Oxford 2 Shrewsbury 0 - Report

Mark Sykes’ cross softly found the back of Town’s net before Cameron Brannagan sealed a routine win for the hosts with a late second.

Town remain winless on the road this season having taken just a point from 21 on offer. They stay 21st in League One after a ninth defeat from 14.

Town were boosted by the timely return to availability of defender Aaron Pierre. The centre-half missed Saturday’s win over MK Dons with an Achilles injury.

The visitors were grateful of Pierre’s inclusion given George Nurse missed out with the knock that forced him off late against Dons.

Luke Leahy also missed out through a one-match ban after collecting a fifth yellow card of the season.

That meant a switch around for boss Cotterill, who alongside the returning Pierre recalled Ryan Bowman up front for Sam Cosgrove and youngster Tom Bloxham for Leahy.

Salop also shuffled their formation and started with a back four, with Matt Pennington out at right-back. Elliott Bennett moved into the midfield three.

The hosts dropped two places to ninth after a disappointing 3-1 home reverse to Plymouth on Saturday.

They were without manager Karl Robinson in the dugout. The U’s chief had developed Covid-19 symptoms earlier in the day and, after initially testing positive, missed the clash while waiting for confirmation.

Oxford were led by Robinson’s deputy Craig Short and club captain John Mousinho.

The hosts, another side like MK Dons who are renowned under Robinson for a possession-based style, made two changes as Alex Gorrin and Sykes replaced James Henry and Nathan Holland.

Visitors Town appeared to settle swiftly into their new formation. Just 23 seconds had elapsed when left-back Nathanael Ogbeta, making rare back-to-back starts, shot high and wide from the left side of the box.

By the quarter of an hour the visitors had settled well and worked some good positions. Bloxham skewed wide first-time with a decent low effort from Udoh’s low cross.

But the U’s were guilty of passing up a gilt-edged opening on 18 minutes. Marko Marosi’s punch in the Town goal was insufficient and after the yellow shirts recycled the ball, striker Matty Taylor somehow shot wide on the spin from close range, albeit via a deflection.

Both sides surrendered possession a little easily by the midway point of the first period but Town did look threatening. In-form Shaun Whalley was lively and shot over from distance while Ogbeta’s low cross-shot tested Jack Stevens in goal.

Taylor sent a decent header chance from Gavin Whyte’s right-sided cross well over.

The hosts thought they had broken the deadlock five minutes before the break through busy striker Taylor, who found Marosi’s bottom left corner, but the offside flag had been swiftly raised.

The same man shot across goal on the brink of half-time after United had what appeared a decent penalty shout waved away.

Town’s first 45 minutes provided optimism and encouragement to the 221 travelling Salopians and those watching on iFollow.

It took less than a minute, however, for Oxford to wake up after the interval.

The half was just 56 seconds old when winger Sykes was allowed too much room down the U’s left. He cut on to his right foot and a low cross seemed to out-fox the Town backline and goalkeeper Marosi as he travelled all the way across and nestled into his far corner.

Taylor loitered and may have put the keeper off, but the striker quickly acknowledged it was Sykes’ goal - and a poor one to concede from a Town viewpoint.

Oxford tails were up and Sykes shot low at Marosi seconds later before the hosts missed a golden chance for two.

Midfielder Brannagan was found entirely unmarked at the back post from Whyte’s cross, but he diverted a header wide of the left post.

Bloxham was sharp and a lively outball for Salop, who tried to respond and had a dangerous Whalley cross almost drift over Stevens and into the corner on the hour.

But Town’s response in the second half, like at Ipswich in the last game on their travels, brought little joy from an attacking perspective.

Cotterill rolled the dice and introduced Josh Daniels, Rekeil Pyke and Cosgrove but the additions could do little to turn their side’s fortunes.

The visitors, once again, did not lack in effort and commitment, but did not do enough to trouble the U’s backline.

And with three minutes of normal time remaining the hosts put the result to bed as midfielder Brannagan curled into the bottom corner from distance after Shrews failed to close him down to cap another forgettable Salop road trip.

Teams

Oxford United (4-3-3):

Stevens; Long, Thornily, Moore ©, Seddon; Gorrin, Brannagan, Kane (Holland, 71); Sykes, Taylor (Agyei, 90), Whyte (Henry, 71).

Subs not used: Eastwood, Williams, Forde, Bodin.

Shrewsbury Town (4-3-3):

Marosi; Pennington, Ebanks-Landell ©, Pierre, Ogbeta; Bennett, Davis, Whalley; Bloxham (Daniels, 75), Udoh (Cosgrove, 79), Bowman (Pyke, 79).

Subs not used: Burgoyne, Wilson, Leshabela, Caton.

Attendance: 5,763 (221 Shrewsbury fans)

Referee: Craig Hicks