Disappointing end to Papa John's Trophy group stage for Development Squad

A below-par performance from our Development Squad saw us suffer a 3-2 defeat at Oxford United on Tuesday night that eliminated the hosts from the Papa John's Trophy and left our own destiny in the competition out of our hands.

Going into our final Southern Group H game with three points from two matches and sitting third behind Stevenage only on goals scored, victory at the Kassam Stadium would have put us in a solid position to make it into the knockout stages for the first time since 2018.

But we were left to rue some sloppy patches of play at times, trailing to Jamie Hanson inside two minutes and only briefly getting back on level terms when Dane Scarlett scored his first competitive goal of the season at club level from the penalty spot mid-way through the first half, Hanson subsequently doubling his tally before the break and Alex Gorrin extending the League One side's lead 20 minutes into the second period.

Despite trailing 3-1, the opportunity was still there for us, especially after Oxford's Luke McNally received his marching orders for a second bookable offence with 18 minutes left, but we squandered a great chance shortly before the end when Dilan Markanday hit the post and Scarlett put the rebound over the bar with the goal gaping - something we'd come to regret after Jack Clarke scored in the 90th minute for a 3-2 final scoreline. A draw would have forced a penalty shootout for an extra point and would have seen us leapfrog Stevenage into second place but, while we remained third on the night above Oxford, we could still edge through ahead of Stevenage on goal difference or goals scored, depending on the outcome of their clash with leaders Cambridge United next month.

Scarlett came in to lead the line in place of Yago Santiago in the only change from our terrific win at Premier League 2 leaders Manchester City at the weekend while goalkeeper Simon Eastwood was the sole survivor from Oxford's 3-1 victory at Burton Albion, but it was the much-changed hosts who went ahead with less than two minutes gone, Hanson drilling past Thimothee Lo-Tutala from inside the box after Billy Bodin's effort was blocked.

Lo-Tutala was needed for a couple of important saves, notably when Maksim Paskotsi gifted Dan Agyei a chance in the area a few minutes after the opener as he made himself big to deflect wide, while Clarke was a threat with his direct running down the right for us, although clear chances were hard to come by. We found a response on 24 minutes, though, as Harvey White's ball over the top sent Markanday through in the left channel, he was impeded by McNally - who was booked for the first time in the game - and Scarlett converted the resulting penalty, despite Eastwood diving the right way.

But parity lasted only four minutes as Bodin beat Paskotsi with a cross from the right and Brooklyn Lyons-Foster's defensive header only went as far as Cooper who lashed in with a first-time shot from the 18-yard line. Scarlett and Nile John fired narrowly wide from distance for us while Lo-Tutala saved well from Bodin, before denying the same player one-on-one with a superb stop two minutes into the second period after John's attempted clearance had been charged down by Josh Johnson, putting Bodin clean through on goal.

Markanday couldn't get to Scarlett's square pass across the six-yard box as we tried to muster a response while Marcus McGuane's low drive for Oxford grazed the far post before the hosts struck again on 65 minutes, Gorrin running into space towards our right-back area and smashing past Lo-Tutala at his near post. Bodin's subsequent effort from eight yards hit Paskotsi and was somehow kept out by our France Under-19 international stopper on his line while Clarke was denied by Eastwood from the left angle at the other end as both sides went close, before McNally's challenge on Scarlett led to a second yellow card and a second sending-off of this Papa John's Trophy campaign for the Oxford defender.

With a man advantage and just under 20 minutes left to play, we tried to claw our way back into the game but Clarke and Scarlett couldn't make the most of a couple of potentially dangerous situations before a big chance slipped away on 81 minutes, Markanday hitting the far post from the left angle with a low shot and Scarlett unable to turn the rebound home from close range. We did finally manage the goal that our efforts towards the end of the game deserved as Clarke worked a shooting opportunity following a short corner and drilled in low across Eastwood on the 90-minute mark, but a chance to equalise in the three minutes of added time didn't materialise.

'The performance didn't represent our identity'

Coach Wayne Burnett said afterwards: "It's disappointing that we started the group stage so well but that we now have to rely on other results to potentially go into the next round because it was in our hands. Based on how we performed tonight, it's disappointing, not so much the defeat but the way in which we played, because the performance didn't represent our identity. You can win or lose games but we have to make sure that we play in the style that we train for and the one that represents our football club. We've all come away this evening not really showing a true representation of what we stand for and that's very disappointing."

Match data

Goals: Oxford United - Cooper 2, 28, Gorrin 65; Spurs - Scarlett 24 (pen), Clarke 90.

Yellow cards: Oxford United - Gorrin 16, McNally 23, 73.

Red card: Oxford United - McNally 73.

Referee: Christopher Pollard.

Venue: Kassam Stadium, Oxford.

Weather: Light cloud, moderate breeze, 15 degrees.

Attendance: 1,702.