Oxford United U18s suffered their first defeat in the Merit League on Saturday as they were beaten away to AFC Wimbledon 2-1.
The Dons took the lead early on in the 23rd minute after a scrappy start to the game. Neither team were able to gain control of the game, but it was the Dons who were creating the chances in the first half. Following their goal, the home side came close to doubling their lead four minutes later but were denied only by the woodwork.
They were, however, successful in the 33rd minute as a ball not cleared properly, fell to the Dons and they took a 2-0 lead with a deflected effort that found its way into the back of the net.
The U’s came out in the second 45 and took only 30 seconds to create one of their best chances of the game as Kasway Burton’s effort fired just wide into the side netting. The U’s continued their pressure, however, the Dons were able to limit the chances, until Kasway Burton delivered a pinpoint cross in the 74th minute to Jack Lee who met it with a header that was only just denied by the post.
The U’s were given a chance to get back into the game right at the death, as Jack Lee won a penalty in the 86th minute after getting pushed in the back whilst contesting for the ball. Captain Zaide Took-Oxley calmly converted into the bottom left corner to make it 2-1 and got the young U’s back into the game.
The U’s continued their pressure for the last 10 minutes but weren’t able to get the equaliser and suffered their first defeat in three.
Coach Pablo Haysham said:
“Disappointing result today, a very scrappy game and we just weren’t able to gain control of the game when we needed to. No time to dwell on the performance though as we have fixtures coming thick and fast. Just six games left now, and we still want to achieve our goals for the rest of the season.”
