WE’RE JUST BIG SOFTIES

Banned Karl takes a stand as U’s lack fight

OXFORD manager Karl Robinson accused his side of being a soft touch as they were beaten at home by Coventry.

The U’s were left second bottom in League One when Jordan Shipley and Conor Chaplin struck, with a late Jon Obika effort failing to alter the outcome.

Robinson watched his team from the television gantry during his touchline ban, but saw enough to dismay him.

He said “I felt mostly we struggled with the game emotionally. It’s not acceptable.

“It seems to me at the moment that when we play well we’re good, but when teams get in our face we don’t really want to be there.

“On the touchline I can get an understanding of the game – it’s emotionally cold from the stands.

“I’m pulling my hair out seeing players doing things that we’ve never worked on.” Oxford still have just one home league win this season, although James Henry looped an effort onto the crossbar after seven minutes.

Ricky Holmes was causing problems down the left flank and almost set up Henry on the half-hour mark, but Coventry defenders scrambled away.

Slice

The hosts nearly took the lead on 54 minutes when John Mousinho put the ball wide following a corner from Marcus Browne.

They then went behind with a slice of bad luck on 64 minutes, when the impressive Jordan Shipley shot in the area and a deflection off Mousinho wrongfooted keeper Jonathan Mitchell who could not recover.

Oxford almost replied on 69 minutes when Henry took advantage of a defensive mixup, only for keeper Lee Burge to save his effort.

Coventry continued to push though, and the second goal came from the spot, Chaplin striking on 82 minutes after Mitchell fouled Shipley.

It was not going to be a comfortable last few minutes for the visitors, after sub Jon Obika headed home, but Oxford, were unable to stage any late heroics.

The shot-shy Sky Blues had only netted three times this season before the game, but manager Mark Robins felt his side deserved to move up to 12th in the table.

He said “It was really tight, there wasn’t a great deal in it, but we got the bit of luck with the first goal.

Controlled

“You’re just looking for something to give you a kickstart and get you up and running, and we got that.

“It’s taken a hell of a lot of work to go two goals up, and then we conceded a rubbish goal from a set play.”

“We played really well, conditions were quite hard – it’s open here but generally I think we controlled things and grew into the game.”