It was a case of lightning striking twice at the Kassam Stadium last week, where Ryan Clarke became the second victim this season of the moving off the line rule at penalty kicks. At Swansea in November, Kevin Miller saw his fine save count for nothing in the dying moments as the officials first disallowed it for encroachment by the Rovers defenders and then decided it was because Miller had strayed a fraction from his line. Clarke's stop last Saturday looked to be as legal as they come, seeing as he ended up lying next to his left-hand post, yet the eternally infuriating Joe Ross and his assistant ruled that the goalkeeper had moved forward to block Lee Bradbury's tame effort. Apparently the officials have been instructed to take a harder line on such movement at spot-kicks this season but I don't think these controversial decisions would have been made if Rovers were the home side. Had the kicks not been retaken, we would definitely have got a deserved point at the Vetch as the incident took place so late in the game but we certainly did not merit anything at Oxford, despite the fact that the dodgy penalty proved the difference in the end. Richard Walker's stunning consolation was a bit like Dave Savage's goal at Northampton in September in that it made a comprehensive defeat seem less emphatic than it actually was, with a late goal giving a flattering scoreline. After winning our first two away games at Mansfield and Darlington, we've since gone thirteen league matches on the road without seeing a victory. While accepting the fact that we've drawn a few too many games, our home record is decent enough with only one hiccup against Scunthorpe. We've only looked shoddy a couple of times at the Mem but away from home the results and many of the performances have not been good at all. I was at Mansfield on the opening day of the campaign and Rovers looked very impressive. Maybe it was the fine early August weather, the immaculate playing surface or perhaps it was because we were up against a less physical side than most in this division, but the tactics Ian Atkins used that day were spot on. At Field Mill he plumped for a five-man midfield with Junior Agogo on his own up front and Jamie Forrester occasionally pushing on from a wide-left position. This sort of formation has served sides well away from home with Paul Sturrock's Plymouth Argyle in particular employing a 4-5-1 system when they romped to the title a couple of years ago. This contrasted to their home line-up of 4-4-2 and if using a different formation on their travels worked for them, it might be worth us giving it a try. We could utilise the squad a bit more by using certain players in away games, where fast-breaking counter-attacks could suit the likes of Ryan Williams or Ali Gibb, while more methodical players like Paul Trollope could be saved for home matches. Atkins has hinted at switching to a back three with wing-backs to tighten up the defence and this would mean John Anderson, Christian Edwards and Steve Elliott all getting a game, provided they're all available at the same time. Whatever he decides, we need to see something different in away games, starting at Yeovil next week. © Chris Chappell - Friday 4th February 2005 Back to Index