Home Match Thread Oxford United v Crawley Town · Friendly · Tues 28th Jul, 19:00

[battman]

Opening the season with the cup game vs Orient could make it more tempting for the manager to start GOD ahead of Harris - if our opening game was at home to MK Dons I would have erred on the side of caution and started Harris, but in the cup it feels like more of a free hit

 

[OUFC1978]

Having slept on it and chatting to my son this morning he mentioned he liked PSF as you can hear the players and coaches shouting.
This is another comment on Bradney. Very vocal. Asking for the ball directing people when he didnt have it. I thought he was impressive.

Elliot-Wheeler looked ok. Very Tyler like in build and footwork. Few times he got into good positions and final ball was poor or made the wrong choice but he looked good.
I think if we keep the core squad and have Golding, Snowden, Bradney, Elliot-Wheeler as backups we shouldnt worry.

Harris did miss a couple of good chances but we look so much better in the press with him and Tyler working as a team to press. I think they will win the ball back lots high up the pitch and im making an early prediction that both will hit double figures this season.

 

[Peterdev]

I’m cautiously optimistic about the season ahead. BMK is obviously away soon as he has not featured at all and I’m sure we won’t see him again in an Oxford United shirt. Raising some money by offloading players has always been a feature of our club. But BMK hardly featured last season and we need the money back.
My big hope is that Aaron might persuade Stan to stay and help Oxford do well this season. I’m sure he detects an air of positivity around the club and might decide to stay. Obviously the club might decide differently if a £4million bid gets made.
Enjoying the fact that Tyler is back and we have a couple of youngsters to excite us after the late disappointment last season.

 

[The Mighty Aldo]

Having slept on it and chatting to my son this morning he mentioned he liked PSF as you can hear the players and coaches shouting.
This is another comment on Bradney. Very vocal. Asking for the ball directing people when he didnt have it. I thought he was impressive.

Elliot-Wheeler looked ok. Very Tyler like in build and footwork. Few times he got into good positions and final ball was poor or made the wrong choice but he looked good.
I think if we keep the core squad and have Golding, Snowden, Bradney, Elliot-Wheeler as backups we shouldnt worry.

Harris did miss a couple of good chances but we look so much better in the press with him and Tyler working as a team to press. I think they will win the ball back lots high up the pitch and im making an early prediction that both will hit double figures this season.

Well that means in Tyler’s case we create 20 chances for him and 50 chances for Harris.
Last night summed up Harris when he has played for us. Matt Taylor, Moody, Aldridge, Hylton, Constable would put away both those chances. I can see why he is a good team player and I can’t fault his effort and commitment but a natural goalscorer he is not.
This game is all about putting the ball in the back of the net

 

[Ewes]

I’m cautiously optimistic about the season ahead. I’m sure he detects an air of positivity around the club.

I’m with you on this.

On-field I agree there is an air of positivity, although we’ve yet to play any really testing opponents.

Off the field I would suggest the air is full of smog, and smells worse than the sewers near the Kassstad.

 

[fatbear]

Attached is Fatbear's report on last night's game for anyone interested

Oxford United 3-1 Crawley Town ( att : 1,862 ) 2026/27 Pre-Season Friendly

fatbearssportingdiaries.blogspot.com

It's always dangerous to read too much into PSF's but overall it was a fair score, and Oxford United could/should have won by more at the end.

Crawley dominated the first 15 minutes of the second half, but then made 7 changes, bringing on mostly fringe players, and the mass changes for Oxford on 70 minutes included bringing on 4 current internationals, so it was all Oxford in the closing 30 minutes.

As someone who doesn't watch Oxford United that often, Mills was the standout player, although he was up against a right winger that the Crawley manager thinks will be better as a full-back. O'Donker impressed, Brannigan played some classy passes and Goodrham also looked very good. Elliott-Wheeler looks to have come on leaps and bounds after the level he was at on loan at Oxford City two seasons ago, and I liked the look of Snowden.

