Oxford United’s wing play is a diamond in the rough

Oxford United’s 1-0 victory over struggling Fleetwood Town was a somewhat scrappy affair, but Oxford proved why they were the in-form side; grinding out a win and looking particularly threatening down the flanks.

Oxford extended their winning run to eight games on the bounce (seven in the league) and put themselves within three points of the Play-Offs.

Respectfully, the game was never going to be a ‘classic’. Oxford will be pleased with setting a new club record for games won consecutively – more so given their slow start to the season and the way in which they’ve turned it around in such style – but Karl Robinson and his players may feel that they could have done it with more panache.

Oxford didn’t play badly at all, but rather Fleetwood had their ten men (after defender Charlie Mulgrew’s sending off after five minutes) sat behind the ball for the majority of the game. Naturally, this prevented any real flow in proceedings, but what Oxford did well, they did very well.

And what they did well was using the wide areas.

Temperatures were closing in on 0°C at the Kassam, but it was Oxford’s wide players who kept up the heat on Fleetwood’s defence.

Oxford’s wide men were James Henry and Sam Long on the right flank, and Josh Ruffels and Olamide Shodipo on the left.

Aside from Shodipo who struggled to get into the game and was substituted after 63 minutes, Henry, Long and goalscorer Ruffels all had a major impact on proceedings.

Explicitly, it was Long’s through ball to Matty Taylor that resulted in Mulgrew’s late challenge that, in turn, had the visitors down to ten men inside five minutes. It was Henry’s corner that Elliot Moore headed back across goal for Josh Ruffels to finish. And, consequently, it was the left back’s name that would appear on the scoresheet.

Oxford did struggle to put the game beyond Fleetwood. The away side created virtually nothing, with one shot on target all afternoon.

And it was arguably down the wings where Oxford looked their most potent. However, whilst the U’s biggest threat did come from out wide, their attacking combination play needed a little fine tuning. Oxford have been in scintillating goalscoring form of late, but today, alongside the good work done down the flanks, there were lapses in communication and small breakdowns in play that, if ironed out, would surely have led to a higher score line.

Henry and Long linked up well in the first half especially, causing mayhem for Fleetwood’s Danny Andrews.

The pair’s interchanging, overlapping runs allowed Oxford through on goal several times in the first half. It was one of these runs that forced the save of the game out of Alex Cairns in the Fleetwood goal, who sprung high to his right to tip the ball over the bar.

Whilst the build up play was good, it was the end product that was lacking in Oxford’s attack. Fleetwood were split open several times throughout the match, with Henry and Long underpinning these attacks. Cutbacks and crosses were aplenty, with striker Matty Taylor certainly not short of opportunities.

He spurned two fantastic chances, both created by dynamic wing play, in the first and second half – one, an audacious flick that was blocked, and the other, firing over from a pinpoint Sam Long cross.

A diamond in the rough is a perfect way to describe Oxford’s wing play. The U’s possess clear quality down both flanks in Henry, Shodipo, Long, Ruffels, Anthony Forde and Rob Hall, but for many of the good things created, there was a misplaced pass or breakdown in communication.

If Karl Robinson’s side can fine tune their attacking prowess, then today’s fixture would have been decided by half time. In games to come, a little more cohesion in the channels will likely prove overpowering for most of League One’s defences.

Oxford’s record breaking winning run is even more impressive given their slow start to the season.

Speaking to Prost International’s Sam Hudspith, U’s manager Karl Robinson explained the reasons behind his side’s upturn in form.

‘Rest at the right times. We’ve managed to shoehorn opportunities to recover…we’ve utilised those moments to get our sea legs back. [Also] When you have a plan and you stick to your identity, you tend to find results will follow very quickly. When you start changing your philosophy and changing things in the midst of that, that’s where you’ll start having problems’.

The win leaves Oxford with the Play-Offs in reach, and another Wembley push will undoubtedly be in the minds of those at the Kassam. For Fleetwood, meanwhile, it’s a third game without scoring. Sacking Joey Barton hasn’t had the desired effect, and Simon Wiles’s side looked void of belief and creativity in Oxfordshire. Oxford stuck by Robinson, and are reaping the rewards.

Today’s result is a lesson for all the club owners and directors out there: the grass isn’t always greener on the other side. 

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