Everton 0 - 1 Oxford United

Half-time: 0 - 1; Agg: 1 - 2  

There was simply no desire, and a driven Oxford team showed up Everton's second-string players for what they were. The substitution of Jeffers and Campbell for the debutantes at the start of the second half livened things up a bit, but the initiative had been given away, and proved impossible to regain.

I have to say that for once I felt little trepidation going to Goodison for a Worthington Cup tie against lower division opposition. After all, we'd been shown what to expect at the Manor Ground; we surely wouldn't fall foul of under-estimating them twice. Walter had said before the game that whilst we had to take a pragmatic view of this competition we should also look at how Spurs had eased their way into Europe this season on the back of picking up the trophy at Wembley, earlier in the year. So, he wanted to win the trophy, but he also had to protect his paper thin squad so that progress in the league wasn't jeopardised.

In all fairness, I could live with that, if only the players took the same pragmatic approach. How many of those on show tonight were playing for a career elsewhere? Come and see what I can do, come and give me a chance, look how you could benefit from my silky skills...NOT.

The scoreboard was an omen for what was to come. It operated in fits and starts, put the wrong team up, went off, went on, tried to get it right then got it wrong again. At one point it even packed in all together, no doubt embarrassed at the fayre being offered up. But who could have produced such a scenario, how poor a team could we have put out to cause such a turn around in our fortunes?

The game started at a frantic pace with Oxford chasing down every ball, benefiting from any fortunate bounce that was available and generally looking quite calm about things. The problem from our point of view was that we had a makeshift team playing makeshift football, acting as if it was a Wednesday night in the Pontins Premier Division rather than the Worthington Cup. It showed right the way through the first half. Jevons and Cadamarteri tried hard up front but the support from the midfield, particularly Degn (who looks to have put on a stone and half since his arrival last year), was nothing short of invisible.

Our best midfield contributions came from Richard Dunne who made several attempts to get forward and score. In fact, in the first half alone he had three good attempts at goal, two long-range efforts and a glancing header, which might have produced the goods for us. But in truth, that was it as far as any blue shirted contribution to the first half was concerned. Mind you, Oxford weren't all that far ahead of us. What they did do though, was stick the ball in the net. Even then we didn't heed a warning. We'd already allowed Beauchamp space to send a shot goalwards, only for it to bounce over off the top of the bar. He didn't miss with the second effort, which resulted from a quick thrust forward after we'd lost possession half way inside our own half.

Control was not our first half strong point. We were definitely off form and out of sorts. Mind you the Gwladys Street had hardly been on form either. A quick chorus of "You haven't won f**k all" aimed at the travelling Oxford supporters was quickly silenced when they realised that Oxford United had indeed won this major domestic trophy which has so far eluded us.

It was no surprise that we left the field to a chorus of boos and jeers of derision. We had been nothing short of pathetic and we were losing 0-1.

The second half brought more hope than expectation. Jeffers and Campbell arrived on the pitch to replace the unfortunate Jevons and the woeful Degn, with Cadamarteri dropping into the right side of midfield to make way for the striking pair. Immediately the impetus was with us, the tempo was upped and we started to play with more passion and belief.

We seemed to play almost as a 4-3-3, with Cadamarteri almost playing as an out and out winger, allowing the midfield three more room in what had become a very crowded midfield. We huffed and we puffed, but in the end we didn't really threaten, the best chance falling to Dunne (again) in the penalty box, only for it to ricochet off a defender and into the goalkeeper's arms.

The introduction of Barmby about 15 minutes before the end did little more than raise false hope as we scorned opportunities to develop openings and wasted whatever gap in class that might have existed between the two teams.

In the end we were not badly done to as far as the result was concerned. Oxford earned the luck that they rode by sheer hard work and application. Some of those who turned out tonight in a blue shirt would do well to take note of those attributes, as they were sadly lacking in many of their cases.

Team performance:

Well below the level to which we have become used over the last few weeks. We looked, particularly in the first half, like eleven blokes who'd met for the first time for a bit of a kick about. The second half was much better, but in all honesty, it didn't take much to improve on a lamentable first half.

Man of the Match:

Probably the mascot, though Jeffers, Campbell and Barmby all tried to lift the game.

The few thousand who braved the night and wandered down to Goodison were treated to a first half of unmitigated crap from an uncommitted and disorganised rabble. And we were even worse.

Gareth Farrelly? I think a few coaches from the Bootle JOC league will have left the ground thinking "naah, not good enough" after the performance he put in. And Walter Smith must take the blame for much of what happened. Starting Phil Jevons in front of such dross meant that the kid had no decent service and never got a chance to show what he can do. But what we did see was enough to convince me that this is a fine prospect, despite his limited opportunities here.

