It's Just Not Cricket (vs Cardiff, Carling Cup)

The first home match of the season, albeit a cup match rather than a league match, and Cardiff were the opponents. The night before had seen several Championship sides knocked out of the competition by lower league opposition, and Cardiff had various players missing due to injury and internationals, so maybe we had a chance. Of course, in the greater scheme of things, the league cup is fairly low on our scale of priorities for the season, but at the very least I'd hope for a much better performance than the team served up against Rotherham.

The drive to the match was odd. I like evening matches, but it's so early in the year that it still felt like the afternoon. And on a Wednesday as well, which is unusual. The final peculiar thing was listening to the England-India test match on the way. Summer? Autumn? Evening? Afternoon? Wednesday? Tuesday? Bizzare!

Well, I have to admit that one on the way, I was wondering if I'd have to avoid gangs of hoody-clad rioting yoof in the stadium car park who would be demanding all my valuables. Then I remembered that I didn't have any and relaxed. In fact there was no sign of any trouble at all, the Bowlplex opposite the stadium stayed open all evening. The East Stand car park wasn't full of cars, never mind ne'er-do-wells - there were still spaces when I made my way into the stadium with only 10 minutes until kick off. Not going to be a bumper crowd tonight then!

There were changes from the team we'd put out against Rotherham. In > Clist, Potter and Pittman. Out > Tonkin. Benched - Smalley and Payne. Which meant that Liam Davis moved to left back and there was more of a 4-3-3 feel about the team. Having said that, Saturday's nominal 4-4-2 soon changed into a 4-5-1 or a 4-1-4-1, so it's always pretty fluid. I have to be honest and say that I don't really follow Championship football much, so there were some names in the Cardiff line-up that I didn't recognise at all, along with some that I did.

Cardiff had brought a decent following - about 700-800 at a guess, but the crowd figure was only about 5,400. Not a fixture that had really caught the casual supporters imagination. It's been a funny start to the season like that. The atmosphere-less Don Valley Stadium match had somehow still felt like pre-season and this was a cup match. I suspect Saturday's match at home to Bradford will feel like the real start of the season!

Anyway, back to matters at hand. Premier League ref Andy D'Urso blew the whistle, Cardiff kicked off, and soon began to pass the ball around nicely. We are (and have been for ages) slow starters, and it was all a bit hurried to start with. After 10 minutes, Cardiff went ahead. Not for the last time in the match, the Oxford defence looked indecisive and a ball that should have been hoofed into the stands was allowed to run towards the goal line inside the penalty area. A Cardiff player managed to get to the ball, and scuffed it across the face of the goal. It came off Jake Wright, Ryan Clarke was nowhere and we were one down. A poor goal to give away really.

The ref was already giving cause for concern. After Saturday's rather odd reffing performance, I hoped that a Prem referee would show us how it should be done. Unfortunately not. Mr D'Urso gave some fouls, but not identical ones a minute later. If someone went down after challenging fairly for the ball it was a foul to one team or the other at random. If a player had his shorts almost pulled off in the penalty area to stop him getting away (Pittman after about a quarter of an hour) then that's all good clean fun apparently.

Cardiff striker Jon Parkin (the size of a small terraced house in the valleys) should have put Cardiff two up, with a free header from a cross on the 6 yard line, but skewed it dismally wide. One of the features of the night was actually our inability to prevent the Cardiff players crossing the ball - from both sides of the pitch. Despite that, we were coming back into the game and after half an hour or so we equalised. Now even though I've had my eyes lasered, sitting in the OM stand doesn't really give you the best view of what is happening up the fence end. It looked to me as if Pittman missed a one-on-one but Clist scored from the save with the aid of quite a large deflection.

No more than some of our later play had deserved really. Special mention for Alfie Potter who had been much better than Saturday and had been a thorn in the Cardiff flesh all half, which ended with us defending valiantly (or maybe valley-antly).

So, all even at half time. As usual, we had started slowly and got better as the half went on. There were still, if we are honest, problems. Dithering and over-elaboration at the back and a lack of shots on goal up front - mostly due to a lack of supply from midfield. The half time entertainment was the crossbar challenge. Like meeting an old acquaintance at a party it was pleasant at first, and then the novelty wore off like when you remembered why you hadn't ever bothered to get back in touch! Still, at least 'blokes with tattoos' seem to be quite good at hitting the crossbar. I also enjoyed the playing of the Perkele 'Yellow and Blue' song before the match and at half time - it would be good if we could get some people in the stands singing it.

