Repo Man

Oxford United 2 v Sheffield United 3

League One

Tuesday 7 March 2017

Twitter @ball_sup

Got it over the line. But, let's have it right. Oxford worked us out for a bit there. All future opponents. Save your dough. Don't pay the Scouts petrol & hotels. Cut n paste this next bit.

Deny us space in midfield.
Close us down quickly.
Attack us wide.
Whip quick, accurate balls in, create chaos.

That served Oxford very well for long spells. United were static & being forced into errors. And, contributed by making a lot of unforced errors. We looked a bit better before Wright's injury. Carruthers was anonymous for a good while after he came on. If the James Hanson thing doesn't work, it's better to haul him off.

But, slowly, slowly United found a way into it. Basham was immense. When he's denied space. When he's closed down. He's got the skill to step through. Once we got Freeman into it a bit, we were more of a threat. At 3-1, we were comfortable & managing it. Screwed up a bit in injury time.

That was a good one to come out of with summat.

The Bailiff's Tap, Banbury. Very recently opened Micropub in …. a converted Bailiff's Office. The front bit, he's kept the filing cabinets. He He He. Fair play. All gravity. Casks on stillage. Refrigerated jackets. Four on.

Phipps NBC, Cascadia, New World IPA on gravity cask at 5%. A grower that. Got better as I went down it. The first gulps, you can't quite work out what is happening. Once, the bitterness kicks in. You can't get rid of that. In a good way. Maybe a bit salad leaf bitter. Before it intensifies. The sweetness is toffee. It, feels too sweet for just a moment. But, wait, the bitterness just fills your gob at the right moment.

Phipps NBC, Cobbler's Ale on gravity cask at 4%. Bit of allspice on the nose. Maybe a hint of chestnut in the first mouthful. An earthy woodiness. But, some sort of soapy taste in there. Which is putting me off a bit. To be fair, gets a bit better. A nice dried apricot coming through.

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