 

[bazzer9461]

On the whole, that was an encouraging evening's football. We appear to have a squad of players who are motivated and willing to adopt the style of football that Ramsay has trained them to play. There were still those moments, Cumming's distribution, some less than accurate passing and Harris still has it in himself to miss an easy finish.
However, plenty of evidence of a new style of football, more attacking, more entertaining. And some talented youngsters who look eager to stake their claim to playing.
We still have to face the real opposition, as in League 1 teams but, definitely encouraging.

I left just before GoD’s goal more fool me for that but we still tend to faff around in defence or we wait for everyone to get back in position before a goal kick or a free kick, we still have 10 defenders at corners they had 8 as they left a man up field and one outside the box, it’s something we never seem to do.
Referee wtf a throw in after an of the ball challenge?
First there were definitely a few cards that would have been issued if this wasn’t a PSF and probably one of those being a red.
We have one game left to get things right for our first game in anger and I’m not sure whether we will get the Ipswich kids or a mixture.

 

[HillBilly]

Elliott-Wheeler looks to have come on leaps and bounds after the level he was at on loan at Oxford City two seasons ago, and I liked the look of Snowden.

As he came on a bit later than the other subs (for the last 10/15), it was encouraging how often Elliott-Wheeler got beyond his defender.

Finding Tyler for that last goal should give him a boost, but he also put in a couple of strong challenges, and I can see him making a few appearances off the bench in the league if we're trying to protect a lead, which is maybe less likely with other youth players.

He's also played a lot of men's football for his age. Just checked and he's made 45 senior appearances since his spell at Oxford City. Nearly all of them starts, mostly in the league above, and he'll only turn 20 in a month.

Big leap from the bottom end of the National League to the top end of League One, but I think Ramsey will be pleased to have him in the squad.

 

[JC_Yellow]

What position did Elliott-Wheeler play last night?

He's mostly played full-back or wing-back in last couple of seasons, but started off as a winger for us.

Curious as to where his future lies.

 

[werthersoriginal]

What position did Elliott-Wheeler play last night?

He's mostly played full-back or wing-back in last couple of seasons, but started off as a winger for us.

Curious as to where his future lies.

He was on the right wing

 

[Jackox14]

As he came on a bit later than the other subs (for the last 10/15), it was encouraging how often Elliott-Wheeler got beyond his defender.

Finding Tyler for that last goal should give him a boost, but he also put in a couple of strong challenges, and I can see him making a few appearances off the bench in the league if we're trying to protect a lead, which is maybe less likely with other youth players.

He's also played a lot of men's football for his age. Just checked and he's made 45 appearances since his spell at Oxford City. Nearly all of them starts, mostly in the league above, and he'll only turn 20 in a month.

Big leap from the bottom end of the National League to the top end of League One, but I think Ramsey will be pleased to have him in the squad.

Had rave reviews from Gateshead last season

 

[bicesterox]

There were some good bits last night and some not so good, including Rooskens injury, and some poor tackles flying in.

Thought the ref was poor at times and agree that in a league or cup game there's a few cards being issued .

Plenty of corners early on, think 3 in the first 2 minutes, and nice to see Cam & Stan trying something different even if it didn't always work.

Is it just me or does time seem to drag at PSF's, must be lack of atmosphere or nothing at stake i suppose, I'll be back on Saturday though

 

[Peterdev]

There were some good bits last night and some not so good, including Rooskens injury, and some poor tackles flying in.

Thought the ref was poor at times and agree that in a league or cup game there's a few cards being issued .

Plenty of corners early on, think 3 in the first 2 minutes, and nice to see Cam & Stan trying something different even if it didn't always work.

Is it just me or does time seem to drag at PSF's, must be lack of atmosphere or nothing at stake i suppose, I'll be back on Saturday though

I wasn’t dragging at Aldershot when I went last week.
It seemed to get to ninety minutes and no time was added on