Oxford United’s unbeaten run came to an abrupt end with a home defeat against Leyton Orient.
The U’s took an early lead through Tyler Goodrham but Des Buckingham’s side failed to hold on or add to their lead.
Here are three talking points from the game.
Failed to Hold Onto the Lead, Again
Despite Leyton Orient starting the game the brighter, it was Oxford that scored the opening goal.
And what a goal, too. It was a lovely flowing move with Mark Harris flicking the ball to the right in the path of Ruben Rodrigues and his low ball was cleverly turned in by Goodrham.
However, for the fifth time in seven home games, Oxford failed to hold on to the lead. The O’s levelled just after the restart and added what proved to be the winning goal on 77 minutes.
Oxford should have pushed on when they had the lead but they were quite happy to sit with the one-goal advantage. That’s been an issue for several recent games. In addition, both goals were sloppy to concede, with the U’s giving the ball away far too easily in the middle of the park before failing to get back quickly enough.
Poor Substitutions
Buckingham made four changes in the game but not one of them managed to make a positive impact.
Will Goodwin and Owen Dale replaced Harris and Goodrham on 62 minutes, but both players hardly touched the ball in over 30 minutes of football.
With 15 minutes remaining, Marcus McGuane made his return from injury in place of Jay Matete and Billy Bodin came on for Murphy. Again, both players were ineffective and gave the ball away far too often, with McGuane conceding possession in the build-up for Orient’s winning goal.
Jamie Cumming
Ending on a positive, it could have been a lot worse if it wasn’t for Jamie Cumming.
The U’s goalkeeper made several first-half stops and made a sensational save from a free kick with the game level.
Defensively, Oxford are definitely missing Elliott Moore but the team needs to defend from the front instead of leaving the backline exposed.
