A depleted Oxford United side put their covid worries behind them with just a second ever win over Fleetwood Town.
The U’s raced into a two-goal lead with Luke McNally netting his first U’s goal before Cameron Brannagan struck home his fourth of the season.
Although the Cod Army reduced the deficit against a makeshift back four, a sensational solo effort from Nathan Holland sealed all three points to move the U’s two within one point off the playoffs.
Here are three talking points from the game.
Senior Players Stepping Up
With seven first-team players missing with covid, on top of a further four through injury, it had the potential to be a difficult evening for the U’s, particularly coming up against a side they had only beaten once in 13 Football League meetings.
However, the likes of Sam Long in the middle of defence, James Henry and Brannagan in midfield and Billy Bodin on the wing all played pivotal roles in securing all three points for the hosts.
Brannagan and Henry, with Herbie Kane sitting in behind, protected the makeshift back four and new arrival goalkeeper Connal Trueman reasonably well over the course of the 90 minutes, while Bodin looked strong both offensively and defensively. Long, who we know can cover in the middle, played excellent at the heart of the defence.
A Night to Remember for the Younger Players
Having not started a league game since a 5-1 win over Accrington in September, McNally looked assured and controlled throughout and headed home an early goal to settle the nerves.
Elsewhere, Nathan Holland fully deserved his man of the match award, not just for his brilliant strike but also for his all-round work rate, while Marcus McGuane came on as a substitute and helped the midfield remain in control.
Team Spirit
Under the circumstances, you can have quite easily forgiven Oxford for caving in for this fixture. A last-minute emergency loan goalkeeper between the sticks, a makeshift backline and a match against the club’s bogey team. However, the team spirit was there in abundance.
Oxford held their own, experienced players stepped up and they will head into their tricky fixture against Rotherham United full of confidence.
