I don’t go along with those suggesting that today’s game was a ‘must win’. Far too early in the season for those. That said, it was a bloody important one to win (and for sure not to lose). The games against Southampton, Middlesbrough, Stoke and Coventry had sent the message that – at least if not at full strength and playing to our full potential – there are teams in this division better than us. We needed today to remind ourselves that there are a decent number who – by the same criteria – are worse than us, to renew our confidence in our ability to be competitive in the Championship – or to put it bluntly not to go back down. When you’re going into the game 19th in the league, albeit with a game or two in hand, the immediate priorities when coming up against one of the five below you are pretty obvious. Only problem was they’d have the same thoughts.
Glory be we got the win. It was deserved as through the game we created the real opportunities. If we’d taken the lead earlier in the game you’d have fancied us to go on and score more. As it was, with 10 minutes or so (20 as it proved given the stoppage time) we were still not in front, having not converted any of the chances. Whatever had happened before, if we failed to win, or worse conceded one and lost, we’d have had nobody to blame but ourselves. But we did get one and that proved to be enough.
For the team/squad the first question was the same as before: who will be back available? The answer was some good news, with Kelman back in the squad, but still no sign of the others. The indication from the club site ahead of the game was that it would be a back five in front of Kaminski – Gillesphey, Jones and Ramsay flanked by Bree and Apter as wing-backs. It would be Coventry, Anderson and Carey in midfield, with Docherty still on the bench, and Leaburn and Olaofe up front. Meant we would be holding our breath if any central defender went down, with Gough and Roussillon, both untried, the only defensive cover, while Apter at wing-back is always about whether his offensive capabilities can overcome unavoidable defensive shortfalls. No doubt Oxford would be aware of this.
Oxford did start more purposefully than us, winning a series of throws to enable the ball to be planted into our box and going pretty long to win them. We struggled to get anything going in the first 20 minutes, but as the game progressed we started to take control and to link up better in the final third. Leaburn started to win arial battles and some decent balls in were coming from both flanks.
It still took 30 minutes before we had our first real sight of goal. Ramsay broke up play on our right and played the ball on to Olaofe, who touched it on well for Bree to get on the end of. The shot was decent but from a narrow angle (with no other options available) and their keeper saved easily enough. A few minutes after that we really should have been ahead. We caught them on the hop and a ball was played square for Olaofe to run on the edge of the box. His first touch was heavy and it almost ran away from him. He did manage to get in the strike but too close to their keeper, only then for Carey to prod the rebound over the bar. Between them they should have scored. Our third opening came right at the end of the half as Carey burst into the box but shot just wide with their keeper having no chance.
At the break the stats showed that for once we’d had the majority of possession, 54/46, with seven efforts on goal (two on target) against their three (and one, a shot easily saved by Kaminski). We were rather frustrated not to be ahead, the objective being to continue as before only this time score; they will probably have felt reasonably pleased, being still in the game.
Like the first half, Oxford started brighter than us in the second. And for a period again of 10 minutes or so were on top and had moments when with a little more quality and composure in front of goal they might have taken the lead. It took a desperate intervention by Bree to prevent their guy from scoring on 52 minutes and one or two other balls into the box caused some panic.
However, like before we weathered that period and were soon back in control. Apter had a shot well saved, then a long ball into their box went over their defender’s head but Leaburn, perhaps taken by surprise, was unable to control it. And on 60 minutes we had Kelman on for Olaofe. On 63 minutes Bree and Casey caused trouble down the right, the low cross being put behind for a corner, then on 71 minutes Jones the Boss made more changes, with Docherty and Campbell coming on for Anderson and Apter (who’d done well enough attacking them but still looked like a fish out of water playing wing-back on the left side).
Almost immediately TC almost put us in front, cutting in from the wing and sending in the familiar curler, with just not quite enough curl on it to find the net. And finally, on 77 minutes, did get the all-important goal, one all about the substitutes. Campbell played the ball inside to Coventry, who returned it. TC played a deft ball in for Kelman. He took a touch to steady himself before firing a low shot into the far corner. It was the sort of finish we bought him for and something we’ve been badly missing of late.
That still left some time for Oxford to get back into it, and understandably they made changes to try to put the pressure on. We didn’t sit back as such, but were progressively in more defensive mode. Jones took one for the team with another yellow, then put in a great challenge to deny them. Ramsay, who’d gone down earlier in the half but managed to continue, went down again and this time there would be no chance of staying on (we dearly hope it won’t prove to be something serious). After some confusion Gough was, as before, lined up to replace him, only for the game to resume without him on the pitch. Kaminski went down holding his stomach and that bought the time to get him on.
We weren’t exactly thrilled to see the announcement of nine added minutes. But in truth we saw the game out well, avoiding any real scares, with Gough playing his part.
Now we can breathe more easily, looking back on the game and the post-match table. The Birmingham draw wouldn’t have been any turning point unless we won today. As it is we’ve won, for the first time in a while, and put points between us and the relegation zone. That’s all we could do today, so boxes ticked on all fronts, including a clean sheet – and the return of a forward that could make a big difference. We just have to hope that isn’t balanced by the loss of Ramsay for the games ahead.
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