Oxford 0 Argyle 1: Match report

WIN pretty, win ugly. Whatever you do, in the record books it is simply recorded with the letter 'W'.

Argyle's 1-0 win at Oxford, their fifth in succesion, was a far cry from the incisive destruction of leaders Shrewsbury or the flamoyant victory against AFC Wimbledon, but was full of grit, heart, commitment and - crucially - the deciding goal.

Sonny Bradley, for the 11th time in his Argyle career, headed home, and in the second minute of first half injury-time, the Pilgrims had the goal that would ultimately win them all three points.

It was also the goal that they defending as it was the most precious thing in the world to them - which, for an hour and three quarters or so, it was.

A slow start to the game meant we waited ten minutes for the first real chance, and when it came, it had the potential to be another show stopper. Graham Carey's floated cross to Antoni Sarcevic invited the volley, but the in-form midfielder did not connect precisely, and the ball sliced away.

The theme of the first half seemed to be chances alternating between the teams, and gradually getting easier, yet no-one taking their opportunity.

Joe Rothwell, comfortably Oxford's best player in the opening half an hour, got into a good position on the edge of the box, but saw his shot charged down, before Argyle went straight up the other end, and via a link-up between floating attackers Carey and Ruben Lameiras, the Irishman got beyond the Yellows' defence. His dink over the keeper looked like the opening goal, but the ball trickled wide, with Simon Eastwood having got a slight but decisive glove to it.

Todd Kane, a right-back on loan from Chelsea, was a danger when overlapping, and did so to good effect, getting beyond his wide man and sending a perfect cross to Alex Mowatt. The United midfielder had perfectly timed his run, but not his finish, as he skied over from eight yards.

It was a game with a far slower tempo compared to recent Argyle outings, and Pilgrims looked a little out of sorts, too often sinking deeper than necessary. It was fortunate that a jittery Oxford team seemed to lack confidence offensively.

There was also a flurry of Argyle passes that just did not quite reach their target, either underhit, overhit or slightly wide of their intended recipient. More often than not the right ball was being played, but with the execution often slightly below par.

With the very last chance of the half, though, Argyle got it right. A flowing, dangerous move was stemmed by Oxford, but only for a corner. Carey took it, swung the ball to the far post, and the ball sailed over the straying goalkeeper. As Eastwood went outward, Bradley looked goalward, looping a header over a crowd of bodies and into the net.

Read the full report here.