15th March 2025- Championship, Oxford United 1 Watford 0

BBC: Oxford United claimed a first win in 10 Championship matches with a narrow victory over 10-man Watford.

Sky: It was Dembele’s first goal for the club and came just three minutes after Watford had James Abankwah sent off for a second bookable offence when he fouled Przemy Placheta.

Watford Observer: RECAP: Oxford 1 Watford 0

Oxford 1 Watford 0 minute-by-minute report

Cleverley explains leaving Bayo out and substitution delays

If you don’t land a knockout blow, you’re always liable to a sucker punch

BHappy: James Abankwah’s failing was to be tempted into a foul at all, given that the cost of not doing so would inevitably have been Placheta disappearing up his own backside and losing possession but that’s that lack of experience thing again. Instead, Abankwah grabbed at him on the way past, a clear foul but on first glance an extraordinarily harsh second yellow, aggravated by Placheta doing the endearing “waving a yellow card” thing, again without censure. Review of the replay forces a revision of opinion… not harsh, but completely absurd. It’s a cheap foul on the halfway line with plenty of cover (not to mention the fact that nothing involving Placheta constitutes a goalscoring opportunity unless it’s at the other end of the pitch). Everyone makes mistakes… Tom repeatedly owns his, players on both sides throughout the game made plenty, and of course we’d chosen to come at all. Robert Madley proudly joined the club with this absolute stinker.

Frans Watford Blog: Almost immediately the home side took the lead as Harris was fouled on the edge of the box, the referee allowed play to continue and the ball fell to Dembélé who broke into the box, got into scoring position and fired past Selvik. This prompted Cleverley to make a triple substitution bringing Vata, Morris and Andrews on in place of Chakvetadze, Sissoko and Ngakia, but it was too late for them to have any influence on the game. The home side also made a couple of late changes as Dembélé and the evil Placheta made way for Matos and Phillips. There were seven minutes of added time at the end of the game, but the Hornets never looked like rescuing a point.

From the Rookery End: With so much to disucss, from two games of football (Watford 1-0 Swansea — Oxford 1-0 Watford) to the lack of striker, the tired looking Georgi Chakvetadze, the returning of investment money and is the season over? there was only one way to decide on what to discuss … THE WHEEL.