With
United out in the States, most fans have been unable to attend their
most recent pre-season friendlies. One man who has been fortunate
enough is Richard
Brown,
Massachusetts resident and Oxford United supporter. Here is his
report on the U's 1-1 draw with the Seacoast United Phantoms.
The
match was played on a Friday evening, and though there was a threat
of heavy storms earlier in the day, it turned out to be a gorgeous
evening.
There was a decent turn out for the match, with a handful of fans wearing Oxford United jerseys, but also plenty of Europeans, wearing various English, Spanish and German jerseys, filling out one of the bleachers with the home crowd.
There was a decent turn out for the match, with a handful of fans wearing Oxford United jerseys, but also plenty of Europeans, wearing various English, Spanish and German jerseys, filling out one of the bleachers with the home crowd.
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| The injured players were all in the back corner of the bleachers |
With
the game kicking off after the national anthems were played, the
atmosphere was really buzzing with excitement at a fun family match.
The
match itself was very fast paced. Oxford dominated the whole match,
with Alfie Potter, Constable and Rigg all up front, playing really
well as a trio.
The
Oxford goal came in the 15th minute, when Potter was brought down on
the edge of the box. Capaldi took the free kick and could be a major
new asset at dead ball situations because he thumped it through the
wall, spilling into the goal via the post.
Half
time came as a good respite for the home team and in a great gesture
for families, the kids were allowed to come onto the field to have a
kick around with the support staff. It seemed like everyone had fun,
including my 4-year-old, with kids ranging up into their early teens,
getting some hints and tips on the game.
The
defence looked rock solid for most of the match, but Ryan Clarke was
forced into making a save in the 58th minute, tipping the ball onto
the crossbar for a corner.
The
equalising goal for Seacoast came in the 77th minute, after a
defensive blunder. A fluffed touch of the ball fell to Dylan George,
a 16-year-old player who took the ball to the edge of the box and
coolly slotted it into the side netting against Clarke.
Spurred
on by this, Oxford went into second gear and at this point could
already have been three goals up if it hadn't been for some good
saves, or slightly off finishes. The 85th minute saw a mad frenzy of
shots within the space of about 10 seconds, with Capaldi, Rigg and
Heslop all having shots scrambled off the line by a very stretched
Seacoast defence.
The
subs, Smalley for Potter and Craddock for Constable, both in the 61st
minute, also had a good work out and looked great in the team.
The
final result might not have been a win, but looking at how well the
players linked up with each other with great understanding, passing
of the ball and general movement around the pitch, things are
definitely looking bright for the season.
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