Oxford United were unable to bounce back from defeat against Swansea as the U’s suffered a 2-1 loss at Ipswich.
Oxford fell behind in the game but Will Lankshear ended his goal drought before the break. However, the hosts restored their advantage in the second half and saw the game out.
Here are three talking points from the game.
Read More: Team News, Form and Predicted Line-Up as Oxford United Travel to Ipswich
Oxford United Lose at Ipswich
Line-Up
Caretaker boss Craig Short admitted he made a mistake last time out by naming an unchanged side from the one that beat Southampton in the previous fixture. So, as a result, he made changes for this game.
Sam Long came in for Brodie Spencer at right back while Will Vaulks returned to midfield alongside Brian De Keersmaecker.
Despite his good form, Stan Mills was rested and Tyler Goodrham moved to the wing while Will Lankshear replaced Nik Prelec who missed the game with a groin injury.
Although they came up against a far superior side in Ipswich, the performance for the most part was pretty pleasing from an Oxford perspective. While the Ipswich goals were of high quality, the performance levels and commitment was much higher than in the previous game against Swansea and the changes impacted that.
Goodrham Injury
As mentioned, Goodrham started the game on the wing but the influential midfielder was forced off after just 22 minutes with an ankle injury.
The 22-year-old, who had previously found minutes hard to come by under former head coach, Gary Rowett, has looked more like his previous self in recent weeks, even scoring in that win over the Saints.
However, the injury could come as a blow, with Przemyslaw Placheta also being replaced at the break after feeling something in his calf.
Lankshear Ends Goal Drought
Top scorer Will Lankshear headed into the game at Portman Road without a goal in ten so his smart finish should give him some confidence in front of goal again.
Admittedly, the Spurs loanee has been starved of support, but this was a well worked goal. De Keersmaecker stole the ball on the halfway line and fed Placheta who burst forward and squared to Filip Krastev. The Bulgarian flicked the ball into the path of Lankshear who slotted home precisely to level the score.
Post-match, the striker was very complementary of his teammates and hopes to see out the season with the U’s, even stating that he “loves this club.”
Featured image courtesy of IMAGO / NurPhoto
