Matt Bloomfield's first match in charge of Oxford United ended in a scruffy but valuable 0-0 draw with Bristol City at the Kassam Stadium, as the U's traded entertainment for a badly needed clean sheet. Having inherited a precarious situation with Oxford fighting against relegation from the Championship and without a shut-out in 17 games, Bloomfield at least saw his new team tighten up defensively against Gerhard Struber's misfiring Robins.
Clear chances were scarce in a contest that will not live long in the memory, with both sides struggling for rhythm in a stop-start game littered with fouls. Oxford finished the stronger, forcing Radek Vitek into two significant saves from Stanley Mills, but Bristol City's organisation without the ball and the home side's lack of cutting edge ensured the points were shared.
Scrappy Opening as Oxford Find Their Feet Under New Management
Bloomfield, who had watched last weekend's FA Cup tie with MK Dons from the stands before officially taking the reins, named 20-year-old Turkish midfielder Yunus Konak for his league debut after a loan move from Brentford. In front of a watchful new boss, the early exchanges were cagey, and spectators had to wait until the 14th minute for the game's first effort on goal: a low strike from distance that Jamie Cumming gathered comfortably and which proved to be Bristol City's only shot on target all evening.