The wait for Des Buckingham’s first league win in charge of Oxford United goes on as the U’s lost 3-0 at Peterborough.
The Posh led 2-0 at the break and added a third late on.
Here are three talking points from the game:
Unable to Cope With Peterborough Counter Attacks
Oxford actually started quite brightly and were a match for their promotion rivals in the opening ten minutes. However, as soon as Posh took the lead midway through the first half, the game already looked beyond the U’s.
The first goal came from another quick counter as Elliott Moore lost the ball on the halfway line. The U’s did manage to get back but when James Beadle could only parry a long-range effort, the defence switched off with two Posh players on hand to tap home.
Again, the second came with a rapid response, with the striker rounding Beadle, who was unfortunate as he slipped, to put the ball into an open net.
The hosts did this all game and the U’s were unable to compete.
Lack of Attacking Impetus
At the other end, the search for the first league goal goes on for Buckingham. By the end of the first half, Oxford had failed to register a shot on target, or even a shot on goal.
Obviously, Buckingham is without key wingers in Marcus Browne and Kyle Edwards but the players on the pitch (with the exception of Josh Murphy when he came on at half time) failed to create any opportunities in the final third, leaving Mark Harris with little to do.
The U’s improved after the restart but Marcus McGuane’s effort from the edge of the box was the only opportunity of note.
James Beadle
It’s no exaggeration to say that, despite conceding three goals, Beadle kept the scoreline respectable.
The England U20 international made several saves to keep Oxford in the game but was unable to do anything about any of the goals.
