Oxford United 2, Wycombe Wanderers 2

3:22pm Wednesday 17th August 2005

WANDERERS were denied a derby-day victory when Danny Morgan came off the bench to steal a dramatic late equaliser.

The Oxford supersub struck two minutes from time to head home Chris Hackett's free kick and ruin what looked like being a winning return for Tommy Mooney on his first visit back to his old club.

Mooney was booed throughout the afternoon by the Oxford fans, but the Wycombe striker who had a quiet game looked like he was going to have the last laugh when Wanderers turned a 1-0 half time deficit into a 2-1 lead with just five minutes to go.

Wycombe who trailed to a 17th minute breakaway goal got themselves into a winning position with a second half Nathan Tyson double only to let it slip at the last.

Blues boss John Gorman said: "The lads are very upset because the three points were there for the taking.

"We worked so hard to get in front and it was so disappointing to lose them in the last two minutes."

Wanderers, who made one change from the side which sparkled at Rochdale with Rob Lee coming in for Stefan Oakes, looked as though they were going to continue where they left off as they took the game to United.

But Oxford, who always threatened on the breakaway, drew first blood with a goal on the counter attack.

They turned defence into attack as they cleared a free kick on the edge of their box. Barry Quinn released Craig Davies and the Welsh U21 new-boy slid across an inch-perfect centre which Hackett turned in.

The goal lifted Oxford and rocked Wanderers back on their heels.

Roared on by the crowd, United began to win the fifty-fifty challenges and knocked Wycombe out of their stride.

Hackett, Lee Bradbury and the impressive Davies all caused problems as Oxford broke forward with menace on a pitch made greasy by heavy rain.

The pacy Davies was giving Blues defender Mike Williamson a hard time while, at the other end, Mooney and Tyson were struggling against an Oxford defence marshalled by John Ashton and Chris Willmott.

If Oxford had the better of the first half, Wycombe had the better of the second.

Within 60 seconds of the restart they were just a whisker away from equalising. Tyson went clear on the left and as he tried to squeeze the ball between keeper Billy Turley's legs Turley recovered to sit on the ball and save it with his backside.

Oxford came roaring straight back though and Frank Talia was twice called into action in the space of two minutes. First, he tipped Stuart Gray's piledriver over the top and then he gathered Bradbury's shot at the second attempt.

The match now had a real derby feel to it and Mooney was denied a 58th minute equaliser by the offside flag.

It looked a close call when he headed Clint Easton's left wing cross downwards into the net but surprisingly there were no great protests from him as he was denied a goal which would have rammed the home fans taunts back down their throats.

Wycombe were now in the ascendancy but it took the double introduction of substitutes Ian Stonebridge and Stefan Oakes on the hour to really swing the game in their favour.

Stonebridge, playing in midfield, was a revelation.

He went close within three minutes of his arrival when he latched onto a Mooney backheel to bend a curling shot just wide.

Wycombe's pressure finally paid off on 70 minutes. Kevin Betsy, who was becoming an increasing threat down the right, cut the ball back for Roger Johnson. The Wycombe skipper's shot was wonderfully saved by Turley, but Tyson was on hand to sweep the rebound home despite the attentions of a defender on the line.

Having been behind for so long, Wycombe then went hunting three points, with Tyson seeing his shot-on-the-turn kept out by Turley.

With Wycombe committing men forward, Oxford were a danger on the break and Johnson had to produce a brilliant block on Steve Basham as he pulled the trigger from eight yards.

Wycombe looked as though they had snatched the points when they got their noses in front on 85 minutes. Betsy got to the byline and jinked his way past two men before pulling the ball back for Tyson to gleefully ram home.

It should have been game over. But, while the 1,500 Wycombe fans were still celebrating, Easton tripped Hackett on the edge of his own box. Hackett took the free-kick himself and Morgan stole in to head home the equaliser.

Gorman said: "It was a horrible goal to lose after playing so well and getting ourselves into a winning position.

"We came to try and win the game and we should have won it."

Oxford boss Brian Talbot was happier.

He said: "We've played one of the best teams in the league and matched them.

"It was a game of two halves. We edged it in the first half and were the better side but they were better in the second and when they scored they had us on the rack for a little while."

Oxford: Turley, Mansell, Willmott, Ashton, Robinson, Hackett, Quinn, Hargreaves, Gray, Bradbury (Morgan 81), Davies (Basham 73). Subs not used: Tardif, Stirling, Hughes.

Booked: Ashton.

Scorers: Hackett 17, Morgan 88.

Wycombe: Talia, Senda, Johnson, Williamson, Easton, Betsy, Lee (Oakes 61), Bloomfield (Stonebridge 61), Burnell, Tyson, Mooney. Subs not used: Williams, Nethercott, Dixon.

Booked: Betsy.

Scorers: Tyson 70, 85.

Attendance: 6,364 (Wycombe 1,494).

Referee: Mike Russell.