Rowett starts life at Oxford United with a win
Oxford United 3 - 2 Cardiff City Gary Rowett made an ideal start as Oxford United manager, guiding his side to a crucial 3-2 victory over relegation rivals Cardiff City at the Kassam Stadium. Author - Peter Grainger This dramatic Boxing Day clash saw former Cardiff players Mark Harris and Ciaron Brown haunt their old club, as Oxford moved out of the Championship relegation zone while deepening Cardiff's survival woes. A closer look at what happened The match began tentatively, with both sides showing the nerves of a relegation six-pointer. Cardiff looked the more dominant early on, with Chris Willock’s deflected shot hitting the crossbar and Yakou Meite failing to capitalise on the rebound. Yet despite enjoying more possession, the visitors lacked the cutting edge to break through. Oxford punished Cardiff’s inefficiency when their first real chance of the game fell to Mark Harris. The former Bluebird latched onto Przemyslaw Placheta’s precise cross and slotted home from clo...