Oxford United 2-0 Blackpool: Matt Scrafton's match verdict from frustrating day at the office

There are certain days at the office, we’ve all had them, when – despite your best efforts and intentions – things simply don’t go your way.

Pool’s miserable day was summed up when the players trudged their way back to the changing rooms, smarting from a disappointing loss, only to be met by cold showers on a day when temperatures had almost plummeted to zero.

The jokes about Blackpool’s players just being happy to have running water, hot or not, write themselves given it’s a luxury they’re not afforded at Squires Gate.

There was no lack of effort, application or even skill from Blackpool on Saturday. In fact, bizarrely, Terry McPhillips’ men actually played quite well in the first half, yet somehow found themselves two down.

But, thanks to a couple of uncharacteristic defensive mishaps and a clinical finish from an Oxford player, the game was as good as over for them by the half-time interval.

As was the case with games up and down the country on Saturday, with several falling foul to the weather, the vicious wind and ice-cold rain made for an ugly spectacle.

Said conditions favoured the home side in the first half, with the gales resulting in Blackpool being camped in their own half for much of the opening 15 to 20 minutes.

The game was bordering farcical at times, with the ball rolling away from its spot from free kicks and corners and swirling in the air from defensive clearances before getting caught up in the wind and hurtling back towards goal.

Yet it seemed Blackpool had managed to see out the home side’s early dominance, eventually acclimatising to the conditions as they worked out they must keep the ball on the deck if they were to enjoy any success in these conditions.

Marc Bola was the main threat, the left back finding himself in acres of space down the left flank time and time again.

After a couple of dangerous, fizzed crosses were cleared away from the six-yard box, Bola was again involved when he got in behind the opposition full back only to see his low ball cleared away from Nathan Delfouneso, who was waiting for the simple task of tapping in at the back post.

It was ironic, then, that Bola was the man to be caught out – initially, at least – for Oxford’s opener just minutes later.

A high ball into the Blackpool box caused a mix-up between goalkeeper Mark Howard and Bola, who was ordered to clear his lines. That seemed to be the right course of action but unfortunately Bola’s clearance went straight to James Henry on the wing, whose deep cross was headed into the back of his own net by Ollie Turton under pressure at the back post from Marcus Browne.

Terry McPhillips claimed the goal, which was initially credited to Browne, should not have stood as Turton was being pushed to the ground. Maybe he was right, but this wasn’t to be Blackpool’s day.

It could have been oh so different, of course, had Liam Feeney’s low drive three minutes later found the bottom corner of the net and not cannoned off the foot of the post.

Other than two or three half chances in a drab, uneventful second half, that’s as close as the Seasiders came to finding the back of the net on an afternoon where, tellingly, they failed to produce a shot on target.

Pool could have well fought their way back from a goal down but it always appeared a second would be too much to come back from. That’s exactly how it proved, with James Henry’s sweeping effort four minutes before half time putting the game to bed and sealing the points for the home side.

It was another soft goal for Blackpool to concede, as just a few seconds earlier they had been camped attacking in the Oxford half. The hosts broke at speed, Henry combined well with the winger before doubling their lead with a well-taken finish, the midfielder’s eighth goal in his last nine matches, giving Howard no chance.

With the wind in their favour in the second half, Pool were always hopeful of clawing their way back, but those hopes proved to be unfounded.

Oxford managed the game well, happy to sit back and soak up any pressure but, in all honesty, there wasn’t a great deal of it – not until the last 10 or 15 minutes, anyway.

Pool did eventually carve out some openings, Ben Heneghan going close twice – the second of which was a glorious header he strangely opted to nod across goal rather than towards it – before Harry Pritchard fired over when well placed in the centre of the box.

Heneghan’s first attempt, like the earlier example of the cold showers, also aptly summed up Blackpool’s day – with a Jordan Thompson cross somehow missing everyone in the box before catching the centre back by surprise, causing the ball to smack into his face and, as a consequence, roll harmlessly into the grateful hands of the Oxford goalkeeper.

It was just one of those days for Pool, it just wasn’t to be.

Others might point fingers and blame team selection, with some suggesting Tinkerman Terry made too many changes to what was a winning team, or question why top scorer Armand Gnandnuillet – who didn’t train all week until Friday – was dropped to the bench.

But ultimately it was a case of Oxford playing the baltic conditions better than Blackpool, who will need to lick their wounds and pick themselves up for their hugely significant cup replay on Tuesday.

Win that and Pool will have an FA Cup third round clash against Arsenal on the horizon and still be four points off the play-offs with a game in hand. It’s not all bad, eh?