Michael Collins rued an offside flag and a moment of magic from Jason Koumas which combined to deny Oxford United victory in the FA Cup second round.

A 2-2 draw with Tranmere Rovers at the Kassam Stadium means the sides will meet in a replay at Prenton Park next week for the right to progress.

For United it was a disappointing result after the way they had shrugged off a sluggish first half display to lead 2-1, thanks to Tyrone Barnett’s double either side of the hour mark.

Collins felt the key spell came in the space of two minutes, during which Danny Hylton had a goal disallowed and Koumas curled in an equaliser.

  •  Our top stories

The midfielder, who had the shot which was parried to Hylton, felt aggrieved after being told by a member of the United coaching staff who had reviewed the footage.

He said: “I’ve been told that Hylts’s goal was onside.

“I think that would’ve put the game to bed and I’d have backed us then to maybe nick another one or two, but it wasn’t to be.”

And while Collins felt hard done by, he also praised the stylish finish from the former Wales international.

“There was a 20-minute spell where I thought we were going to really put the game to bed, but Koumas has produced a little bit of magic,” he said.

“Even though he’s a bit older now he’s still got that bit of class about him.

“Sometimes you hold your hands up to a goal like that.”

Collins admitted United’s players needed the interval to regroup after falling short in the first half.

He said: “The main thing was upping the tempo five or ten per cent.

“It’s a little bit disappointing that we needed the break to do that, we should’ve been able to do it out on the pitch.

“But we did it, got a foothold in the game and for me there was only ever going to be one winner, so it’s extra disappointing to be stood here talking about a replay when we should be talking about the potential of who we get in the next round.”

Meanwhile, the winners of the Oxford United v Tranmere Rovers replay will find out tonight who they will face in the FA Cup third round.

All eyes will be on ball 45 in the draw, which is being shown live on BBC 2 (7pm).
A mouth-watering tie is possible, with Premier League and Sky Bet Championship clubs entering the competiton.

  •  Do you want alerts delivered straight to your phone via our WhatsApp service? Text NEWS or SPORT or NEWS AND SPORT, depending on which services you want, and your full name to 07767 417704. Save our number into your phone’s contacts as Oxford Mail WhatsApp and ensure you have WhatsApp installed.