Michael Duberry scored a hat trick at the Kassam Stadium on Saturday afternoon, with the third of his triple snatching a draw for Oxford United against strugglers Hereford United.
Unfortunately, the experienced centre half's first two goals came at the wrong end and handed the advantage to the visitors on a disappointing afternoon for the U's. Oxford boss Chris Wilder named an unchanged side from the 1-0 defeat to Crewe, with James Constable leading the line alongside Alfie Potter and Jon-Paul Pittman, with new signing Oli Johnson joining Tom Craddock on the bench following his return from a back problem.
United started brightly attacking at speed, but Hereford were hard to break down and could have taken the lead themselves early on when Rob Purdie's lob was cleared off the line following a Hereford corner. Purdie then blocked a sixth minute shot from midfielder Simon Heslop inside the box following a Potter cut back from the left.
Pittman gave the hosts the lead on 12 minutes, with his third goal in four games. The striker picked up the ball and beat one challenge and as the defence backed off he let fly from 25 yards to give 'keeper Adam Bartlett no chance. Bartlett was called into action again on 27 minutes when he produced a good save to keep out a shot from Constable after the striker cut in from the right and drove in a left footed effort.
But the Bulls silenced the home crowd momentarily on 32 minutes when right winger Joe Colbeck burst forward and drove a low ball across the box that Duberry could only send past 'keeper Ryan Clarke with Hereford lone striker Delroy Facey lurking behind him. United came back into the game and might have retaken the lead eight minutes before the break when Potter went on a typical jinking run and found Damian Batt on the right. His cross was met by Constable but Bartlett dived to his right and pushed the ball out for a corner.
All square at the break, Pittman was quickly into the action and two minutes after the restart he brought another save from Bartlett with Potter unable to force home the rebound as the defence recovered to block his shot. United were doing most of the attacking and on 55 minutes Peter Leven had an appeal for a penalty waved away by referee Iain Williamson after his ball struck the arm of a defender inside the box.
Oli Johnson replaced Potter shortly after the hour mark to make his debut for the U's, and on 67 minutes Constable came close to grabbing a goal when he controlled a cross from Batt and poked the ball the wrong side of the post as Bartlett and a posse of defenders closed him down.
United continued to create chances without finding the breakthrough, continuing their recent problems in front of goal. Heslop brought another save from Bartlett with 14 minutes left and then Johnson headed over the bar, but then Hereford made a rare break and Yoann Aruinn should have done better when he got beyond the U's defence and drew Clarke only to shoot wide.
The Bulls thought they had stolen an unlikely victory with six minutes remaining when a corner came into the U's box and Duberry headed the ball past Clarke under pressure at the back post. To his credit, the big centre half didn't let his head drop and as the game enter the final minute he rose highest to head home a cross from replacement Craddock and complete an unlikely hat trick.
In stoppage time Constable had a golden opportunity to win it for United, but the chance went begging and 6,000-plus U's fans went home not knowing whether to mourn the two points lost or celebrate an unexpected equaliser. After the game, Chris Wilder admitted he was frustrated by the result and Oxford's profligacy in front of goal, but said he was happy with the team's style of play.
"We all know we should have done better in terms of the result but in general play I was more than happy with the chances we created," he said. "The spirit of the players was excellent, we never lost heart at all. I believe in the principles of how we want to play, there's certain areas we need to improve in, we all know that.
"We're just going to have to go and win somewhere else. There's still a long part of the season to go. Yet again we've had enough chances and opportunities to win three or four games today."
