Carlisle United are still looking for their first win in their new surroundings of League One after a 1-0 defeat at Oxford United.
The Cumbrians battled well enough but their need for fire-power was very evident as really they very rarely looked like scoring.
They had started well enough and Callum Guy had the first effort at goal but it was just wide and the final match stats told a tale – eight shots but none on target.
Oxford didn’t help their own cause by giving away cheap possession early on and they struggled to make inroads against a well organised Carlisle defence.
The home side didn’t test Tomas Holy until the last minute of the half when midfielder Cameron Brannagan got one on target but Tomas Holy dealt with it comfortably.
In the second-half, however Oxford started to grow in confidence and really they always looked the side more likely to break the deadlock.
One of the reasons was the growing influence of Ruben Rodrigues and finally the goal came after 76 minutes when the home side had exerted strong pressure.
Substitute Tyler Goodrham sent in Mark Harris cutting in on the left and the summer recruit from Cardiff finished well, sliding his shot past Holy from just inside the area.
It could have been more late on but Goodrham fired wide and Holy saved from Brannagan.
