SATURDAY'S hero became Monday's villain as Oxford United's slump continued.

Goalkeeper Phil Whitehead, who was outstanding against Grimsby at the Manor just two days earlier, put his hand up to accept the blame for the goal which brought Barnsley a 1-0 win over the U's at Oakwell yesterday.

It was the fourth match in a row in which United had failed to find the net, but boss Malcolm Shotton said he couldn't criticise his players who had worked themselves into the ground.

The Barnsley winner was a calamitous moment for both Whitehead and centre back Phil Whelan, who appeared to leave the ball to each other a yard outside the area, allowing Barnsley player-manager John Hendrie to steal in and score.

Yet Whitehead said: "I've put my hand up, it was my mistake. I shouted 'mine' but didn't get there.

"I thought the ball would come through more than it did."

Whitehead partly redeemed himself with an astonishing save from Jan Aage Fjortoft in the second half, but he admitted candidly: "By then the damage had been done." Said Shotton: "It's one mistake that's cost us. The keeper shouted for it. Fair play to him, he's stuck his hand up straight away and accepted responsibility. The lads are honest and we accept that it was a mistake. But it's a mistake that's cost us."

Shotton, going back to his former club for the first time since leaving to become Oxford manager in January, said: "I'd have liked a happier return.

"We just need a bit of a run of the ball. We hit the bar, had good chances and played some reasonable football, I thought. And in the second half again we were the better side. But we're not getting the rub of the green. We need a shamrock!"

It could, though, have been even worse for United had the referee sent off Matt Murphy for a first-half flare-up with Chris Morgan.

Both players had already been booked when Morgan committed a bad foul on the Oxford striker who retaliated angrily, shoving the Barnsley defender away.

"If he'd sent me off for retaliation he'd have had to send him off for what he did," Murphy said. "He went right through me. I was going to protest to the ref about my earlier booking (as they came off at half-time) but after that I thought I'd better keep quiet."

Shotton said: "You shouldn't retaliate, but he was reacting to a challenge beforehand. I thought the referee in that incident used his common sense by just giving them a rollicking."

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