adminIt Was a Rollercoaster’: Gary Rowett Reveals His Mixed Emotions and Lifts the Lid on the Bold Oxford United Changes That Shaped the Dramatic Draw With Middlesbrough
Oxford boss Gary Rowett gave his thoughts on the 1-1 draw with Middlesbrough
Gary Rowett admitted to mixed emotions after the draw between his Oxford United side and Middlesbrough – with the U’s boss making changes and feeling his side could have taken all three points on offer.
Oxford led 1-0 at the interval thanks to Luke Harris’ strike before the half-hour mark. It followed Rowett’s admission ahead of the game that they’d used the recent international break working on improvements after their recent poor form left them sitting fourth bottom of the Championship.
Adi Viveash noted the changes after the game too, notably that Rowett had gone with younger legs and a far more aggressive press. Boro still managed to control the ball through the majority of the game, but they could only take one point on the day, largely because of their attacking struggles.
“I’m pleased in some ways with the performance, but then disappointed in other ways with the result,” Rowett said. “First half we had to hold our shape well and we had some good moments where he stood up and pressed and got into some good areas. But they had a lot more of the ball than us and got into those little pockets around the box, which they’re quite good at.
“But I didn’t feel like they created too many clear-cut moments and I can’t remember Jamie [Cumming] having to make a save. They did look quite dangerous though. We then score the goal which came from settling the game down a little, making three or four passes and then the space opens up for Jack [Currie] to get high, which is something we work on.
“Then you need to find that little bit of quality. Jack does that with a great ball to Luke. Luke arrives with really good timing and he has a knack for that. Really, I thought the yellow card took a little something from his game. In that moment, you’re wanting him to just step up but I think it inhibited him a little bit.”
And on his changes during the break, he explained: “It was a harder working, aggressive performance. I think you saw that particularly in the second half after the goal. It would have been easy then to drop off, become a bit passive and let Middlesbrough start to dictate.
“But actually, I thought we did the opposite. We made the three changes, were aggressive in the press more, started to get on the front foot and got into some good positions. There were some good moments. But by the end, it looked like neither team would find that moment of composure or quality to win the game.
“So I’m pleased overall with the performance, frustrated. The goal we conceded was too easy. They walk through the middle of us. We have to defend those moments. But other than that, I was quite pleased with a lot of the performance.”
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