Karl Robinson impressed by Oxford response after Scunthorpe’s fast start

Posted Friday, March 30, 2018 by PA

Oxford head coach Karl Robinson was delighted by his players as they recovered from a first-half mauling to earn a 1-1 home draw with Scunthorpe.

The visitors threatened to run riot in the opening 45 minutes of the League One clash but only had Ivan Toney’s 12th-minute goal to show for their total dominance.

And they ended up paying for their lack of ruthlessness as Oxford substitute Jon Obika helped to turn the game.

Obika won a penalty two minutes after coming on when he was adjudged to have been tripped by Jordan Clarke. James Henry converted the spot-kick, to bring Robinson a welcome point in his first home match in charge.

Robinson said: “We were not good enough in the first half. But in the second half we were the better team, so it was a fair result.

“There was honesty in the dressing room at half-time. We changed to a 4-3-3 – there’s nothing to be embarrassed about when you do that – and coached them in how we wanted to play that system, and I was very, very pleased in the second half.

“We didn’t look like a team 10 or 12 places behind them. But yes, in the first half we weren’t good enough.

“There’s so much work to do here. The last two games have shown there is quality in this group. We have to get more consistency in our finishing.

“I knew walking into this place how hard it was going to be, but I’m very proud with the way the players have performed the last two games.

“In the second half we were all over them like a rash.

“So we finished strongly and will be full of confidence going into our game at Shrewsbury on Easter Monday.”

It was Scunthorpe’s first match since the sacking of manager Graham Alexander.

Interim manager Nick Daws reflected on the harshness of the result, with his team denied a penalty when Henry appeared to handle Rory McCardle’s header on the goal line.

Scunthorpe also hit the woodwork twice.

Daws said: “We played tremendously well and in the first half were outstanding, in all aspects of the game – the way we passed the ball, the way we stopped them from playing, and we forced them to change their formation three times in the game.

“It was not the result we wanted, but it’s a point.

“Both penalty decisions, for and against, were hard to take. But disappointed as we were with them, we have to move on.

“But I was pleased with the performance. For a long period of the game, we were the better team.”