Player watch: What we made of Reece Oxford’s night
Young Hammer Reece Oxford made hs first apearance before David Moyes in the FA Cup replay against Shrewsbury Town last night. Here’s how ClaretandHugh’s man at the match Danny Danielli Leach saw his 90 minutes.
3 – Has a slightly scuffed shot outside the area with his right foot blocked
8 – Clears the ball into the other half unnecessarily as a player with his ability should be able to play it on the floor
8 – Mistimes a header and gives away a free kick in the process
9 – Heads away the ball from danger from a free kick in the box
14 – Mistimes two tackles and gives away a foul for the latter
15 – Shields the opposition player very well preventing any serious attack
16 – On the edge of the opposition goal area he stands up and times his tackle well to prevent a counter attack
20 – Controls a poor clearance really well before making a good pass to Martinez
21 – Fails to get a tackle on Beckles and allows him to cross the ball in from the left hand side
29 – Apparently fouls the goalkeeper after merely leaning into him
30 – Boots away the ball into the other half
34 – Plays a great volley pass back to Hart from the half way line
41 – Stands up against the opposition player very well forcing him into playing a poor pass to the striker
48 – Takes advantage by snatching the ball from opposition when the player makes a poor touch and passes it out wide to Ayew
50 – Holds up the ball really well as he is constantly pulled by the opposition before laying the ball to Obiang
58 – Covers Masuaku very well when he ventured in field
63 – Plays a really poor pass across the centre of midfield allowing the opposition striker a 1v1 which was saved off the line
67 – Controls an awkward ball with his head then chest before playing it to Obiang
69 – Moyes substitutes him for Noble
Verdict – 6 – While not his finest performance it is clear he is an immensely talented player. He showed composure in midfield as he dominated it with Obiang and Cullen. His passing, vision and mental reading of the game were superb apart from 1 bad pass. His tackling does need to improve a bit though. Going forward I expect big things from Oxford as he has the potential to be one of the best holding midfielders in English football.
