Oxford United kept their playoff hopes alive with a 1-0 victory over promotion rivals MK Dons.
Billy Bodin netted the game’s only goal with just four minutes remaining, moving the U’s to just two points off a top-six spot.
Here are three talking points from the game.
Tale of Two Halves
MK could have put Oxford to bed by halftime and will rue missed chances at Grenoble Road.
Oxford failed to have a shot on goal and struggled to get into the opponent’s half in the first 45 minutes with the visitors hitting the target twice from five attempts while also looking comfortable in possession. Ciaron Brown, who cleared an effort off the line last time out against Fleetwood, did the same again when Troy Parrott chipped the ball over Jack Stevens.
However, the U’s came out after the break and immediately looked a different team. Matty Taylor should have opened the scoring after a Dons mistake before the U’s started to pile on the pressure.
Eventually, the pressure paid off. Billy Bodin won the ball and was played back in quickly by Taylor before smashing the ball into the bottom corner.
Ciaron Brown and Clean Sheet
Once again, Brown was awarded man of the match and deservedly so. The makeshift left-back remained calm in defence and looked to get forward as often as he could.
Not only did he clear an effort off the line in the first half but he also covered when Luke McNally burst forward (losing the ball on more than one occasion).
Another positive was a rare clean sheet for the U’s. It was a first shutout since a 1-0 win over Crewe in February and just a third in 22 league matches.
Ahead of a trip to Rotherham, and should Oxford make it to the playoffs, securing a vital clean sheet will be a huge confidence boost for the entire team.
Substitutes Were Spot On
There have been several times this season when Oxford have made changes in the game but they have been ineffective. Against the Dons, all three changes were crucial.
Firstly, Bodin replaced Gavin Whyte as the Northern Irishman struggled to make an impact. Obviously, the arrival of Bodin made a huge impact with the winning goal but his all-round contribution was effective.
Karl Robinson then made a double change and it wasn’t necessarily the duo that came on, but the pair that departed. Both Mark Sykes and Nathan Holland had spells in the game where they looked good but on the whole, they would have been very disappointed with their displays.
Marcus Browne, who was making his first appearance since the start of March, and Ryan Williams came on. The pair both offered something different in the final third and put the Dons defence under pressure in the closing stages.
