Gary Rowett slams Watford tactic used on Oxford goalkeeper

Gary Rowett slams Watford tactic used on Oxford goalkeeper

Gary Rowett criticised the ‘block’ tactic used on Oxford keeper Jamie Cumming for Watford’s winning goal at Vicarage Road, writes Gareth Davies.

The score was locked at 1-1 deep into first-half added time when Jeremy Ngakia’s corner from the left slipped through Cumming’s hands and into the net.

That completed a miserable afternoon for Cumming, who had appeared at fault a few minutes earlier when he flapped at Ngakia’s header before it went in to cancel out Oxford’s opener – a third-minute own goal by defender Max Alleyne.

While agreeing that Cumming was at fault for conceding direct from a corner, Rowett questioned Watford’s tactics for the set piece.

He said: “The tactic is to try and foul the keeper. We were talking about that all game.

“Basically, you’re blocking the keeper in and you’re getting away with it.

“If that’s a tactic you can get away with, of course it’s effective and it proved to be effective for Watford.

“In my opinion, it should be dealt with by the officials.

“There’s a good argument that it’s obstruction, and that’s how I see it, but if a ref doesn’t give it and you get an advantage from it, the game is about small margins.”

“But my team talk was very different on the back of being 1-0 up and then going in at half-time 2-1 down.”

Now Oxford go into the two-week international break ahead of their next match, against Derby at the Kassam, when the Us will be going for their first home win of the season – and seeking an escape route from the relegation zone.

Rowett said: “Performance levels have been pretty good, but the challenge is that our points total hasn’t.

“I don’t want to be a team that looks better this year but gets hardly any points. I’ve got to make sure I put that right.”