Last week saw the Blues’s footballers dig deep to rescue a hard-won point against then table-toppers Coventry. In a season which has looked promising without truly sparkling so far, the squad will hope to build on an encouraging performance which drew attention to the character in this year’s team. With captain Jack Fletcher from Exeter still hampered by niggling injuries, and the prospect of this year’s new intake bedding in, Oxford University Association Football Club (OUAFC) should be looking good when the luck starts to go their way.
Last Wednesday Coventry thieved an early goal against the run of play and then consolidated, taking confidence from a controversial Oxford goal which was disallowed due to a somewhat questionable offside from Matt Smith. As half-time loomed OUAFC had the midlands side pinned in their own half but were unable to make this extra pressure tell before the referee blew for the half-time oranges.
The second half began in unfortunate fashion as a defensive mix-up from a goal-kick led to another Coventry goal which the balance of the game found hard to justify. However the Oxford team took going two down well, and centre-half Richard Smith – late of Harvard and Sunderland Academy – capitalised on a half-hearted punched clearance from the Coventry keeper to volley home in spectacular style. Evidently this was only half the battle though, and this was reflected as the cavalry arrived in the shape of recovering injury-victim Fletcher, who came on
for his first game of the season in a last roll of the OUAFC dice.
Gamble made, the Blues laid siege to the Coventry goal as full-time loomed – plenty of other battle related metaphors would appropriately describe their mentality at the point – but it looked like a forlorn hope as the opposition defence kept their lead intact. Deep into added time OUAFC won a last-ditch corner though, and Richard Smith was there to double his tally with a towering header, which, no doubt aided by his impressive 6’6” frame, nestled in the back of the net.
All told, whilst 2-2 was a result which Captain Fletcher described as “feeling like a win”, it could have been so much more after a cohesive and entertaining performance from the Oxford team. Fletcher summed it up saying that “so far it has been a stop-start season for us. We have lost two, drawn one and won one. But I think that the draw against Coventry, who were top of the league when we played them, could be a real catalyst for our season.” He went on to bullishly agree that “in the end a draw felt less than we deserved” before noting that “it’s been very frustrating on a personal level to have not been able to contribute this season and I am desperate to get back playing again as soon as I can.” Amen to that, as with a fully fit starting XI this OUAFC team could begin to fulfil its obvious potential and start tearing up trees in the British Universities and Colleges Sport League: I’m sure that the rest of the league campaign will not be lacking for passion.
