Oxford United have progressed to the second round of the FA Cup with a 2-0 win over Maidenhead.
A Billy Bodin brace sealed the win over the National League side. Here are three talking points from the game:
Line-Up
As expected, Liam Manning made changes from his league team.
Simon Eastwood replaced James Beadle in goal while there were also starts for Stephan Negru and Jordan Thorniley in defence.
Josh McEachran stepped in for Marcus McGuane and Bodin was handed a start alongside Tyler Goodrham, with Mark Harris leading the line.
Billy Bodin
Certainly a standout player of the season so far, Billy Bodin stepped up exactly when Oxford needed him too.
The 31-year-old took both of his goals well and is now the joint top U’s scorer along with Harris and Greg Leigh with five.
The forward looks comfortable on the ball, creates space and can pick a pass. While Manning may want to opt for a younger player, Bodin continues to give the head coach a selection headache.
Noticeable Absentees
Some expected Harris to be rested to allow either Gatlin O’Donkor or Sonny Perkins to get some game time. Perkins was restored to the bench but O’Donkor was dropped entirely.
Speaking after the game, Manning said: “I was a little bit frustrated with Gats yesterday to be fair in terms of a few bits we’ll keep in house. Nothing major, just little bits that we can tighten up on.”
Another absentee was Fin Stevens. With Sam Long injured, the Brentford loanee looked set to stick at right-back but talk before the game about Brentford not wanting him to play in the cup emerged.
Could it be that, should the teams meet, they don’t want him to play against them? Could it be that the Bees are looking to recall him in January? In addition to that, they may look to send him out to a Championship club still in the competition.
Manning played down talks of a recall but it does seem strange, particularly when other Brentford loanees did play in their respective matches.
