Oxford United made it three wins in succession with a 3-1 victory on the road at Barnsley.
Cameron Brannagan opened his account with a first-half penalty before an own goal doubled the U’s lead. The Tykes did reduce the deficit before Tyler Goodrham added a third late on.
Here are three talking points from the game:
Spine of the Team
Liam Manning started with ten of the players that began the recent win against Derby, and that central spine is becoming integral to how the U’s play.
James Beadle, on the whole, put in a decent display between the sticks. He commanded his box, claimed several crosses and was in the right place to make important saves. He got lucky on one occasion and his kicking wasn’t great, but he’s starting to gain confidence.
Ahead of him, Elliott Moore showed another consistent performance but it was his defensive partner that stole the show. Stephan Negru was solid – on the ball, off the ball and in the air. He was unlucky not to score, but the keeper pulled out a great save.
In midfield, Brannagan put in his best display of the season but it was Marcus McGuane who controlled the tempo. He worked tirelessly in the centre of the park and was integral in building attacks but also assuring the defence. His recent displays have also kept Josh McEachran on the bench.
In attack, Oxford’s number nine Mark Harris once again looked a threat. He was unable to add to his goal tally but he caused problems and saw two attempts saved.
Wing Play
Another area of the pitch where Oxford got plenty of joy was the wide areas. In the first half, Marcus Browne ran at the defence and often got behind. It was one of these runs which lead to the penalty. Unfortunately, he was forced off through injury.
On the other side, Stanley Mills did the same and it was one of his jinking runs which resulted in the second goal of the game, which went in off a Tykes defender.
Billy Bodin offered something different, often cutting inside but Goodrham continued with the ferocious pace and was deserving of his goal.
Youth Comes to Light
Oxford ended the game with Sam Long as the oldest player on the pitch at 28. Goodrham came on with half an hour remaining but he already looks like he’s established himself in this team.
It was then a brave call from Manning to bring on Fin Stevens and Gatlin O’Donkor immediately after conceding a goal, with both players also contributing in the game. In the end, the youth all but won the game for the U’s.
