Oxford United lost ground on leaders Portsmouth at the weekend when they were denied a sixth straight win by an injury-time Blackpool goal. They are now likely to be missing a star midfielder again for Tuesday night’s game at Wigan Athletic.
Cameron Brannagan missed the home game against Blackpool at the weekend after being struck down with an illness. The fact he missed the majority of training last week, put him as a serious doubt for the away game.
Star Man Missing
United will not want to lose any more ground on Pompey, the gap now at three points as the two have set the early pace at the top of League One.
Liam Manning spoke after the game on Saturday, and the Oxford Mail reported him saying. “He’s been pretty rough. He came back in on Monday and I haven’t seen him since.
“I’ve spoken to him every day and he’s been quite rough to be totally honest. We’ll have to see how he goes, but I’m not entirely sure.”
Liam Manning reflects on today's draw at home to Blackpool 🗣
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This could mean an extended stay in the side for Josh McEachran, who had not been in the starting line up since August. There was no rustiness to his play though and Manning was full of praise.
“Josh is in really good shape. He’s been frustrated not to play, but Cam and Marcus [McGuane] have obviously done great.
“I know how good Josh is, I know what he brings to the side. When you see some of the quality in the first half, he plays a huge part in that. He can go again and he’s in good shape. He’s a really good professional and we’ll have to make sure he rests, recovers and gets ready to go.”
Writer’s View
Oxford United will not let the last-minute goal conceded haunt them too much but will be wary of any slip-ups against a Wigan side that snapped a four-game losing streak at the weekend. The loss of Brannagan could have been big, but McEachran stepped up and did not look out of place. They are still five points clear of third place but will want to avoid slipping back into the pack, so the recalled player will have to perform well again to keep up the great start that the U’s have made.
