United back in the mire

By JON MURRAY

THE combination of bad finishing and bad luck, so evident in Oxford United's midweek setback at Bury, continued at the Manor Ground on Saturday as they slipped to their second successive home defeat.

To say they were inept in front of goal would be to put it kindly and it needed their former goal ace Dean Saunders to show them the way to goal.

Deano, who left the Manor Ground for Derby in a £1m transfer ten years ago this week after 22 goals in 59 league games for the U's, scored Sheffield United's first-half goal and made a second for Belarus international Petr Katchouro in the second half.

Katchouro looked well offside, and Saunders confirmed as much later, but that was just one of several poor decisions by the officials. Nottingham referee Frazer Stretton made little allowance for the slippery conditions as he dished out seven yellow cards in a game that was seldom dirty.

After hours of heavy rain, Oxford United had received dozens of inquiries about whether the game would go ahead but, with the Manor's excellent drainage, it was never in doubt.

Malcolm Shotton kept with a three-man central defence, in the absence of the suspended Phil Gilchrist, and recalled Joey Beauchamp to the left flank.

And Beauchamp was immediately involved in setting up an early chance for Dean Windass, firing over a cross to the near post which Windass flicked over the bar with goalkeeper Andy Goram stranded.

Goram showed a reluctance to come for crosses which made him vulnerable at corners in the fierce wind as United put the visitors under pressure.

But a lapse of concentration at the back let in Ian Hamilton who reached the bye-line and cut the ball back to Saunders, completely unmarked, to side-foot into an empty net probably the easiest of the many goals he has scored at the Manor.

Oxford played some neat passing movements to generate attacks but nothing would go right in front of goal. When Simon Marsh blasted in a right-foot shot from 18 yards, Goram beat out the effort and Matt Murphy seemed certain to score with his follow-up shot. Yet Goram showed why he was Scotland's No 1 goalkeeper with an outstanding reaction save to stop the second shot as well.

Sheffield, who had not won away since a victory at Reading on November 4, 1997, rode their luck at times.

A Joey Beauchamp free-kick just deflected off a defender's foot and flashed a yard past a post and several times the ball would not drop to an Oxford player in goalmouth scrambles.

United's players were furious with the ref when he ignored his linesman's flag for a foul on Murphy in what would have been a dangerous position for a free-kick. Play continued and a second later Martin Gray dived in with an over-the-top tackle on Des Hamilton which brought him a booking.

Beauchamp and Whelan both miskicked over the bar, an obvious indication that they were snatching at chances, but when Murphy went through on 40 minutes, it was simply a terrible miss. From Windass's flick-on, Murphy took the ball around Goram and was slightly off-balance as he shot from a tight angle, but he should still have tapped the ball into the empty net. Instead he shot wide and supporters in the London Road let out a collective groan.

Steve Bruce, marshalling his defence, picked up his sixth booking of the season and both Marsh and Windass joined him in the ref's notebook to earn themselves suspensions.

Gray's burst along the left at the start of the second half promised much but the final pass was too far in front of Murphy.

And Saunders piled on the agony for his former club when he was found free on the right and released a pass to Katchouro 16 yards out. Like the Arsenal back four, right hands went up and everyone stared at the linesman but his flag stayed down and Katchouro shot into the bottom corner.

As in many recent home games, United's threat fizzled out in the second half as they attacked uphill.

They carved out a couple of half-chances from set plays. Brian Wilsterman, who had another fine game, went close with a diving header at the back post and Phil Whelan, who looked considerably less assured, did similar as he stuck out a foot to try to convert a Paul Powell free-kick.

But at the end only a superb save from Phil Whitehead, beating out a 15-yard drive by Graham Stuart, stopped the Blades from adding a third on the counter-attack.

For Oxford, it was another result as miserable as the weather. Shooting practice is required, or even better, a new striker with a proven scoring record. Unfortunately, they don't come cheap.

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