Opposition view: Robinson frustrated as Oxford miss '˜chance after chance' in Cobblers loss

Oxford United manager Karl Robinson was critical of his side's inability to take their opportunities in front of goal having apparently missed '˜chance after chance' during Tuesday's 2-1 defeat to Northampton in the Checkatrade Trophy.
Karl RobinsonKarl Robinson
Karl Robinson

Cobblers started on top but James Henry’s deflected strike gave Oxford a 24th minute lead against the run of play before Northampton goalkeeper Lewis Ward denied Shandon Baptiste and Sam Smith towards the end of the first-half.

The visitors were the better team after half-time though as Kevin van Veen’s wonder strike and Aaron Pierre’s nicely-taken goal handed Town a rare victory, just their second of the season, and piled more pressure on Robinson, whose team are bottom of League One.

“It’s typical of us going forward, we just don’t seem to get a second goal,” the former MK Dons boss told Oxford Mail.

“It just shows you, we have chance after chance and they score one from 25 yards in the top corner. Our lads can’t score from three yards. It’s the things everybody knows, I can’t come out and make something up – these are just the facts.

“You can’t magic someone to score goals. I’ve been very brutally honest with one or two players in there, but you can’t change them.

“I’ve got a few questions I need to ask internally over certain things, but the players need to understand Saturday was always the objective.

“I don’t like losing Monopoly, let alone football matches, but it is one of those ones I will shrug off. The most important thing is we’ve got through it with no injuries and we have some big decisions to make for Saturday.”