ALAN Hodgkinson admitted that he was impressed with Asa Hall’s performance in goal for Oxford on Tuesday night.
But the club’s goalkeeping coach said that he couldn’t take any of the credit for the midfielder’s display between the sticks – as he has never had the chance to work with him!
Following the early red card for Wayne Brown, Hall donned the goalkeeper’s shirt and gloves.
However, his first action of the game was see the ball hit the back of the net after Ryan Hall’s free-kick sailed in.
Hodgkinson believes, however, that had that free-kick come in the second half, Hall would have saved it.
“Asa did very well,” he said.
“It was just a shame that the free-kick was the first thing he had to deal with.
“Had it been later, I believe that he would have saved it as his positioning would have been much better.
“I said to him at half-time that he just keeps needing to do the simple things – and he did that.”
And what of Brown’s sending-off?
“Wayne was unlucky,” he said.
“I have seen referees show just a yellow card for that, but I believe that when the away fans started chanting ‘off, off, off’ and then the Southend players went all around the referee he has changed his mind from a yellow to a red card.”
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