FAN’S VIEW 22/23 – No.35 – SHREWSBURY AT HOME

OXFORD UNITED 0 SHREWSBURY TOWN 1

I thought our first half performance was a vast improvement on the previous three games. It gave me hope. In the second period though we regressed and by the end of the match the familiar hopelessness was once again on display.

Months back when we weren’t playing well, but probably better than we are mostly doing now, some fans started talking about the possibility of relegation. The forever optimists said don’t be stupid. Well here we are.

Even though we played well in the first half we didn’t score. We’ve scored one goal in the last four games. We don’t score goals, well not many. They’re rare. It’s almost a given that we don’t keep clean sheets. So folks if you can’t work it out that means we will lose just about every game we play. That means if something doesn’t change we will for certain get relegated. With the squad we’ve got and the manager we’ve got I’m not sure I can see that change coming.

Assuming 51 points brings safety we only need to average a point a game to achieve that. That’s not the most challenging target but it’s not one I’d risk a wager on. Can you see Karl Robinson putting out a team which is set up and motivated enough to grind out results because I can’t? At the moment he’s not putting out a team that is winning games with beautiful free flowing football; he’s just putting out teams that usually lose.

In those first 45 minutes we were undoubtedly the better team by some distance and probably come the final whistle still the better team but not by such a margin. Better team that is if one ignores that what this football lark is all about is winning. Shrewsbury won. They had that dirty shithousery element, much more so than we did, although I’d never say we’re totally innocent in this regard. When the official supposedly in charge is as weak and downright awful at his job as referee Scott Oldham that shithousery is allowed to flourish.

I liked our starting line-up compared to many we’ve put out recently. We didn’t have Djavan Anderson at right-back. We had a specialist number three whom we’d brought into the club playing the left-back role instead of sitting on the bench. Tyler Goodrham was starting. If from the beginning he can do what he does when he comes off the bench then great.

We had shape. It didn’t look like the Shrews forwards were having any joy against our solid back line. We kept the ball. Passes weren’t going astray like in recent games and we were creating good chances. If we’d been facing a hapless keeper like Barnsley’s Bradley Collins we would have won this. Unfortunately though compared to Collins, between the sticks for the Shrews, Marko Marosi, was a man inspired.

Time after time we see a long throw from Brown come to nothing. There just doesn’t seem to be any thought to this. Just try and hurl it in. Usually it doesn’t get past the first defender. Elliott Moore goes up for these. When our captain is running to meet a corner that is a very different scenario to this hopeful ploy. Try it 99 times and perhaps on the 100^th something will fall for us.

After one such throw, which after a couple of defensive headers was seen off quite easily, it looked like there was a red shirted break on. That though was thwarted by the busy Lewis Bate and Goodrham. Our number 27, with exceptional tight control, turned tightly and was immediately off goal-wards. A great pass found Billy Bodin who had made a clever run through the Shrewsbury back line. He though went a little too wide and Marosi came out and blocked well.

Goodrham really did look dangerous. It was he who won a free-kick about eight yards outside the penalty area. Brandon Fleming bent the dead ball over the wall forcing Marosi to go to his left to save well.

Keeping half cleared corners and throws live was possibly our best source of a goal. We did that from one of the number of corners we were winning as we applied pressure. Kyle Joseph heading backwards to Marcus McGuane who fired a powerful volley goalwards. Again it was well repelled by Marosi. Brown hammered the ball straight back at goal. This time it was kept out by Tom Flanagan. It was one of those where the attacking team will scream for a penalty, as we did and the defending team will deem it to be superb defensive work. Chest, not hand and anyway the arm was close to the body. I think we would have been lucky to have got the decision.

We then went as close as we were going to get. Our Sam Long took a very quick throw, something we rarely do. The Shrews weren’t ready. Bodin laid the ball through for Joseph and from a tight angle he shot across Marosi. For once the visitor’s no.1 was beaten but the post came to his rescue. Very close but no cigar. Fine margins but not quite accurate enough.

