Jack Stevens and Dan Agyei help Oxford come full circle in the A420 derby

Sometimes a narrative in football can feel just too neat and well-polished to possibly be true, particularly as it is a game that so often thrives on chaos and unpredictability.

As Oxford United goalkeeper Jack Stevens flung himself to his left to keep out a Brett Pitman penalty in the 71st minute of the Yellows 2-1 derby win against Swindon, a contest that had been scrappy and frenetic for the most part began to feel like it had been scripted by one of Hollywood’s finest.

The moment was significant not only because it maintained the away sides 1-0 lead, but also because it fittingly encapsulated the rejuvenation Oxford have experienced since the previous A420 derby.

Stevens only became Oxford’s first-choice goalkeeper following an error by Simon Eastwood in the final moments of the last game against the Robins that allowed Tyler Smith to score a 91st-minute winner.

Since then, he has largely been exceptional between the sticks, keeping 10 clean sheets in 18 appearances, picking up several man-of-the-match awards along the way, and even saving a last-minute penalty in Oxford’s 0-0 draw with Charlton last weekend.

Had Eastwood not made that error against Swindon in such a high-profile game, it would be fair to question whether Stevens would ever have got his opportunity to make the starting spot his own.

The 23-year-old had made just two league appearances for the Yellows before this season, with his only experience as a regular coming during a loan spell at non-league Oxford City in the 2017/18 season.

Not only has Stevens thrived though, Karl Robinson’s side were left outside of the League One relegation zone on goal difference alone after their last meeting with their rivals.

The win on Tuesday night has moved them within two points of the top six.

“We sat at half-time 1-0 up in the game at our place (against Swindon), and we were a team fighting to get out of the bottom four.

“We now have the mentality to fight to get higher than where we are right now.

“We’ve had some criticism along the way, we’ve had some dark nights and some difficult nights when the whole world seemed to be against us and we could have sat there and moaned about it but we took it on the chin and built on what we believe our foundations and our principles are, and the results have followed very quickly from that night.”

– Oxford United Head Coach Karl Robinson

Although Stevens’ career is starting to look worthy of a biopic of its own, he was largely underworked for much of the evening in Wiltshire.

Brandon Barker provided the eye-catching opening scene when he cut inside from the left and fired a shot towards goal that took a hefty deflection off Tom Broadbent and found the bottom corner.

The goal was nothing particularly special to the naked eye but the fact that Broadbent, when used as an emergency centre-forward in the reverse fixture, had scored and then assisted the winning goal that effectively kick-started the turnaround in Oxford’s season was yet another indication that this would be a night of laying demons to rest for Robinson’s side.

What followed was around an hour of football only supporters of the two clubs could love. There was plenty of commitment, energy and endeavour but no real quality in the final third from either side.

This of course suited Oxford perfectly thanks to the early goal, although they were fortunate to still have eleven men on the pitch after Mark Sykes appeared to stamp on Jordan Lyden as the pair challenged for the ball.

Lyden, who had earlier received only a booking for a crunching challenge on Oxford skipper Elliott Moore, played on until the interval with a bandage around his head before being substituted once it became clear he would need several stitches to close the wound.

“I thought Sykesy should have gone, not for the stamp but for the tackle, but I thought their player should have gone as well.

“He’s gone in for the tackle, of course it’s a bad tackle, he’s gone in and left his foot there, but the tackle on Eliott Moore before that was out of control.”

– Oxford United Head Coach Karl Robinson

Oxford were fairly comfortable in the second period until an innocuous looking ball into the box was nudged into the path of Anthony Grant. Before the Swindon substitute could turn and fire a shot off at goal, he collapsed to the ground under pressure from Yellows striker Matty Taylor.

Robinson suggested that it had in fact been Grant that fouled Taylor after the game, but this would hardly have been a true redemption epic had there not been a sense of jeopardy.

Pitman’s penalty lacked both power and conviction, meaning Stevens’ save was not nearly as spectacular as the one he made from Charlton’s Ronnie Schwartz on Saturday, although that is unlikely to denigrate his place in the Oxford history books.

Robinson called for calm from his players following the penalty save, a common occurrence throughout the evening, yet few showed the composure of Dan Agyei once he was introduced from the substitutes’ bench for the final ten minutes.

The striker had largely been out of favour until the 1-1 draw at MK Dons at the end of February. He assisted Elliot Lee for the equaliser that day before being handed a first start since January against Charlton, and the fact his manager trusted him to see out a tight derby game suggests he is now firmly back in the fold as the Yellows’ injury list grows.

“We were all really disappointed after the last game (against Swindon), we just wanted to make amends for it and today we did that.

“Every game I play I feel like I need to prove something, whenever I’m on the pitch I just try to do my best and show what I’m about.”

– Oxford United Striker Dan Agyei

Barely seconds after taking the field, Agyei controlled the ball on his chest 30 yards from goal and made a beeline for the Swindon penalty area. An inch of space opened up for him as he reached the box and he unleashed a left-footed strike across ‘keeper Connal Trueman and into the far corner to complete a moment of personal vindication on the night that Oxford reclaimed the A420 throne.

No great cinematic experience comes without a gut-wrenching late twist though, and that came in the second minute of injury time when Taylor Curran bundled home after the Oxford’ defence had failed to deal with a Dominic Thompson free-kick.

However, there was never a genuine opportunity for the hosts to draw level in the aftermath and a ferocious roar from the Oxford bench followed the final whistle as they held on for a first win in seven across all competitions.

The defeat at the Kassam was the first time Oxford had lost to Swindon in eight meetings as the club seemed to be suffering with from the disappointment of losing out in last season’s play-off final, this victory has manager, players and supporters dreaming that another Wembley appearance is just around the corner.

Even though Stevens and Agyei were Oxford’s leading men on the night, the heart-warming ending was left to Robinson as he gathered his players in a huddle in the middle of the County Ground pitch to congratulate them on a win that would both delight their supporters at home and move the team within touching distance of the top six – a world away from where they had been after the last derby.

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