FL2: Oxford Utd v Torquay Utd 2 Nov 2010

well done Billy and the few who kept faith in you

A massive, massive win! Well done Paul Buckle and his team!

Who knows - maybe we could have lost 5-3 if we had have left Rose on!! Sounded like a fine performance in the circumstances with a huge amount of discipline to hold it together. A return to the play-offs and a perhaps the start of a run?

I still think that we're punching more than our weight in many ways compared to the other League 2 clubs up towards the top, but with quality like we have in the side and some rough diamonds (not least Kee tonight!) starting to really polish-up I think we'll still continue to surprise people. I notice that our away record is won 3, drawn 4 and lost 1 - we are very tough to beat away from Plainmoor - I think that is an illustration of how resilient we are.

Just a shame that the evening was spoiled by Exeter's defeat this evening(!). Don't believe the hype at Sid James Park (although I would rather see them finish above Argyle)!!

Just read the match report on the OS (long gone are the days when we had to wait for hours/days to see a match report being put online, well done to the club!) and Oxford's goalkeeper was voted MotM. So even with 10 men we never stopped creating chances!

Roll on bottom of the league Barnet, a game in which we should be able to get all three points! Next monday live on Sky.
The big question is: Will we get a 2,000+ attendence...

Not long back from the game. I thought we were excellent tonight. Wroe and Bevan were stand out performers. Bevan particularly in the first half. Their keeper had a blinder in the second half. For all Oxford's huffing and puffing we had the best chances in the second half, (they had one which Constable put well wide) with Wroe and Kee x2 going close, but thwarted by a desparate clearance in Wroe's case and very good goalkeeping in the case of Kee.

Kee's winner was class. The relief and joy of our 10 brave souls on the pitch was immense and there for all to see.

Benyon had run his legs off and was beginning to be a not very close second up front due to understandable tiring and Kee hassled and harried and made good positions for himself. The substitutions tonight were spot on.

Wroe provided an outlet for the defence countless times and was often then the major player when it came to attacking seconds later. His hold up play to bring others in was exceptional and exactly what was needed during times when we looked likely to be overrun.

A good and vocal turnout on the road. About 300ish.

Bit tired, so Beaufort Scale ratings as follows:-

Bevan 9 (Cracking - One save in front of us in the first half defied belief.)
Oastler 7 (Hard working)
Branston 6 (Solid)
Ellis 7 (Very solid)
Nicholson 5 (Sluggish at times)
Wroe 9.5 MOTM (Masterclass)
Mansell 8 (Snapping away)
Benyon 7.5 (Pedometer reading of just over a marathon)
Zebroski 7.5 (Good defensively)
Rose 8/Robbo 6 (Rose - very good and dangerous looking, but sacrificed for the greater good. Robbo - Solid with poor distribution unless Wroe was right by him for the simple one).

O'Kane 7 (Didn't think he'd be up for a scrap. He was and provided a little bit extra for Oxford to think about)
Kee 8 (Puffing, my arse. Love that man, so I do.)

It's been a little more than 5 years since my last visit to the Kassam. 10th August 2005. My ticket stub then said Row X seat 162. Last night's ticket stub said Row X, seat 172! Interesting to note that the ticket prices haven't changed in 5 years!

The subsitutions were indeed spot on. I have to feel sorry for Romone Rose because along with Zebroski he was our most dangerous player, but it was obvious that he's got no experience of having knuckle down into a system when you get a player sent off. He wasn't doing his defensive work and we were getting overrun. Zebs was superb but he ran his socks off and the injection of Eunan O'Kane gave us new attacking impetus. Billy Kee came on for Elliot Benyon and played very well. He held the ball up well and the flying chest flick on to O'Kane was a sight to behold. His goal was a quality finish and everyone came across to celebrate with him.

I couldn't really see what happened to Macklin. One minute he was holding off 2 defenders and the next the ref showed him the red. Until the sending off I though he looked quite dangerous. He turned and spun inside the full back on his first touch a couple of times like Robert Pires in his pomp but his general awareness isn't pin sharp at times. He'll get better.

Oxford huffed and puffed but hardly threatened. They took off Matt Green at half time. We conceeded a lot of corners, Cuntstable (the correct spelling so I'm told) missed a really good chance and there was a moment where I thought Branston and Ellis wanted to take an age to finally clear a ball but we got there in the end. But as the game wore on and with nicky Wroe orchestrated things in midfield we made Oxford look like a Conference team who were lacking any pace, penetration or inventivness. Alfie Potter and Sam Deering offered a bit of flair but came up short (especially Deering ) and their crossing was woeful.

It was wonderful to see the Oxford fans leave in their hundreds when the second goal went in. "Is this a fire drill?" sang our out and the usual "cheerio cheerio" chant directed towards the open car park end was only met by one defiant soul who gave us the V sign in return.

I only sat in the car park for 20 minutes or so last night. I didn't go back through Oxford on the way back and went back via Henley on Thames. Dear god, and I thought Richmond was posh! Not much chance of finding a post match chippy there!

Some photos from the game.