Oxford United 0, Watford 0 IF OXFORD United's health was deemed to be in a serious state after they failed to beat Huddersfield at home last Tuesday, then this was definitely not what the doctor ordered.

A point was of little good to either side, with Watford needing to win to re-establish their play-off credentials and Oxford desperate for a victory as they continue to look over their shoulder at the relegation places.

It was a dreadful game. The teams largely cancelled each other out, one being as bad as the other in a scrappy encounter centred mainly around the centre circle, and, judging by this offering from the Manor Ground on Saturday, it's doubtful whether either club will achieve their ambition.

United's big hope is surely that the three clubs below them, currently occupying the bottom three places, are simply so poor that they won't accumulate enough points to overhaul them.

But even that premise was open to question with Crewe winning 2-1 at Swindon. If Crewe beat Grimsby at Gresty Road tomorrow night, they would leap over Oxford by beating them next Saturday.

United fans were wondering, from the moment Dean Windass joined Bradford, where their goals were going to come from. In this game, strikers Andy Thomson and Matt Murphy looked to be second division at best. Watford, who have not lost at the Manor for 25 years, really should have scored in only the second minute.

Les Robinson, trying to play the offside trap, was caught out and Tommy Smith had a clear run on goal from Paul Robinson's pass. Luckily for the home side, he shot wide.

The U's were then very grateful to on-loan keeper Paul Gerrard who just got his foot to the ball to knock it on when Smith again raced through the middle and tried to go around him. Phil Gilchrist and Paul Powell mopped up the danger.

Most of United's first-half efforts were from long range and lacked the power of some of the Under 11s who battled it out on the pitch before kick-off.

Thomson produced a rare moment of skill by bringing the ball instantly under control before sending a dipping, curling shot just over the bar from 18 yards.

With both sides patently lacking confidence and the strikers off form, the full backs seemed to believe they stood as good a chance as anyone of finding the net, and first Watford's Darren Bazeley then Oxford's Paul Powell tested the keepers with low shots after strong runs. Jamie Cook volleyed over after Mark Watson had won a header at a corner as a dire first half petered out.

Attacking down the slope in the second, United showed a bit more passion and urgency but there was precious little good football.

Cook bravely headed the ball on when a defender's boot came in head high as he latched on to an up-and-under from Joey Beauchamp that Eddie Waring would have been proud of.

Les Robinson got away with pushing down on Tommy Mooney's shoulders as he headed away a right-wing cross. Watford fans behind the goal in the Cuckoo Lane end screamed for a penalty, but the referee, who missed most things, ignored their pleas.

The one moment of class in the game came on 69 minutes when Peter Kennedy broke through the inside left channel and blasted in a ferocious angled drive, only for Gerrard to knock it away with a great one-arm save. United sent on Kevin Francis for the final 18 minutes as they searched for the goal that would have settled it.

But Watford went closer, only a fine saving challenge by Watson stopping substitute Johan Gudmundsson, and Gerrard standing up well to beat out a 15-yard shot from Mica Hyde.

In the final minute, Watford keeper Alec Chamberlain reached up high to save a flicked back-header from Francis, like most of United's efforts, it hardly tested the keeper.

Story date: Monday 15 March

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