stream of fans walking towards the delights of the Kassam. It was noticeable that for every Oxford fan there were four or five Hatters.

When we did eventually venture out ourselves, the dog shit horror was, as per normal, there to greet us. Come on dog wardens do your job please. The dogs have done theirs which should make yours quite easy, shouldn’t it?

But we’re wise to this now and can shimmy round the offending articles.

Luton Fans

There are plenty of things that I could write about Luton and some of their fans but today, based on what I saw and heard, I’m just going to be complimentary.

They turned up in numbers, as expected. It’s their first season back in the League and they still have the momentum they brought up with them; a momentum which could well take them up again, automatically. That’s something we were nowhere near achieving when we returned. They are a big team for this level of football. But so are Portsmouth and Plymouth and, we’d like to claim, so are we.

Jim Hunt

The reason I’m so full of praise for the travellers is the impeccable way they were part of the sixty seconds of applause for Jim Hunt who sadly passed away last week. He was an integral part of OUFC in the ‘70’s and 80’s and beyond; Supporters Club Secretary, Football Club Secretary, and Director. We knew, Luton fans didn’t, but they applauded with us because it was all about football and roots and identity and paths taken to end up where we then stood, clapping.

Pitch

Some turned up blissfully unaware that there had been an inspection at 11:30. Yes, why would you expect one? The weather had not been particularly bad for February and the overnight frost was known about beforehand. Rugby, anyone? And the hilariously meaningless season London Welsh are having?

But stop it. The game was on. The pitch was probably in better nick than Stevenage’s last week and they don’t have scrummages to contend with.
If I remember correctly the Kassam playing surface was designed with the objective of having both round and oval ball kicked and slung around on it. Any problems are likely to be around routine maintenance and upkeep as much as anything else with the penny pinching factor ruling much of what (doesn’t) take place.

But perhaps I’m being unfair. Any winter viewing of the Football League show provides proof of some other really poor playing surfaces. Blackpool springs to mind. And dipping back to the Big Match Revisited brings on a scratch of the head and a “did they really play on that?” Derby’s Baseball Ground really did exist.

Whilst wanting the ball to run as truly and evenly as possible I certainly don’t want to see homogenised artificial surfaces that are the same week in week out at ground after ground and play in the same fashion each and every time. It makes for greater interest if the test faced each week has more variants involved. How boring would it be otherwise?

Another reason for my opinion here may be that these more churned up parks have at last brought about a change in our tactics, a change that I think has been long overdue and if we stick with it will move me from the anti to pro-Mapp camp.

Idiocy

One of the post match texts to Radio Oxford declared, “That should get the idiots off Michael Appleton’s back”. I do think that this performance, when added to that at the Lamex, should get people off Mapp’s back. However I also believe that in the period stretching from a few weeks into the season – it’s fair to give everyone a chance – until last Saturday, when we were largely playing short passes, going sideways, backwards, nowhere fast, with a softness that sat ill against hardened cynical professionals, managed by hardened cynical managers, the criticism aimed Mapp’s way was well justified. To deem anyone with such views an idiot is, well, idiocy.

The new Oxford United FC

I really hope this is not a premature declaration. If it is not I genuinely believe the only way is up. Gone was the meaningless tippy tappy at the back stuff. Yes, we still did it at times but at the right times and mainly with the objective of moving forward at the earliest sensible opportunity. We still played a passing game further up field but there were more long balls played than previously and when players are battling to win them and the team are on the front foot there’s a much better than 50/50 chance of retaining possession. We also ran more with the ball and whilst doing all this did not look noticeably flimsy at the back.

Ignoring the fact that I might have been caught up in a match with, for once, a proper football atmosphere in the stands, for the first time in years I would now encourage the part-timers to return. In the last few years of Chris Wilder with the drab functional displays I couldn’t do that. Under our latest coach until now with our (allegedly) pretty passing football that had little end product I couldn’t do that.

The match

This contest ebbed and flowed with time passing quickly which is not something that can be said about many days out at the Kassam.

Luton started the brighter but we were not to be bowed and soon were giving as good as we got, if not marginally the better.

I could see why our opponents were comfortably in a play-off spot but they were too dirty and niggly for my liking. (I’m beginning to feel I’m saying this about every team we come up against but I genuinely believe we under-employ the dark and nasty arts when compared to others.) Countless times there were pushes and shoves to prevent a clean strike of the ball by a man in yellow. Yes, it is a man’s game but breaking the rules is breaking the rules. All within clear visual range of the officials. One of our centre halves had a hand deliberately shoved in his face, giving the guy he was marking a split second advantage in the jump with the linesman staring straight at the incident. Nothing given.

Referee Richard Clark didn’t seem to be able to differentiate between a really nasty challenge and a genuine hard but fair winning of the ball. Richard Brindley could have had his leg snapped but all we got was a free-kick. Sam Long on the other hand I thought won the ball fairly and squarely on, which was the reason the Luton player went up, over and down. A yellow card resulted.

Naturally, I’m probably biased. A mate thought the referee, whilst being terrible, didn’t appear to favour either side and another view was that the Long challenge was a potential leg breaker. So there you have it.

Another non- blowing of the whistle that got us riled was when Danny Hylton was shoved in the back and to the floor in the lead up to their goal. The view from the stands was without question 100% a free-kick. The view of the referee was something I can’t explain.

That however is no excuse for a piece of poor defending which was a rare occurrence on the day. Josh Ruffels was too easily beaten and Johnny Mullins clearance would have been more effective if Jake Wright had not got in his way. The shot that subsequently came in was going well wide until a foot was stuck out and despite a very stretchy effort from Ryan Clarke to keep it out we were, rather unluckily, one down.

We knew we were playing well and heads didn’t drop. Back we came and just before half time had deservedly equalised. When a ball into the box from Michael Collins fell to Mullins he took one touch before finishing as a striker should. Not bad for a centre-half.

It was a shame he couldn’t do the same in the second half when he really should have buried a header. This came during a period of play where we exerted sustained pressure the likes of which I can’t recall us doing for years. I can’t describe how good this felt.

A second goal proved elusive for both sides. Being honest our first goal should have been our second. After Hylton had taken the ball expertly on his chest he sent Patrick Hoban away. Our Irish striker should really have done better. I don’t dislike him and am expecting that better things will come but have not interpreted what I’ve seen so far to be man of the match performances others have awarded him. I thought he lacked a little bit of sharpness as he headed for goal and a lack of awareness as he got a shot away that was easily saved. If he’d passed to Hylton who had taken up a very good position the chances are that our leading scorer would have had another.

But overall I was really pleased with each and every player individually and the team as a unit. That was the feeling I had as the game was drawing to a close but it still sat a little uncomfortably that one slip and we would be pointless on the day.

That we did end up with a point was down to something rather incredible from our keeper. When Luton had that free-kick (one that probably shouldn’t have been awarded) a fraction outside the penalty area with the final whistle about to blow it’s only natural to fear the worst. The first save was a good one, diving to his right. An on rushing Luton player then had a tap in. Except he didn’t tap it in. The next bit is something of a blur. “How did he miss that?” “Was it off-side?” I think a goal kick may have been awarded. But, having recorded the FL Show and having watched it again in slo-mo I’ll go with the phenomenal save from Clarkey theory. We need heroes. Heroes are good for the football club.

Late Departure

Although it was another home game without a win I left happy and contented. That was until I got back to the car and found it wouldn’t start. Apparently listening to the radio for so long runs the battery down. I know that now. The AA man knew that. It didn’t take him long to get us moving again. And just for the record it only took him a matter of seconds to have stepped in a pile of dog shit.