Ed Still ‘angry’ after Watford defeat at Oxford United

Myles Peart-Harris and Mark Harris scored the goals to defeat the Hornets at the Kassam and maintain their survival push going into the final four games of the Championship season.

The U’s were the better team on the day, looking more dangerous in forward areas and keeping the visitors as arm’s length for the vast majority of the game.

“We haven’t been good enough, basically,” Still summarised.

“The performance there, we haven’t matched Oxford in terms of aggression, in terms of adapting to this type of game at this moment of the season.

Watford manager Edward Still (Image: Steven Paston/PA Wire)

“Everything becomes more intense, more power-based, and we haven’t been able to deal with it well enough and to lose the game on a set-piece, second ball, a very similar goal to what we’ve conceded against Charlton only a few days ago, and then for it to be killed off by a mistake at the end there is extremely frustrating.

“It makes you angry and all the rest of those negative emotions.

“I think everybody had that feeling that we haven’t been able to match them and to create a sufficient amount of moments in the game where we could dictate the play,” the brother of former Southampton boss, Will Still, continued.

Oxford United’s Stan Mills battles for the ball (Image: Oxford United)

“There’s been a period in the first half, there’s been a period in the second half, but overall it’s not enough.

“They’ve just exploited their strengths to the utmost. Taking that set-piece goal early on and the pitch, with the bobbly pitch that it is, the wind as it is, all of those factors, they’ve dealt with everything and done much better than what we have.”

Matt Bloomfield celebrates Oxford United’s win over Watford (Image: Oxford United)

After the win, Matt Bloomfield’s Oxford move up a place to 22nd in the table, Gary Rowett’s Leicester City having been defeated by Swansea City at home, and one point from safety.

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Rivals Portsmouth pulled off a dramatic 1-0 win in the dying moments at the Riverside Stadium against Middlesbrough to keep themselves a singular point above the U’s.

United have a week to prepare for their next match, a trip to Derby County who were beaten by Saints at the weekend.

There is hope that Jack Currie will be well enough to return to the squad after it was confirmed that he would undergo surgery on his ankle at the end of the season.

Nik Prelec, who rolled his ankle last week in training and missed the Watford win, is also hopeful for the journey to Pride Park.