DUNKLEY: I’LL NOT BE FAZED BY MEMORIES OF OWN GOAL
EVERY player dreams of scoring at Wembley. Unfortunately for Chey Dunkley, his big moment came at the wrong end. Twelve months ago, in this very fixture, the Oxford centreback leapt to clear a Barnsley cross, only to spear a header straight into his own net. It proved the first of three goals in 20 harrowing minutes as the Tykes turned a 1-0 halftime deficit into a 3-2 victory, leaving Michael Appleton’s U’s bereft. Yet, as Dunkley – one of just four survivors from last year’s side – returns to Wembley this afternoon, he insists his mind will not wander to past mistakes. “I’m not thinking about last year,” said the 25-year-old, signed from Non-League Kidderminster in 2015. “At least not in personal terms. “Those things happen, even to the very best. Jamie Carragher scored a lot of own goals but it didn’t reflect his ability as a defender. You get on with it, dust yourself down. It’s all part of playing in defence. “I’m not going to walk out there thinking ‘I hope that doesn’t happen’ or ‘I’d better not score an own goal again’. “I’ve never gone into games thinking the worst. I think about what I’m going to do, how I’m going to perform. What’s the point in worrying? “If there is any motivation from last year, it’s a determination to put things right. I felt we were meant to win that cup. We had a real good opportunity at 1-0 and we didn’t take it.” Unlike last year, when the U’s were a League Two side, today Appleton’s men start favourites against a Coventry side doomed to relegation. And, if the scouts flocking to the Kassam to watch winger Marvin Johnson are any judge, his side have more than enough quality to justify that tag. The 26-year-old, signed from Motherwell for just £650,000 last summer, is being eyed by a host of Championship clubs and Dunkley – a team-mate of Johnson at Kidderminster – says the hype is justified. “He’s a close mate, so I’m a bit biased,” he laughs. “But he’s a very good player. Oxford knew that. It’s why they went and paid the money for him. “He can run all day, get at players. Physically, he’s got it all. He’s quick, athletic, strong. He’s been used as a left-back at times and he can be really dangerous from there – the classic modern full-back. “He’s got all the attributes to get the top – one of a few we’ve got here. It’s no surprise he’s in the limelight.” Today marks Oxford’s 56th game of a gruelling first season back in League One. That total could yet spiral to 65, but Dunkley isn’t complaining. “Nobody is tired,” he says. “Ask any player – they’d rather play Saturday-Tuesday every week than train. Especially when we’ve got the opportunity to look back and say ‘You know what, that wasn’t a good season, It was a great season’.”