Would it not have made more sense to start with Barmby, Jeffers and Campbell, get in front and then bring the youngster on for a spin? But then, what do I know?

Another enigma, Danny Cadamarteri, played the first half as an out-and-out forward and looked out of his depth, but in the second half, with Franny and Campbell on, and Barmby on the left, Cadamarteri went wide on the right and didn't do so badly – at least he played with some spirit and passion.

All in all, it was a dog's dinner.

Walter, you'd better get them right for Monday, because you owe us after this shambles.

Level after the away leg and with the derby against Liverpool looming next Monday, Walter Smith opted to leave most of his first-choice side in the stand or on the bench and found that Malcolm Shotton's team were only too eager to seize the initiative.

They had a couple of nervous moments near the end, after Smith had introduced a few potential goalscorers into the proceedings, but were good value overall for victory in a competition which, lest it be forgotten, they won in 1986.

Oxford are better remembered on Merseyside as the team against whom Everton's fortunes turned at the Manor Ground a couple of years earlier, a late equaliser saving Howard Kendall's job and setting the scene for the club's last golden era. Coming at a time when they have been motoring smoothly in the Premiership, they must hope that this result does not have a similarly dramatic effect on their fortunes.

An Everton line-up featuring three players making their first appearances of the season started brightly enough, with long-range efforts from Alex Cleland and Gareth Farrelly, the second of them a deflected free-kick that demanded what turned out to be the only difficult save of the night from Andre Arendse.

But Beauchamp had already skimmed Everton's crossbar by way of warning before he struck the vital goal. He latched on to a header from Matt Murphy and left Steve Simonsen with no chance of keeping a clean sheet on his home debut.

Smith responded to Everton's woeful lack of firepower at half-time by bringing on the pairing that has had much to do with making them the third highest scorers in the Premiership. There were a few hints of a galvanising effect, especially when Kevin Campbell almost put Francis Jeffers through on goal, but the feeling grew that Everton had conceded too much of the initiative and would not be able to wrest its back. But in the end it was Oxford who went closer, Murphy coming within inches of getting a touch to Steve Anthrobus's cross for a second goal.

There was a moment of unease when Arendse was hurt in a goal-mouth scramble, and again in injury-time when Steve Davis fouled Campbell on the edge of the area and Mitch Ward, captain of this makeshift Everton outfit for the night, put his free-kick just over the bar.

Yet a sparse Goodison crowd had seen justice done. However Smith shuffled his hand, the impression remained that one team wanted to win this more than the other. Smith defended his team selection afterwards: "Nobody likes losing, but I had reasons and those reasons are still relevant."

Despite missing Watson, Hutchinson, Pembridge and Unsworth through injury, the gamble by Walter Smith, the Everton manager, of fielding a shadow team proved a huge mistake. Sensing the urgency, perhaps, of taking an advantage in the first half while Everton's heavy artillery kept the bench warm, Oxford pressed home their case early on.

Beauchamp was quick to take up the cause, hitting the bar in the eleventh minute with a swerving 25-yard shot after Murphy's run was blocked by Weir. Two minutes later, Murphy headed down Paul Powell's cross from the left wing and Beauchamp, unmarked, volleyed home from 12 yards.

Buoyed by their deserved lead, Oxford continued to attack and Powell gave Degn, the Everton full back, a torrid time. Smith brought on Campbell and Jeffers after the break and they soon galvanised Everton's attacking threat.

Oxford, however, were still encouraged by the obvious uncertainty at the heart of the Everton defence and, seven minutes after the break, Murphy capitalised on a mistake by Dunne and shot inches over the bar. Oxford almost claimed a second goal in the eightieth minute when Murphy was inches away from converting Anthrobus's cross into the six-yard box.

Malcolm Shotton, the Oxford manager, who himself won a League Cup medal with Oxford, was naturally delighted. "We worked hard and got our deserved result," he said. "The game was won in that first half-hour. It says a lot for a second division side when you force a Premiership team to change the system."

Smith defended his team selection, saying: "The Premiership is our priority but I am very disappointed with our performance tonight."

Level at 1-1 following the opening leg of the second-round tie, Joey Beauchamp scored the only goal after 12 minutes at Goodison Park to give United – in the bottom half of the Second Division – a richly-deserved success.

Everton's lack of ambition was clear from the outset, manager Walter Smith retaining only defenders David Weir and Richard Dunne from Sunday's home victory over West Ham.

