Oxford Away Lost 2 – 1
Oxford wasn’t the worst Boxing Day away fixture, at least for Hampshire based fans, but we had the home club’s new (or at least temporary) manager bounce to contend with. That didn’t seem to be an issue as Saints started brightly enough, and according to form. Scienza went down claiming a penalty that many have claimed was ‘nailed on,’ but the Championship has a greater expectation of rough and tumble than more elevated levels, and our man does go down easily. Sloppy defending gave the hosts a first corner on 22 minutes and the ball was never really cleared before Goodrhum was given space for a shot which flew into the net. The lead lasted for around five minutes before Scienza sent in a free kick that Harwood-Bellis headed home. The opening goal, combined with that bounce factor, had given the home side confidence, though, and Saints couldn’t press on, although Scienza struck a left foot shot against the post. An engrossing second half saw both sides looking strong for periods; our substitutions (firstly Robinson and Romeu for Scienza and Downes, then Fraser for Fellows and finally Archer for Azaz towards the end) certainly didn’t make our team any more threatening but I suspect home fans can say the same for their side and some desperate blocks and a point-blank save from Armstrong kept us out. The trouble was that all our defenders were looking ‘leggy’ when faced with a break and warning signs had been there before the Us snatched a late winner. There seemed to be a lot preventable about this, and a question over accidental handball, but the key facts are that the last ‘defender’ trying to stop Mills was Archer and a shot from an angle ended up more or less in the middle of the goal with serious questions asked of Bazunu’s positioning and, above all, his reaction speed. Saints don’t seem to have much self-belief when push comes to shove in added time, unlike some of our opponents, and once more the game was conceded tamely.
Three LSSC Man of the Match candidates to choose from:
6. Taylor Harwood-Bellis with a goal.
9. Adam Armstrong, but asked to do a lot with very little.
13. Léo Scienza. A penalty appeal, an assist and a shot against the post weren’t enough to stop him being substituted before an hour had been played
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