Kingstone Press League 1 Preview: Oxford v Barrow Raiders

Following the 38-24 loss to University of Gloucestershire All Golds, Oxford coach Tim Rumford felt his team had shown some character.

“We had a bit of a hangover from the previous week and after the first 20 minutes we were 22-0 down,” he said.

“I was fearing the worst but the team showed a bit of character in the second half. It’s disappointing we didn’t start the game as we finished it. If we’d have started the game more positively, we’d have come away with a win.

“But credit to Gloucester, they took their chances pretty well but we offered those chances up early in the game and it took us a while to realise we’re not a bad side. Once we got playing in the second half we looked pretty fluent but it was too little too late.

“We know it’s going to be a tough proposition against Barrow, it always is against the northern teams. They will be looking to bounce back this week. They are what I’d call a straightforward side, they work very hard and are hard to play against and are difficult to break down.

“But we need to get our own house in order after a couple of disappointing defeats and build a bit of a push towards the end of the season. We need a performance against Barrow.”