McCombe praises fans after Lincoln thrashed by Oxford

Posted Sunday, September 22, 2019 by PA

Jamie McCombe admitted the only people who could emerge with any credit from Lincoln’s 6-0 defeat to Oxford were the home fans.

Tariqe Fosu hit a hat-trick, including two in the first half, while Jamie Mackie and James Henry scored early in the second period. Substitute Matt Taylor rounded off the scoring with the sixth late on.

Despite the result, the majority of the home supporters in the crowd of almost 9,000 stayed behind until the end and continued their backing for the team.

The match saw first-team coach McCombe take charge of the team for the final time before handing the reins to new manager Michael Appleton, who was watching from the stands after being appointed on Friday.

“I’m bitterly disappointed, it was nowhere near good enough, but I don’t really want to talk about the performance,” said McCombe.

“There was one standout performance, and that was from the fans. I thought the fans were absolutely magnificent. They stuck with us throughout the game. That was as loud as I’ve heard them. We didn’t deserve them.

“It [the performance] was below par. All the fundamentals we expect weren’t there. It was unlike us and we’re bitterly disappointed.”

The performance came as a shock following such a positive second-half display in the 1-1 draw at Rochdale on Tuesday.

“It was a performance we never saw coming,” said McCombe.

“We thought we’d turned a corner on Tuesday night when we put in a really good performance and the boys really fought and battled.

“Whenever you get beaten like that, it’s normally down to other factors. Whether the mentality’s changed between Tuesday and Saturday, I don’t know.

“We conceded a goal early on. There was a foul on Jack Payne [in the build-up], but I’m not blaming that. That would be a weak excuse.

“When you concede a goal early on, you’re always up against it. With them getting the second one, it made it a really difficult afternoon for us.

“At 2-0, whoever gets the next goal often goes on to win the game. They got the next goal while we really fizzled out.”

The result was Oxford’s biggest ever away win in the Football League.

Delighted manager Karl Robinson said: “It was just another good performance for us.

“I don’t think we’ve played any different in recent games. We just found a rhythm. I was really pleased with the way we went about it.

“To set the biggest ever away league win, they are the little things you keep with you for the rest of your career. It’s something that can stand for a long time.”

On hat-trick hero Fosu, Robinson said: “I’ve said before Tariqe is one of the best players I’ve signed. If I can keep him in that mindset there’s not many better than him.”