Oxford University Association Football Club

Gritty display as Oxford win again

Blues 4-2 Nottingham Trent University 1st

A gritty display from the Blues saw them record their third consecutive win in their BUCS league against a physical Nottingham Trent side. Two goals from Kunal Desai and Sam Hall were enough to earn Oxford a 4-2 win in what turned into an ugly contest at the end with both sides feeling the referee was not offering protection against progressively worse fouls. The game started at a frantic tempo, and it was Oxford who took an extremely early lead after good work down the left between Tim Squires and Alex Toogood. A chipped cross from Toogood found Hall, who had timed his run from midfield perfectly. He found the space to chest the ball down, before volleying beyond the ‘keeper to give the Blues an ideal start.
However it seemed that this start had lead to a bit of complacency, and Oxford were soon facing a barrage of corner-kicks as Nottingham Trent piled on the pressure. The Blues were grateful for some last-ditch tackles from both Tom Wherry and Leon Farr as they struggled to contain a resurgent opposition, whilst Tom Orphin-Massey was booked for a cynical challenge on the edge of the area. The writing had been on the wall for a while, and Nottingham Trent finally equalised, capitalising on indecision between ‘keeper Dwayne Whylly and centre backs Orphin-Massey and Wherry, as their striker was able to latch onto an innocuous ball forward, before calmly slotting the ball over the head of Whylly.
This seemed to rejuvenate Nottingham Trent and they began to dominate both possession and chances, with ‘keeper Whylly forced into a number of relatively comfortable saves as the half wore on. Midfielder Cameron Knight was booked for a late tackle as Oxford began to become frustrated and chase the ball, in doing so compounding their problems and allowing the opposition found more space within the Oxford half. However Oxford were grateful for the half-time whistle and went in with the scores at 1-1, perhaps feeling lucky not to be behind.
The team-talk at half-time obviously did the job as Oxford came out of the blocks quickly and retook the lead again within 5 minutes. A sweeping cross-field ball from McCrickerd was misjudged by both central defenders and allowed Desai the opportunity to calmly slot the ball past the ‘keeper. This time there was no element of complacency to be seen, and Oxford started to find more room in the middle of the park as the opposition began to tire. Good work from Farr and McCrickerd released Toogood down the right, and his floated ball in was finished with style by Desai as his diving header secured his second goal of the day.
This doubling of Oxford’s lead seemed to be a signal to the opposition to become notably more physical, and rash challenges were seen across the pitch, with the referee offering little protection. However the referee’s insistence to try and keep the game flowing was rewarded when Oxford were able to use an advantage given by the referee to further their lead. After Toogood had fed James Kelly, the winger was fouled on the edge of the area in a dangerous position but had already passed the ball to Hall. Hall did the rest, and a curling shot from 25 yards left the ‘keeper motion-less, and a jubilant Oxford side preparing for another home win.
Further good chances were spurned Oxford as they looked to put the game beyond doubt, but Nottingham Trent continued to have chances, although Whylly was rarely tested properly. As so often happens in football games when a side has a dominant league, the losing side turns to violence, and with just 15 minutes to go Nottingham Trent were reduced to 10 men after a wild lunge by their central midfielder on Kelly after the play had been stopped saw him given a deserved red card. The game threatened to turn into a farce as the yellow cards flowed freely with Toogood booked for a late challenge, and three opposition players also booked inside 10 minutes.

Oxford were given a scare as their lead was reduced to two, with a dangerous ball headed into the top corner by captain Wherry for a spectacular own goal. However Oxford were able to stand strong and finish the game off, with substitutes Flood, Weston and Mayou again providing fresh legs which saw the Blues through to their third consecutive win, which have all come against teams considered potential league challengers.

Skipper Wherry was delighted with his team’s performance, “particularly as this style of win was different to the previous two. It was a hard fought game and we really had to stick up for ourselves. Sometimes teams come to Iffley Road to bully what they perceive will be a weak Oxford side, but we showed that we can compete on this level, and then showed the ability to beat them for quality on the ball, scoring four very good goals.”