Oxford v Scunthorpe United

Saturday, August 14, 2004

Football League Two

Oxford :
Tardif, Ashton, Quinn (Parker 89), Molyneaux, MacKay, Wolleaston, Danny Brown (Hackett 59), Robinson, Mooney, Alsop (Basham 79), Bradbury
Subs not used:
Cox, Garner

Scunthorpe United :
Musselwhite, Stanton, Crosby, Butler, Ridley, Taylor, Baraclough, Kell (Sparrow 29), Beagrie, Hayes, Keogh (Bailey 79)
Subs not used:
Williams, Barwick, Evans

SULSESC REPORT

by Andy Skeels at The Kassam Stadium

THREE wins out of three to start the season would have been a new club record for the Iron in the Football League, and it has to be said that we were pretty close to it after this encouraging performance at the Kassam Stadium.

Only a week earlier, things had been looking rather bleak when we trailed Rochdale in the home opener with little more than 20 minutes to go. But three late goals transformed that match, the midweek victory at Cheltenham had raised spirits further and after a positive opening 45 minutes at Oxford, nine points out of nine was looking a distinct possibility.

There was no doubt that United were the better team in the first–half of this match, carving out a number of good chances. And with the bulk of the play taking place on Oxford's half of the pitch, we ought really to have had more to show for our efforts at half–time than Paul Hayes' solitary strike, a crisp finish after racing clear of the home defence.

Inevitably, Oxford came more into the picture in the second–half and equalised 10 minutes in when a dubious free–kick awarded for an alleged foul on the lanky Julian Alsop on the edge of the area was converted by Tommy Mooney with the aid of a deflection off the United wall.

Twice after that, Brian Laws' men could have snatched a winner, first when referee Fred Graham inexplicably refused a penalty appeal when Cleveland Taylor was clearly up–ended in the box by Oxford defender Matt Robinson, and then when Andy Crosby - making a swift return to his old club - somehow headed wide of the post in the closing minutes after connecting with an inswinging corner from Ian Baraclough.

While it was disappointing not to have won the game - which, on balance, we probably deserved to - surely everyone would have accepted seven points from the first nine at kick–off time only seven days earlier; and especially when we trailed Rochdale at 4.30 pm last Saturday!

There was plenty for the travelling SULSESC contingent to mull over afterwards in the Turf Tavern, not least of which the upcoming derby against Lincoln who, we were all happy to note, had just been beaten at home by Rushden & Diamonds.