Oxford United made it nine games unbeaten as a James Henry goal earned them a 1-1 draw at Accrington Stanley this afternoon.
Henry's second half goal was cancelled out by a superb equaliser from Ethan Hamilton to deny Karl Robinson's side a win but an away point is always welcome, even if the U's will have been disappointed to let a hard-earned lead slip away.
You have almost been able to see the confidence rise with each game of the unbeaten run, and United should have been ahead before the break when a curling effort from Lewis Bate came back off the crossbar after seven minutes, and an Elliott Moore header was flicked a foot wide from the second clear chance of the game.
Midfield trio Bate, Cameron Brannagan and Marcus McGuane had a grip on the game, and Simon Eastwood might as well have put the World Cup on his phone in the corner of his net to keep him occupied in a first half where Accrington were industrious rather than dangerous.
United threatened to break away - centre half Doug Tharme shown a yellow card for pulling Matty Tayor back before he could free the marauding Marcus Browne after half an hour - and although Eastwood was finally called into action to tip a Hamilton prod round the post, it was Bate’s effort that had gone closest to breaking the deadlock in the first half.
The second half was much more end to end, and the stalemate should have been a thing of the past just two minutes after the interval after Bate broke down the right and the always adventurous Djavan Anderson cut the ball back for Taylor, with space and time to pick his spot. Sadly he picked a spot next to the drummer at the back of the Farleys Solicitors Stand rather tnan making relieved keeper Toby Savin work.
Defender Astley, not usually one to give things up or let people down, allowed Browne to run around before he hurt him and earned a yellow card on 57, but a minute later the U's were ahead.
The bruised Browne picked himself up and showed speed and awareness to nick the ball round Tharme and, having got out of Tharme's way, squared for Henry to gleefully smash the ball into the empty net to make it 1-0.
Accrington now threw men forward and Eastwood at last was made to make a save, plunging to his right to save from sub Joe Pritchard. That looked like earning his side a win, but with five minutes left United were finally breached when Hamilton hammered home a wonder goal. United had cleared a corner and there seemed little danger but Hamilton let fly from 35 yards and in one moment three points had turned into one.
That left a frantic last few minutes when the two teams went toe to toe and could both have won it, but neither side could find a winner and the U's had made it to nine without defeat.
Can they make it double figures? Come and join us for Barnsley at home next Saturday.
Att: 2,447
Away: 340
Report by Chris Williams, pictures by Darrell Fisher, Steve Daniels, Steve Edmunds and Rex/Shutterstock