Weekly Round-Up
It was a case of more games and more goals across the board at Oxford United as the women scored seven and the men bounced back from a midweek defeat to impress in their win on Saturday.
The month kicked off with a tricky away trip to Portsmouth on Tuesday night. Marcus Browne gave the Us the dream start when he opened the scoring inside three minutes and the visitors looked comfortable in their lead until the very end of the first half. That was when things started to go wrong for Oxford as Sean Raggett equalised on the 42-minute mark and George Hirst sent Fratton Park into raptures in added time. Hayden Carter put the game beyond a capable-looking Oxford side before the hour mark and a Luke McNally goal with nine minutes to go proved to only be a consolation.
The mood at the final whistle couldn’t have contrasted more with the women’s game the next evening if it had tried! Fans at Court Place Farm bore witness to a simply sensational Oxford performance as they ran out 7-0 winners over Hounslow and went top of the league for the first time this season. Both Beth Lumsden and Carly Johns scored hattricks and Wallace added to the tally to finally put United in pole position to win the title and keep their chase for promotion alive.
The men took inspiration from that performance on Saturday as they returned to the Kassam and brushed aside Burton Albion in a 4-1 win. Sam Baldock scored a brace and Gavin Whyte and Matty Taylor both netted in a crazy first half. Burton pulled one back in added time before the break to give them half a hope but the game petered out in the second half and it finished 4-1.
So, as the week comes to a close, the women sit top of the league and will welcome promotion rivals Southampton to Court Place on Wednesday. The men stay fourth, four points clear of Wycombe below them, as they look to solidify their playoff push with a trip to struggling Shrewsbury on Saturday.
Match Report: Oxford United 4-1 Burton Albion
Oxford United got back to winning ways at the Kassam with a sensational first-half performance that set up a 4-1 win over Burton Albion.
Jimmy Floyd Hasslebank’s side were on the back foot from the get-go and it only took seven minutes for Sam Baldock to prove Oxford’s class. Herbie Kane found him in the box and he headed home with composure to open the scoring.
United were made to wait for their second goal as Baldock saw one ruled out for offside and the Yellows continued to plough forward, piling on the pressure. That pressure told after 35 minutes as Gavin Whyte slammed home a 25-yard-screamer to double the lead.
The third came just five minutes later as Baldock tapped home from another cross, this time courtesy of the sensational Luke McNally.
Image: Darrell Fisher
