Somehow despite our bright start to the season, we now found ourselves looking down, rather than up, the division. Only four points now separated us from the relegation zone. Our visitors today were our friends from down the A43, Northampton Town. Judging from the huge numbers of men kitted out in luminous jackets that were patrolling the Kassam, you would have thought that we were playing Luton Town. Northampton Town, to put in mildly, are not the fiercest of football clubs. During the ninety minutes, no bellowing chants were aimed at the Oxford faithful. Indeed, the Cobblers barely broke into a smattering of applause.
With fans still finishing their meat pies and putting adventurous bets on Oxford thrashing our opponents (sorry fat man in the blue fleece but we were never going to win 5-0), we went 1-0 up. Some questionable defending by the Northampton left-back, Liam Davis, allowed James Constable to turn and thrash the ball across the box. Northampton were unable to clear the ball, leaving Alfie Potter to turn and tuck the ball away with his left foot. Davis was to have a torrid afternoon, as he was run ragged by our wing wizard, Potter. He was one of those players who occasionally take to the Kassam turf that make me wonder just how exactly he ever made it as a professional footballer. He was clumsy, uncomfortable on the ball and unable to defend. Indeed, the lad appeared to possess no footballing attributes. Unfortunately, I have said the same about a number of players who have pulled on the yellow shirt too. Emiliano Diaz springs to mind.
After racing into an early lead, Oxford went into their shell, allowing Northampton back in the game. Eventually, their pressure told after a clever move was finished by ex-Premiership, ex-chest baring striker Leon McKenzie for his fourth goal in two games. The Northampton fans even got a little bit excited at this moment and a chant of ‘Leon, Leon, Leon!’ went up. Oh, how original.
The rest of the half was an end to end, exciting encounter. Both sides looked threatening when attacking and brittle defensively. With one minute left on the clock, we were awarded a free-kick. I was not overly hopeful. I had not seen Oxford score a direct free-kick since a Dean Whitehead wonder goal at home to Darlington. He has since made his name in the Premiership. As Josh Payne stepped up and curled a sumptuous shot past the helpless goalkeeper, my brother and I thus shared the same astonished expression before being mobbed by spotty teenagers in yellow shirts and beanie hats.
The second half was not quite as enthralling as the first. Oxford seemed terrified of conceding a goal after two defeats, whereas Northampton appeared equally as terrified of pushing forward to try and score one. As the game drifted into an ugly encounter with heavy touches, high punts into the cold autumnal breeze and late challenges, the crowd decided to turn their attention to one figure: the referee. This is quite common at football matches all over the country. If the match is becoming a nothing spectacle, shout and scream at the referee (and his assistants). After a blatant foul on captain ‘Beano’ was not given, that was it for the men behind me. That was enough. The referee quickly became ‘a cunt, a wanker and a short arsed tosser’ in the space of a minute. Similar abuse was levelled at the poor gentleman for the remainder of the game.
Thankfully for Mr. Tierney (and his assistants), Northampton failed to make the most of a couple of chances at the death that could have turned the men’s anger behind me to uncontrollable rage. Instead, on the break substitute Matt Green raced clear before feeding fellow sub Simon Clist in the area. Clist was hauled down, Mr. Tierney awarded a penalty (that calmed down the men) and from the resulting spot-kick Tom Craddock put the match out of reach.
By no means our most convincing performance of the season, but certainly the confidence boost Oxford United needed before our appetising away game next week away at the league giants, Bradford City.
