Bradford City 0,

Oxford Utd 0

By JON MURRAY T'S not all over until the fat lady sings yet, despite a performance full of grit and determination, as Alan Hansen would have said, Oxford United can already hear her starting to clear her throat.

Their first division status hangs by the thinnest of threads after this gutsy display at Valley Parade on Saturday when they came so close to snatching an improbable victory.

Had Joey Beauchamp been able to keep down his volley 20 minutes from time, when substitute Kevin Francis back-headed Mark Watson's long throw with his first touch, United might well have been celebrating all three points.

In the end, though, even that would probably not have been enough. It only needs one of Bury and QPR to win their final home games next Sunday to send United into the second division, and that would have been the case even with victory at Bradford.

There was a sense of expectation and nervousness among the sell-out 15,000 crowd who had turned out on a beautiful May Day to witness City take one giant step towards the Premiership. At least, that was what most of them thought. United, not wanting to be cannon fodder as they were at Middlesbrough 12 months ago, were determined to re-write the script.

Manager Malcolm Shotton kept by the team that had lost at home to Norwich after Beauchamp and Phil Gilchrist passed late fitness tests.

City carved out an early chance when Lee Mills shot wide, but after that early heart-murmur, United got a grip in midfield. Paul Tait and Martin Gray gave Stuart McCall and Gareth Whalley little space, and, crucially, on the flanks, neither Lee Sharpe nor Peter Beagrie could get any change out of the two full backs Paul Powell and Les Robinson.

When Tait nipped in to touch the ball away from goalkeeper Gary Walsh, after alert play from Beauchamp and Matt Murphy, Tait then found himself knocked to the ground as the keeper recovered the ball. All three Oxford players appealed for a penalty but their pleas fell on deaf ears.

It needed some good defending by Darren Moore to stop Murphy getting in a shot and then Tait fired in a 25-yard shot, just a yard or so wide, after latching on to a clearance from Moore.

Things were not going to plan at all for the home side, and their supporters started to get restless. Seven minutes before the break, United so nearly took the lead. Murphy started the move with a surging run through the middle, Nicky Banger crossed from the right and Joey Beauchamp met it at the far post with a left-foot volley.

Walsh made a smart reaction save to keep it out and when it fell to Simon Weatherstone he couldn't get any power on his shot.

Central defenders Mark Watson and Gilchrist were having another exceptional game and, together with Gray, they were giving Dean Windass a hard time.

As if to show there was no love lost from his departure, they went in especially hard when they tackled him, but he didn't react, almost knowing he might be singled out for special treatment.

Bradford boss Paul Jewell must have been very unhappy with his team and after his interval team talk, they showed more urgency and tried to move the ball quicker in the second half. But still United looked rock solid and still it was the visitors who created the better chances.

Midway through the second period, from a quick break started by a throw from goalkeeper Paul Lundin, Beauchamp picked out Banger with a 50-yard crossfield pass and when Banger hooked the ball back, Bradford's Wayne Jacobs could only clear against Gray's chest and the ball seemed to be going into the net but once again Walsh produced a superb reaction save.

With Oxford's fans giving their side some great backing, Shotton's team gave it everything as they desperately tried to get the goal which might just keep them in the first division.

Beauchamp went close but it just wouldn't go in.

And at the other end, Lundin had only easy saves from McCall and Windass to deal with. In the final minute. there was an astonishing incident when Banger appeared to get his second yellow card of the match.

Banger had been booked for dissent after kicking the ball away, and in the 90th minute he was involved in a flare-up withMcCall.

Despite protests from McCall not to send Banger off, the referee clearly seemed to brandish a yellow card at him and the home crowd erupted as they felt the official had not realised he had already been booked.

Later, however, the ref said he hadn't booked Banger a second time but had instead shown McCall the yellow card.

Story date: Monday 03 May

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.