Oxford United 1-2 Accrington Stanley: Accrington drop to League Two despite final day win over Oxford
- Published
- comments
Korede Adedoyin's fine equaliser paved the way for the Stanley comeback win
Accrington's five-year stay in League One came to an end despite a 2-1 comeback win at Oxford.
Stanley needed victory plus a mathematical miracle to survive on the final day, starting it requiring a 16-goal swing in their favour.
Although Korede Adedoyin and Aaron Pressley scored second half goals to cancel out Billy Bodin's early opener, the visitors finished second-bottom.
Oxford finished two places and two points outside the relegation zone.
Anthony Mancini had already headed over before the hosts took the lead on eight minutes.
Marcus McGuane's pass was flicked into the path of Billy Bodin who ran through to fire a left-footed shot inside Lukas Jensen's near post for his second goal in as many games after none in the previous 11.
Oxford stayed up thanks to two wins in their previous two games and a superior goal difference to the teams around them
Marcus Browne and Tyler Goodrham saw shots saved by Jensen and had other efforts blocked as the Os sought to put the game to bed in the first half.
Jensen was back in action to deny Kyle Joseph and Stuart Findlay headed over the bar before the break after Sam Long had flicked on a set-piece.
Forays forward were rare for Accrington but Sean McConville fired wide from an angle while Nathan Butler-Oyedeji drew a save from Simon Eastwood and Ethan Hamilton fired a free-kick past the post after the interval.
Browne flashed a free-kick wide as Oxford sought the killer second at the other end but sub Korede Adedoyin made the hosts pay for their profligacy within two minutes of coming on just after the hour.
He picked the ball up 30 yards out, stepped inside and fired in a bouncing shot which beat Eastwood into his bottom right corner.
Elliott Moore headed over and Joseph fired wide after a Josh Murphy pass as Oxford sought a third straight win but it was Stanley who won it five minutes from time as Aaron Pressley dived to head home at the far post after Shaun Whalley had helped-on a free-kick.
Accrington's relegation confirmed
Stanley's time in the third tier comes to an end after five seasons, during which they surpassed expectations to remain in the division despite being one of its smallest teams.
A surprise win against promotion-chasing Bolton Wanderers last week had given John Coleman's side a chance of staying up heading into their crucial fixture against Cambridge last Saturday.
Despite the 2-1 home defeat which left them on the brink of the drop, their end-of-season form was their undoing, having lost nine of their past 12 games before the trip to Oxford.
Promotion to League One in 2017-18 came during a season to remember, having also beaten Lancashire rivals Preston in the Carabao Cup.
The glory days continued and under Andy Holt's financially astute ownership, the club held their own among some big names in English football's third tier.
Having finished 11th in 2020-21 and 12th last season, and developing a reputation for going toe-to-toe with much bigger clubs without spending great deals of money, Coleman has taken blame for their preparations going into this campaign.
"It's going to be a long hard slog in the summer for recruitment but I've got to get it right. I didn't get it right this season and I have to take the blame for that," Coleman told BBC Radio Lancashire.
"Everybody takes a defeat in life at some point. You can use it to motivate yourself and we've got to try and emulate the likes of Bristol Rovers in bouncing back up."
Despite a run to the FA Cup fourth round, when they were knocked out by Premier League side Leeds United, and the Papa Johns Trophy semi-final, they could not repeat that form in the league.
Injuries to key players, including midfielder Joe Pritchard, made their battle at the bottom even harder.
Unlike other clubs who have fallen through the divisions and out of the English Football League, Stanley can take the financial blow of relegation and will now aim to make an immediate return to third tier football.
"We've also got to be mindful of the fact that there's lots of teams in the north who have gone through the trapdoor of League One and carried on on a slippery slope," Coleman added.
"We've got to avoid being one of those teams. I don't think we will be because we're not that type of club. We're a solvent club which is run properly."