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| Picture from @OUFClive |
United began their FA Youth Cup
campaign in a winning fashion with a comfortable 3-0 victory over
Didcot Town. Although it might be expected that Oxford would brush
aside lower level competition it was a relief to see them come
through it unscathed, because this was a match which had
'banana-skin' written all over it. Against local opposition and away
from home, there was every possibility that United could come
unstuck.
Add to that the fact that youth
competition has been a welcome distraction from what has been a
miserable season so far for Didcot and the magnitude of this game for
the hosts becomes clear. It seems money is tight at Loop Meadow this
season and Didcot have struggled to compete in the Southern League
Division One South and West, winning just twice in the league all
season. Part of the reason they have found things so hard is that
they have been forced to rely on a number of young players and their
lack of experience has shown through in the side's inconsistent form.
It has, however, provided a fantastic
opportunity to some of the young lads currently in their youth team
and being thrust into first-team activity seems to have accelerated
their progression as footballers. Their youth team are currently
unbeaten in the league this season and their progress in the FA Youth
Cup to reach this stage has been impressive, with victories over
Binfield, Kidlington and Bournemouth FC in the qualifying rounds. Of
the Didcot starting XI this evening, three – Oli Thomas, Taylor
Janes and Keiran Beesley – have been regulars for the Railwaymen
this season, alongside their youth team duties. Compared to our
youngsters, these are seasoned pros.
And Didcot's youth team exploits seem
to have provided a much-needed tonic to the inevitable apathy that
settles in whenever a team is doing badly. On Saturday there were
only 84 people present for Didcot's match against Fleet Town; this
evening there were 291. Much of that number came hoping to see the
hosts pull off an upset and it was clear that the Didcot players were
fired up and ready to do just that.
Fortunately, the yellows didn't allow
them the chance and it didn't take long for them to demonstrate their
superior quality. In the early exchanges the ball barely left the
home side's half but Oxford were constantly left frustrated by Didcot
keeper Keiran Beesley. Beesley – who was previously in the Oxford
youth setup before being released – has won
plaudits for his performances for the Railwaymen's senior side
and it was easy to see why on this evidence. He did well to keep out
an early effort from the lively James Roberts after the striker had
broken through the ranks to create a one-on-one situation.
Next he thwarted Gregg Hackett's
long-range effort before twice denying Jamie Calvin – first from a
point-blank header which had seemed destined for the net and then
from a shot on the edge of the area. It was clear that it would take
something special to beat Beesley and that's exactly what Josh Ashby
delivered 25 minutes in, his perfectly weighted long-distance effort
catching Beesley off his line before dropping into the empty net.
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| It was slightly busier than this during the match - honest! |
In truth, Oxford should have been
further ahead at half-time but with only one goal in it, the hosts
remained in contention at the start of the second half and the game
was finely poised. One thing you can certainly say for them is that
they showed great determination to have a go at United, having been
outplayed in the first 45 minutes. They came out for the second-half
looking to force a way back into the game and were able to apply some
decent pressure, though without creating any clear-cut chances.
Instead Oxford were able to extend
their advantage to give themselves one foot in the next round as
Didcot were caught on the break. Sam Humphreys raced into the box
only to take a tumble over a clumsily outstretched leg. Ashby slotted
home the penalty to all but end Diddy's challenge. There was a
tiredness about the home side's defending for the third goal, as they
were caught ball-watching at a corner and punished by Cian McCormack
who was quickest to react to the ball across, heading home
powerfully.
The game opened out after this as
Didcot threw caution to the wind in search a consolation and as a
result both sides had chances, though neither were able to make them
count. Goalkeeper Barney Martin had to be on his toes to keep out
Matty Woodley's spectacular effort while Roberts remained frustrated
in front of goal as Beesley kept out his shot after some lovely work
on the right by Humphreys.
In truth, United weren't the
irresistible force they were against
Swindon a few weeks ago, but then they appeared to be up against
much stronger opposition, despite their lower league status. But they
kept calm against a side who were clearly up for it this evening and
avoided an upset in a professional manner. That's an example our
first team would do well to follow in their FA Cup first round tie in
a couple of weeks against Gateshead.
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