Paulton

Posted by Padz on December 4, 2007, 12:09 pm

Rovers slump to second home defeat.

Rovers crashed to a home defeat, their first since the opening day of the season, as once again they failed to convert any number of chances. The pace and guile of Chris Lane and Ricky Hulbert threatened to tear the visitors apart in the opening exchanges but the finishing touch failed to materialise.

It was 12 minutes before the first shot on target as Nick Hudson found Lee Bryant but Oxford keeper Steve Smith easily saved his effort. Bryant turned provider moments later but Hulbert’s effort cleared the bar. Hulbert then created shooting chances for first Ben Cleverley and then Lane but both failed to hit the target.

Ross Casey was inexplicable booked after 25 minutes for what looked like a fair challenge on Jon Gardner and 10 minutes later the referee, Mr Brown astonished everyone by only showing Oxford defender, Mark Avery, a yellow card after he impeded Hulbert’s run into the penalty area. As last man, clearly denying the Rover ‘s striker a goal scoring opportunity, a straight red looked inevitable. To add insult to injury Dan Cleverley’s well-struck penalty kick came back off the foot of Smith’s left hand post and rebounded to safety. Rovers continued to press but the first half ended goalless.

In the second half with the wind at their backs the visitors came more into the game and Gardner flashed a free kick narrowly wide just after the restart as Hudson was adjudged to have fouled the lively Jermaine McSporran. Ben Cleverley then cleared off the line following a corner from the right. Rovers should have taken the lead on 63 minutes with the best move of the game as Ross Casey and Dan Cleverley exchanged passes before releasing Lane down the left his whipped in cross found Rob Claridge at full stretch on the far post and the ball went agonisingly wide. Minutes later and Claridge was again denied by the onrushing Smith, the ball falling to Hulbert whose shot was blocked by a defender only as far as Ben Cleverley whose right foot shot was once again off target. Rovers were given a warning on 76 minutes as a slick Oxford move ended with a shot from substitute, Mark Jones being deflected onto a post by Rover’s covering defender, Lee Marshall. Casey almost scored with a dipping volley that just cleared the bar.

Oxford finally produced a breakthrough on 79 minutes as a move down the right saw the cross elude the Rover’s defence allowing Gardner to fire home from the edge of the area. Gardner could have had a second minutes later as he found himself in the clear as Rovers pressed for an equaliser, but his effort was brilliantly saved by keeper, Dave Dyson. Rovers were then awarded a free kick which Ben Cleverley put into the Oxford box but this was cleared and the visitors broke quickly as substitute Jkechi Anya set up Liam Malone whose shot deflected of a defender and into the net.

Rover’s substitute Pete Sheppard forced Smith into a save moments from the end but Rovers had clearly run out of time and will rue another failure to turn good football and possession into goals.

Team: Dyson, Bryant (Sheppard 71 mins), Marshall, Casey (Jeffries 84 mins), Hudson, Cousins, B Cleverley, Lane, Claridge (Allison 89 mins), D Cleverley (C), Hulbert.
Sub not used: Phillips

Referee: P Brown
Assts: S Higgins / A Nunn

Attendance: 179

Star Man: Jon Gardner (Oxford)