GMK News at Oxford Utd

Tonight GMK News reports from the Kasam Stadium as Oxford Utd face Derby County in the Championship . Oxford under Buckingham have got off to a good start to the season considering they are newly promoted. Tonight they are slightly above Derby in mid table position. A win tonight will move the winners up towards the top six possible promotion places.

The first ten mins were pretty evens Steven’s

intil Dan Scarlett hit the back of the Derby net in the 12 th min to put Oxford one nil up. The goal shook Derby up who responded with fierce attacks and shots on goal but to no avail.

Above - Dane Scarlett puts Oxford one nil up in the 12th min.

In the 20th min, the Derby step up in pressure forced a few Oxford defensive errors. A packed ground kept the vocal support from the home fans high, motivating their players to hold onto the lead come what may. Derby fans could be heard at times but like the play on the pitch, Derby were out sung and out played for most of the first half. In the 32nd min, Oxford broke through the Derby defence leading to a cut of an Oxford shot which nearly went in. Another close attack and shot on goal by Oxford followed in the 36th min. Frustration by Derby quickly followed as an Oxford striker was fouled and the first yellow card to Derby shown. In the 39th, Oxford retaliated with a long shot outside the penalty area which looked dangerous and just missed. Two Derby corners were awarded in the closing mins of the first half which went nowhere and sent a depleted visiting team into the changing room with plenty to think about, as to how they could best get back into the match.

Four mins into the second half, another Oxford defensive error let Derby in but failed to complete leading to a frustrated Derby striker throwing the ball down for a free kick which nearly led to another yellow card. In the 55th min, the step up in Derby pressure got rewarded as Derby equalised and their players were celebrating with a roar of celebration from the visiting fans. Oxford goal scorer, Scarlett was substituted in the 61st min with Harris coming on. By the 66th min, Oxford were stepping up their own pressure again with the view to restore the lead. Bad referee decisions to award a corner followed by a possible handball by a Derby player in the penalty box and no penalty awarded, added insult to injury as Oxford continued to step up the pace. In the 75th min, Oxford broke through and were close to scoring when a foul stopped play. Another Derby yellow card followed but did not prevent ungentlemanly behaviour as a Derby player tried to break up the momentum of Oxford good play with an exaggerated injury followed by the Derby goal keeper putting on a similar performance. Cries of ‘ cheat, cheat, cheat came from the Oxford fans but no punitive action by the refereee taken. In the first half Oxford were winning the second ball, but not in the second which may explain why the match ended in a draw rather than an Oxford win. In the final 10 mins of the match, and another Oxford substitution, Oxford had all of the play but were unable to get the final goal which would would have won them the match and put them on track for achieving the dream of a possible return to the Premiership. 11,423 attendance. 1-1 Draw.