We began on the front foot immediately from the re-start. Yanic Wildschutt set up McGuane and his shot was kept out yet again by Marosi. This time he fumbled it over the bar.

By now our efforts on goal weren’t testing the Shrewsbury rear guard as much as they had done earlier and they were coming into the game more. We began to look more vulnerable at the back.

From a corner which Moore headed away Tom Bloxham took a touch, setting the ball up nicely so he could unleash a powerful shot. Simon Eastwood made a very good stretching save to push it onto the bar. There was possibly a slight deflection making it even harder to keep out.

There really is a theme here. Getting the ball straight back in either directly with a shot or just knocking it back into the danger area. Perhaps that’s a lot what L1 football is all about.

Next it was us with a decent chance to score. A Long throw which was as good as a pass to Joseph set it up but it would never have materialised if Chey Dunkley hadn’t miskicked. Once more it was a good save from Marosi, this time down low to his right. Whilst not a bad effort Joseph should probably have done better. Top clinicality would have seen movement on the scoreboard.

By now they were putting more pressure on us and we needed to get blocks in.

We managed to half clear one of their attacks but it only went as far as the D. Jordan Shipley put it straight back in only for it to be headed away and again it didn’t go far. Straight back once more from Shipley.  Killian Phillips nearly lost his balance but recovered and with the outside of his foot flipped it up for Ryan Bowman to swivel and score. Brown was Bowman’s marker.

Our attempts to salvage a point were more huff and puff than genuine belief, guile and sharpness.

We were denied a 100% blatant penalty when Moore, making a run, had his shirt almost pulled off his back. It wasn’t a little tug it was quite a hanging onto of the clothing all very close to the linesman and in the penalty area. The referee probably had a good sight of it too. We get awarded that, we score it and who knows the outcome? To make matters worse he stopped one of our attacks and when there was bafflement as to why signalled that there had been shirt pull. Um!

He also didn’t care that Steve Cotterill spent much of the game outside the designated technical area and should have given Marosi a right rollicking and yellow card for the most obvious case of feigning injury you’ll ever see.

At the end of the day though we lost for the fourth time in a row. I’m not saying that there’s evidence our boys aren’t playing for Karl but the men in red were most certainly playing for Cotterill.

For all the gloom hanging over the Kassam Stadium at the moment I am getting enjoyment in watching a couple of our players. Once more Bate, utter class and Goodrham, he could well be some player. He excites, he’s one to get you off your seat.

Here’s a thing though, they’re both small. I know some teams have one such diminutive figure in their ranks but not two. I don’t think Robbo has ever grasped that size, strength and height are needed in midfield and up front. He’s failed miserably in that regard. Seeing Tyler Smith, a 41^st minute substitute for the injured Bodin, up against those centre-halves was embarrassing.

Anderson and Ateef Konate only had a few minutes playing time so it’s not really fair to judge them but Josh Murphy’s introduction in place of Wildschutt didn’t help our cause. In the rare sightings of Murphy he has mostly disappointed me. I thought Wildschutt had done okay. Hasn’t he got 90 minutes in him?

I didn’t hang around to chant for anyone’s head. I gave a quick clap as the players left the park. Some of them deserved it. They need lifting but that is far from easy when we see the shortcomings game after game. Walking back to the car I heard one fan say to another, “what’s the definition of madness”? It was clearly a rhetorical question but his mate felt obliged to reply, “Doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result”.

The problem we’ve got is that whilst we have the personnel to tinker at the back – a four or a three/five – up front we’ve got nothing in the squad to change the style and approach.

Next week’s trip to Milton Keynes is a somewhat important affair. They’re seven points behind us but with a game in hand. They’ve only won at home twice this season. Even we can beat that with five wins. They’ve not scored the last three times they’ve played there. They did win 2-0 at Bristol Rovers whilst Shrewsbury were doing a job on us though and must be rubbing their hands knowing they will be facing such an out of form side. One that doesn’t score but invariably concedes.

Team talk. But did it do any good?