The second half started with the first 15 minutes starring the ref. Minor fouls were punished, more major ones ignored. Cardiff players were going down as if they were shot and the ref was falling for it every single time. The play was fairly scrappy with neither team looking like world beaters. A snap shot from a Cardiff player hit the bar and we attacked from the rebound with a couple of players (Pittman was one) getting in each other's way to spoil it. Lewis Guy (why does that surname make me shudder?) and Peter Leven came on for Pittman and Clist. Both looked better than the players they had replaced. Guy actually started making diagonal runs off the ball - I am sure that's something we'll beat out of him in training.

We were looking like the better team and were on top. Beano was tripped in the area - no penalty. Maybe he would have had more luck if he'd just fallen over with nodody near him eh, Mr Durso? Guy made a good run but his cross didn't find anyone and Hall unleashed a thunderbolt that just went past the post. Then Duberry had a good headed chance that went just ocer. It was all looking much much better, with Leven pulling the strings. But we hadn't really tested their keeper, and the old adage that you have to score when you are on top was what was going round my head. Cardiff were also looking dangerous on the break, but created no real chances.

We than had an incident which pretty summed up Mr. Durso's performance. Duberry was fouled (elbow in the face), there were a few players waving their arms about. Mr. Durso then booked the Cardiff player. Fine. He then booked Duberry. What? And then gave a throw in rather than a free kick. I give up. Much like Andre Mariner's performance at Northampton last year, this Prem referee was also useless, wanting to be the star of the show and making all the wrong decisions. Or maybe making all the right decisions, but not necessarily in the right order. (copyright Eric M)

More faffing about at the back between Batt and Clarke lead to a needless corner, which bobbled about in our penalty area and somehow didn't go in. It was rather symptomatic of the collywobbles in defence which meant we were putting ourselves under more pressure than we needed to be. Still dangerous in attack, it took the Cardiff goalie's arm to prevent Guy chipping him to win the match in dramatic fashion as the end of normal time drew near.

And that was about it for the second half. The best half of the season so far as far as Oxford are concerned. We didn't score, but looked lively and threatening matching opponents who are two divisions above us.

As extra time started, Potter was replaced by Smalley. An odd move if tactical, as Potter had played very well. However, it was nearly a stroke of genius as Smalley's goalward header was intercepted by a Cardiff arm in the penalty area. Surely this time? Nope. The ref had obviously decided to make no decisions.

Then what turned out to be the telling moment. Our midfield decided it was a good idea not to challenge Peter Whittingham as he trundled towards our goal with the ball, getting out of his way instead like the red sea parting for that self-righteous bloke with a beard. Charlton Heston, I think. Anyway, he couldn't believe his luck and simply put the ball in the net (almost exactly like to goal away at Stockport last season). If McLaren was playing, I don't think he'd have got there so easily, but got there he had and we were behind again. Their lead almost didn't last for long, as Leven sent over a lovely free kick that Hall connected with and hit the bar. Leven's dead ball delivery was generally excellent, with him taking free kicks and corners that looked likely to cause discomfort to the defence much of the time. Something that's been missing from our play for a while now, so that's a plus point.

Halftime in extra time, one down but playing well.

The fourth half (!) saw us on top for the majority of the time, with a couple of dangerous crosses just failing to connect with our attackers, Constable missing a difficult volley and having the ball taken off his toes a few minutes later. It looked entirely possible that we would equalise, and we were certainly the better team. But time was running out and a catastrophic mistake by Jake Wright finally ended the matter. He let a hopeful upfield punt bounce (doh!) between himself and Clarke, a Cardiff player nipped in and header the ball in to make it an undeserved 3-1 to the Bluebirds. The final whistle blew shortly afterwards.

There is one other incident I'd like to mention, even though I can't remember exactly when it happened. It wa swhen we were playing towards the OM stand, so either in the second or fourth halves. A Cardiff player went down holding his head. One of our players (Davis) sportingly went to poke the ball into touch and ran off. He'd miskicked however and the ball didn't go out. So Cardiff, instead of being sporting, took the ball and went and attacked winning a corner from our incredulous defence. Cue lots of arm waving from our lot and some useless shrugging from D'Urso. Very poor Cardiff - went down quite a lot in my estimation there.

So out of the Carling Cup. No great dismay from me really, although I hate losing. The performance (after a fairly poor start) improved as the match went on.

A few observations.

The defence needs to be more decisive at times and that includes the goalkeeper.
Duberry - that diagonal cross-field flighted pass didn't work once, and went straight out more than once. Maybe leave it out?
We are (as always) better with the ball on the floor than in the air.
Leven is going to be a very influential player and played for about an hour. Let's hope he can manage 90 minutes soon.
We miss McLaren in the defensive midfield role.
Duberry is as fit as several butcher's dogs.

My man of the match was (maybe surprisingly) Liam Davis. He did his defending job very well and got forward as often as he could. Honourable mentions for Batt, Leven and Alfie's first half.

Next up - Bradford at home. My daughter is coming with me for her once per season visit - it would be good if she could see us win.