IF Wednesday night was the New Year’s Eve party you never wanted to end, then yesterday was the equivalent of the following morning’s hangover.

It was greedy and probably unrealistic to expect Oxford United to repeat their sensational performance against AFC Wimbledon, especially with less than 72 hours’ turnaround.

Whereas the south west London side allowed the U's to control the game, Cheltenham Town were like the alcohol-induced headache you struggle to shake off.

The Robins defended with a back five, plus three central midfielders, and United found it difficult to break them down.

Read also: Karl Robinson on the tactical switch that turned the tide against Cheltenham

Between them, the U's defence and Herbie Kane made 371 passes, but just four of those were 'key passes' that allow a teammate to shoot for goal.

That illustrates how Cheltenham were happy to let United have the ball in deep positions, but also how little the home side did with it.

Players who were outstanding on Wednesday were a shadow of themselves, most notably Ryan Williams and Kane – when even the latter is misplacing passes, you know it could be a tough afternoon.

Matty Taylor’s missed penalty summed up the difference between Wednesday and yesterday: the striker is in brilliant form, but rather than trusting himself to bury his spot-kick into the corner he went for power and was foiled by Owen Evans.

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United conceded a poor goal in their 1-0 defeat at Whaddon Road in September and Cheltenham’s opener this time around was even worse.

It was scrappy, although the random nature of the goal makes it hard to point the finger at United's ability to defend set-pieces.

Corners and free-kicks at the other end of the pitch were more frustrating, as the U's had plenty of chances but never looked like scoring.

But on an afternoon when nothing United tried came off, they deserve credit for changing it up and getting their reward.

The introductions of Gavin Whyte and Sam Winnall, for Marcus McGuane and Williams, saw the U’s switch to a 4-4-2 diamond that Cheltenham found tougher to contain.

WATCH: Highlights of yesterday's game

Whyte’s end product has been criticised this season, but his four assists in three games have all required a touch of class.

It was the type of goal we have seen time and again from United in recent weeks, where one player crosses low and another - this time Mark Sykes - slides in at the far post.

The Irishman has really stepped up this season – do not forget he was the one to speak to the U’s fans at full-time of the defeat at Cheltenham in September.

That was arguably the low point of United's season and they have undoubtedly improved since then.

A point at home to a team in the bottom half of Sky Bet League One is not ideal, but at least the U's avoided a dispiriting defeat.