As
far as FA Cup second round ties go, a trip to Accrington Stanley is
probably among the least desirable. It's not just because of the lack
of glamour surrounding our opponents, but also because it's another
away trip up north (we have failed to pick up a point this season
north of Oxford – that's six defeats from six league games) and it
lacks even the appeal of being against a side from another division –
it's just over a month since the two sides met at the Kassam.
This
match had everything that we have been missing lately: exciting
football, a positive result, and an excellent atmosphere. The mood in
the two camps could hardly have been more different going into
this game, Northampton – unbeaten in five before this match –
fancied their chances, while Oxford had failed to win in four and
were forced to field a much changed side.
As
the season has lurched from one disappointment to the next the mood
amongst the fans has changed from alarm, to disgruntlement, and
eventually to a state
of apathy which has seen average attendances fall below 6,000 for
the first time since we returned to the Football League. The
expectation of success that has been an ever-present ever since Chris
Wilder initially reversed the club's fortunes has dissipated quickly
this season and with Oxford being one of the most
expensive clubs to follow in League Two, can we really blame
those thousands for staying away when the product on offer is so
poor?
Yet more disappointment for United fans in what is becoming a hugely underwhelming season. This time, we were held by basement side Barnet and George Elek was on-hand to report.
With
crowds down by an alarming number so far this season (our average
attendance this season is more than 1,000 below last season's
average), Adam
Brown writes of the increasing apathy that he and many others
have been feeling for the club recently.
Tuesday's
disappointing
defeat at the hands of Dagenham more or less killed any sense of
optimism that had been building and with the side now slumped in 18th
place it's not difficult to see why. This weekend's match against
Torquay presents an important opportunity to recover from a poor
performance for both sides, with Torquay also being out of form at
the moment.
Just
when it appeared as if we had turned a corner, we had to go and 'do
an Oxford' and screw it up with a disappointing defeat at home to
Dagenham & Redbridge. If wins against Wycombe
and Barnet had provided ample reason to feel positive at last about
this Oxford side, this performance against Dagenham was a stark
reminder that we still have a long way to go if we want to reach the
level that is expected and demanded.
We face
a short break now from the league and in some respects it is an
unwelcome one, coming as it does on the back of last week's pleasing
victory
over Wycombe. In an ideal world, we would like another league
game to build on that momentum, but progression in the cup brings its
own kind of momentum.