United's great escape

Shrewsbury Tn 1 (aet)

By JON MURRAY MATT Murphy made Steve McQueen look like an amateur with the Great Escape to beat all escapes in a classic FA Cup replay at the Manor last night.

Oxford United, who came back from the dead to draw 2-2 at Shrewsbury in their second-round tie 11 days ago, did it again, with Murphy the hero.

The player who can't score when he plays as a striker, but who can't stop scoring when he plays in midfield, snatched a 90th-minute equaliser and then a winner three minutes before the end of extra time to break the third division club's brave resistance.

To all intents and purposes, United were out of the competition as the seconds ticked away and their fans had no more fingernails left to bite.

But, having trailed for more than an hour to a goal by recalled Shrewsbury striker Steve Jagielka, and with nothing left on the clock, they summoned up one last effort at a Joey Beauchamp free-kick.

Beauchamp struck his shot against the wall, it cannoned off a defender and fell to Murphy, who swivelled and hit a left-foot shot on the turn past keeper Paul Edwards and into the net. It was the life-saver United needed and after that, they were always favourites to triumph in the extra half an hour.

Still, though, they made hard work of it.

In the first period, Phil Whelan played three Shrewsbury players onside and only a superb intervention by substitute Jamie Cook, racing back to help out, saved the day.

Then keeper Paul Lundin made a stunning double save, his strong hands beating away a fierce drive by Kevin Jobling before he got down well to save Michael Brown's header when Brown probably should have scored.

As players tired after nearly two hours of play, and more and more spaces began to appear, James Lambert was able to parade his skills.

And a brilliant cross out of nothing from the former Reading man, from close to the left touchline, created the chance for Murphy to book United their third-round visit to Nottingham Forest.

Cook kept the ball in play near the corner flag and fed Lambert, who crossed deep for Steve Anthrobus. He headed down, and Murphy knocked the ball over the line from five yards.

It was a cruel, cruel ending for the Shrews but Oxford had snatched victory from the jaws of defeat by sticking to the Mickey Lewis principles of continuing to try to play. Where it tended to all go wrong was in front of goal. Although passing the ball well, they didn't commit enough players forward in most of their attacks, and Murphy was the only one who really looked like scoring.

Lewis had put him back in his preferred position in midfield, and also recalled Paul Powell after Neil McGowan failed a fitness test. On the other side, Les Robinson played as a right wingback, with Rob Folland taking a rest from the starting line-up.

Murphy was narrowly wide with a shot on the turn before a 27th-minute goal from Jagielka stunned the home team and their fans.

Jagielka, pacy in his runs along the left, began the move and was there to finish it at the far post when Michael Brown delivered the perfect cross.

United didn't play with any real fluency, but Murphy still looked threatening. He got up well to meet a Powell cross and headed just wide, and then, just before the break, only a splendid reaction save from Edwards kept out his close-range shot. Beauchamp had been out of the game in his central position in the first half, but he began looking for space to his left and started creating again.

From one smart cross, Anthrobus headed down and Edwards saved bravely from Derek Lilley.

Time was running out, but Lewis threw on his subs and the introduction of Cook and Lambert made a difference.

Yet when Murphy headed against the outside of a post from Lambert's right-wing cross in the 88th minute, that looked to be the U's last chance.

Not so. Murphy hit his 11th of the season to bring extra time and, just as everyone in the ground was trying to work out who would take the penalties, he grabbed No 12 to bring a money-spinning December 10 tie at Forest.

Story date: Wednesday 01 December

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