But the Merseysiders, seventh in the Premiership, began sprightly enough, with Alex Cleland shooting just wide and Gareth Farrelly thundering in a shot that took a wicked deflection, forcing Andre Arendse to save hurriedly at the foot of a post.

But Oxford announced their intentions with Beauchamp rifling in a splendid 10th-minute effort that clipped the crossbar. Two minutes later, he was afforded a further opportunity when Matt Murphy headed down Paul Powell's teasing cross from the left and this time made no mistake as he found time and space to deliver a crisp, low drive to put Oxford ahead.

A shaken Everton replied with Dunne heading just over from a cross from Peter Degn, who was making his debut. Yet it was Oxford's greater resilience and determination to succeed that was the highlight of a shabby opening half.

Kevin Campbell and Francis Jeffers came on to add more fire power in the second half, but the damage had already been done. Everton had clearly underestimated their opponents, who held on resolutely.

Aston Villa (2) 5         Chester (0) 0           Agg: 6-0
Boateng 17, Taylor 31
Hendrie 46,46, Thompson 50   
Bournemouth (0) 0         Charlton (0) 0  AET     Agg: 0-0
                                               Pens: 3-1
Bristol Rovers (0) 0      Birmingham (0) 1        Agg: 3-0
                          Rowett 48
Fulham (1) 2              Norwich (0) 0           Agg: 6-0
Hayles 20, Davis 84   
Ipswich (1) 1             Crewe (0) 1             Agg: 2-3
Scowcroft 38              Rivers 86
Leyton Orient (1) 1       Grimsby (0) 0           Agg: 4-2
Watts 44
Liverpool (1) 4           Hull (0) 2              Agg: 9-3
Murphy 33, Maxwell 46     Eyre 51, Alcide 56
Riedle 65, 89   
Middlesbrough (1) 2       Chesterfield (0) 1      Agg: 2-1
Ince 24, Vickers 87       Reeves 85
Notts County (2) 2        Huddersfield (2) 2      Agg: 3-4
Blackmore 19, Darby 35    Irons 19, Gorre 30
Preston (1) 2             Sheffield United (0) 0  Agg: 3-2
Alexander 13, Mathie 57   
Southampton (2) 4         Manchester City  (1) 3  AET 
Dodd pen 16,              Dickov 10, Goater 76,82 Agg: 4-3
Oakley 28,57, Richards 92
Stockport (2) 3           Barnsley (0) 3  AET     Agg: 4-4
Wilbraham 15, D'Jaffo 45  Hristov 69,99, Jones 80
Dinning pen 114           Barnsley win on away goals
Walsall (0) 0             Sunderland (2) 5        Agg: 8-2
                          Dichio 10,72, Roy 21 Fredgaard 60, 76
Wigan (1) 3               Watford (0) 1 AET       Agg: 3-3
Haworth 18,78,            Kennedy 62
Bradshaw pen 89           Watford win on away goals
Wimbledon (0) 3           Cardiff (1) 1           Agg: 4-2
Cort 52, Earle 54,73      Bowen 26
Wycombe (1) 3             West Brom (2) 4 AET     Agg: 4-5
Devine 4, Carroll 70,     Raven 15, De Freitas 33
Brown 119                 Quinn 105, Hughes 115
Bolton (2) 2              Gillingham (0) 0        Agg: 6-1
Hansen 4, Holdsworth 7   

Blackburn (0) 3           Portsmouth (1) 1        Agg: 6-1
Duff 59, Dunn 64,         McLoughlin 7
Gallacher 90 
Bristol City (0) 0        Nottingham Forest (0) 0 Agg: 1-2

Coventry City (3) 3       Tranmere (1) 1          Agg: 4-6
McAllister 21,            Taylor 22
Chippo 44,45
Derby County (1) 3        Swansea (0) 1           Agg: 3-1
Fuertes 26, Sturridge 66, Bound pen 87
Borbokis 76 
Everton (0) 0             Oxford (1) 1            Agg: 1-2
                          Beauchamp 12
Leicester City (1) 4      Crystal Palace (0) 2    Agg: 7-5
Oakes pen 19, Marshall 53 Thomson 61,Bradbury 86
Fenton 79, Oakes 88 
Reading (1) 2             Bradford City (0) 2 aet Agg: 3-3
Scott 9, Hunter 98        Saunders 73, Wetherall 108
Sheffield Wednesday (2) 3 Stoke (0) 1             Agg: 3-1
Alexandersson 5,66,       Kavanagh 73
De Bilde 25