Sunday 5 September 2010

First League Win

Three vital points, a much improved performance and a hat-trick from talisman, James Constable; Oxford United have got their season back on track.

I was sceptical of our opposition, Morecambe, from the outset. Their shirts were firstly sponsored by the skateboarding clothing brand, ‘Bench.’ Football and skateboarding are quite separate recreations. Let’s keep it that way.

Secondly, the away stand, made up of a hundred hardy souls, were seated the entire game. Having made the four hour drive to the Kassam, I expected to see some passion from the Morecambe faithful. However, when the game got underway, it quickly became clear why they had nothing to shout about. Morecambe were the worst team I have ever seen at the Kassam Stadium. Worse even than St. Albans. They were a shambles; disorganised, un-interested and quite frankly, incapable of keeping hold of the ball. To make matters worse for Morecambe their star player, Phil Jevons, had to be substituted in the first five minutes after clashing heads with Jake Wright.

As such, Oxford were given ample time on the ball and unlike last week’s game against Accrington, we were much better in possession and fizzed the ball around neatly at a high tempo. Last week I wrote how we lacked class in the midfield. No more. Enter Josh Payne, whom Chris Wilder has signed on loan from Doncaster for the month. As Jimmy Ryan had done for Accrington last week, Payne did for Oxford today. He was at the certain of everything, dictating the play and like all great football players, never looked rushed on the ball. He had an aura about him, and his quality showed in the fifteenth minute, where near the corner flag he jinxed past two defenders with an outrageous piece of skill rarely displayed in the lower leagues. Added to these attributes, he can also add a crunching tackle to his repertoire. At 19 years old, he has a bright future ahead of him.

Oxford were completely dominant. A goal was inevitable. What was not inevitable though, was a thirty-yard wonder strike from Simon Heslop that flew into the top right corner. As we roared in delight at the brilliance of a goal we normally have to settle for on Match of the Day, I shouted in Dad’s ear to retract his ‘carthorse’ comment from the previous week. He just laughed in astonished delight. Five minutes later, it was 2-0. A corner was met by the bald head of Constable who powered the ball into the roof of the net. A crucial first league goal from our most gifted goal scorer, valued asset and leader. The half time whistle blew and the Oxford fans rose to their feet. A very satisfactory showing.

The fast, free-flowing football that Oxford had produced in the first half was replaced at beginning of the second by the lethargic, sloppy sort that had been on display the previous week. The pressing game we had performed so effectively in the first half had disappeared. We backed off, allowing the woeful Morecambe team to grow in confidence. Bar a wonderful double-save from our fantastic goalkeeper, Ryan Clarke, Morecambe would have pulled a goal back.

However, this double-save kicked Oxford back into life, aided by the introduction of super-sub Alfie Potter and the tricky Sam Deering. Potter, typically, made an instant impact. He was first scythed down by Morecambe left-back Laurence Wilson, who was sent on his merry way by referee Brendan Malone for a second bookable offence. Off the resulting set-piece, the training ground routine worked a treat (though, not in the way that it was intended). The ball was squared to Payne, whose attempted shot was scuffed and rolled kindly to the feet of predator Constable to smash home. In the final minute, Potter turned the Morecambe defender inside out, before laying ‘Beano’ on a plate for his first football league hat-trick.

A crucial first win, but rest assured that there will be much sterner tests than Morecambe in the season ahead.