IT had been a long, long wait for these two clubs to meet. And when they did, it was sheer anti-climax.

Like ships in the night, they had passed each other in both 1962 and 2006, one dropping out of the Football League, while the other burst into it.

But when they eventually got to do battle, a classic it was not.

In the poorest match since Oxford United returned to the league, they found they couldnot find any way through against an Accrington side yet to concede a goal in the league this season.

And the Lancashire side, despite some enterprising play in the first 45 minutes, similarly found Oxford’s defence and goalkeeper, Ryan Clarke, impossible to breach.

Whereas in United’s first match at Burton, when defences were on top, there was much to admire, here there was very much less so.

It was not much of a spectacle, forwards continually getting caught offside, and passes constantly going astray.

The U’s seemed to suffer a West Ham hangover because in the first half they were very sluggish.

Oxford improved in the second half, and James Constable twice went close to scoring.

But from both sides, there was a lot of huffing and puffing, and not much quality when they got near the goal.

Chris Wilder’s team were lucky the Reds weren’t one or two goals in front by half-time.

United found it hard to cope with the visitors’ 4-2-3-1 formation, often getting outnumbered in the centre of the pitch.

Ray Putterill hit a volley from the edge of the area on 12 minutes that Clarke turned around a post, and four minutes later Sean McConville struck a 25-yard drive that United’s keeper beat away.

When the U’s got an opportunity, it came after Stanley gave the ball away to Constable.

He spread it left, and Asa Hall met Anthony Tonkin’s cross with a far-post header that keeper Ian Dunbavin saved.

The visitors then looked much the more likely to score, and McConville cut in past two players from the left, only to fire his shot high over the bar.

Some United fans were getting frustrated that the home side didn’t seem totally switched on. When Jack Midson found Matt Green with a pass on the edge of the box, Green’s poor touch gave possession away.

The U’s were not that far away, though, at one right-wing corner.

Both Harry Worley and Hall almost got their heads to Simon Heslop’s flag-kick six yards out, and it bounced off defender Johnny Bateson and into the arms of Dunbavin.

Worley was booked for a foul that stopped one Accrington attack, and Green also picked up a yellow card before half-time for what Accrington players felt was an elbow when he went up for a challenge.

United began the second half with more urgency and started to move the ball quicker.

And five minutes after the break came their best chance so far as Constable met Midson's low right-wing cross at the near post, but could only steer his effort into the side-netting.

Soon after, Constable connected well on the volley from Midson’s head back, after Ben Purkiss centred from the right following a fine move, but he again couldn’t beat the keeper.

United made a double substitution, bringing on both Alfie Potter and Mitchell Cole, and as the game opened out, it became more watchable.

Clarke had to punch away a deep cross at full stretch, while Potter’s burst through the centre set up a shooting chance for Constable, who again saw Dunbavin equal to it.

This latest stalemate leaves Oxford still looking for that first league win, and with three goalless draws from four matches.

They’re defending well enough. But they just can't score.