Millers Crossing

Saturday, 12th February 2011.
nPower League Two
OUFC 2 Rotherham United 1


The U's are going up! The U's are going up! And now you're gonna believe us...etc., etc.

You start thinking it might actually be our year when things start dropping in our favour. Yes we battered Rotherham at times in that 2nd half, but we might have even ended up coming away with nothing thanks to an annoyingly fine display from a 70-year old man in the Rotherham goal and the inability of Le Fondre to put away a gilt-edged chance with minutes to spare.

You could point to bad luck in that we should have been coasting with 20mins to go, especially after the two one-on-ones that Beano failed to finish from. But it was beginning to look like 'one of those days' as shot after shot was either squandered or turned wide by the liver-spotted hand of Andy Warrington. Some of his reaction saves in that second half were first class in fact, and as great an advert for the beneficial affects of Cod Liver Oil pills as you are likely to find.

The Rotherham keeper claims another loose ball

So well was the old-timer playing in fact that it looked like he'd kept out MacLean's penalty with another fine reaction save. Luckily, the luck was with the lucky boys, and as he seemed to explain to Big Steve whilst waiting for a corner delivery shortly afterwards, the ball caught him on the inside of his wrist. Bad luck old feller, good luck Oxford. 2-1.
Anyway I've babbled too much about the actual game - I'm sure most people reading this are more interested in what I got up to before and after the game, aren't you?

Well I'm going to tell you anyway.

No drive up the M40 this week as I'd spent Friday night at the in-laws in Reading, so it was a relaxing country drive up the A4074 instead. I love that road. I used to do it every day for a number of years when I lived in Oxford and worked in Henley and still know the position of every bend and pot-hole on the stretch between Nuneham Courtney and Crowmarsh Gifford. One of the potholes near Benson has got a little bigger in the past few years though, so my efforts to drive round it by memory alone without reducing my speed saw me slam my front wheels in to the corner of the hole and nearly lose control and end up in an adjacent field. Luckily, the luck was smiling on the lucky today, as already established. So instead I just soiled myself slightly and decided to be a bit more careful, and perhaps stop for some wet-wipes at the next garage.

After my normal pre-match pint in the Blackbird, I took leave of my senses and didn't go to Branos for a spicy chicken burger. For some reason, I decided to go elsewhere. It might have been that I just felt like a change. It might have been that it seemed like too much effort to walk out of my way on this occasion. Or it might have been the fact that at the last game I seemed to contract a mild dose of food poisoning (which might or might not have been down to the spicy chicken burger, my legal advisors have asked me to point out) and I didn't fancy an afternoon on the toilets in the Kassam.

So I thought I'd play it safe and check out the fishcakes on offer at the Fish & Chip shop. I'm afraid the fishcake wasn't as good as the one from Gillingham last weekend, and my request to have extra vinegar on the chips seemed to have been taken that I would like to eat a vinegar soup with chip croutons.

I'll be honest - these establishments are never going to get into the Egon Ronay guides unless they listen more attentively to their customers.

Fishcake & Chips: Vinegary.

My heart screaming at me to cease digesting the acidic broth, I eventually stumbled down to the ground and into another exciting footballing adventure.

Once again, the excitement was mostly in the last 20mins and consisted yet again of Oxford failing to do it the easy way and keeping us with squeaky bums right up until the final whistle - but we did it again, another 3 points and a great performance.

I hate to focus too much on the game itself when there is so much fast-food based content to spew out at you, but I must tell you that I am very excited about the new lad Hackney. Looked a touch of class when he came on, terrorised their back line with his pace and could be a very effective impact partnership with Potter, especially if brought on together for the last 30 minutes.

Still early days and of course Wilder will be judged on the end of season rather than mid-Feb position, but how many people at the moment look as though they might be eating their words about the players he's let go compared to what he's brought in to replace them?

It's looking pretty good right now, don't you think?