Championship new boys Oxford United made the short trip to Ashton Gate to play Bristol City in what was both team’s sixth matchday of the campaign.
Despite Oxford’s poor away form, 3,300 U’s fans made the trip to back Des Buckingham’s Oxford team in search of their first away win of the season. It looked like Buckingham’s side were going to get their all-important first away win when the side went in 1-0 at halftime courtesy of a Ruben Rodrigues goal, but a second-half comeback from the hosts were enough to secure Bristol City all three points.
Speaking after the game, Buckingham criticised the penalty decision that ultimately gifted the Robins all three points:
“I know it’s not. I watched the replay since, there’s only one reason the ball can go that way, it’s because our player gets a touch first. It’s a close coming together, but it is what it is.”
The 39-year-old then went on to talk about the game, and his team’s performance claiming:
“First half I think we were better, second half I thought they (Bristol City) were better. Wasn’t a clean, nor the best game of football, a bit scrappy at times. But they scored in key moments, we didn’t. We had a really good chance when we were 1-0 up to almost put the game to bed at 2-0, we didn’t take that. They went down the other end two minutes later and scored their equaliser. Just disappointing that the penalty was the goal we ended up losing the game too.”
Top-scorer for Oxford Mark Harris had chances to double the visitor’s lead, and then he was the player who ended up conceding the penalty. On this, Buckingham defended the striker, saying:
“Mark’s had a wonderful start to the season for us. He’s already contributed four goals and I’m sure he’ll contribute many more. We changed his position a bit to allow Dane Scarlett onto the pitch, he doesn’t find himself in those positions that often”
On the equaliser for Bristol City, Buckingham has reflected on the goal, declaring:
“We allowed them to play out a little bit easy down their right-hand side, I think we could’ve cut that first pass off and when it does get there we need to do more to try and stop them from getting forward and cutting back through us the way that they did. But like I said, we plan and prepare as best as we can. We can’t get everything right, it’s just making sure in those key moments to not let the ball get where it got to. I don’t think Jamie Cummings had an overall busy afternoon, but it shows how clinical this level is.”
Despite picking up nine points so far, all nine points have been won at home at the Kassam Stadium, and with the current list of injuries not being very kind at the moment, Buckingham commented on injuries and how it links to their recent away form:
“We need to stop losing players that would be a start. We’ve lost Joe Bennett until January, that was two games ago, Matt Phillips we’ve lost for a period of time, Cam Brannagan came off last game and he’ll be out for six weeks, there was a time in the game where today where Josh McEachran had to come off with his groin. Placheta, also, the other winger who started the season for us, but is another one who’s out. We’ve built squad depth, but we’re not a team that can have the luxury of missing five or six starting key players. We’ll have to find a way, and we have done at home, we just need to replicate it here.”
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