We're backing Luke, say Oxford United

7:57pm Thursday 4th September 2008

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Luke Foster has the support of everyone at Oxford United, says his manager, Darren Patterson.

Rather than being castigated for his second red card in successive away games - at Ebbsfleet last Saturday - Foster deserves considerable sympathy.

And Patterson, having vented his annoyance at the defender's dismissal at Wrexham, is putting his arm around him this time.

Said United's manager: "I was more frustrated by the first sending-off, as everyone knows, because we'd done two days' work solid on that - not losing flick-ons, covering and balance, and not getting too tight, and he did -and it was something we hadn't seen him do last season.

"Luke is a young boy who's got one hell of a lot of talent. I truly believe he can play in the League.

"However, to play in the League as a defender, you have to be consistent and you must do the horrible side of things and be eight out of ten every week for quite a period of time.

"I felt he'd just moved away from that before Wrexham and he'd just got unlucky with a skiddy bounce, but we'd talked about it and worked on it.

"Last Saturday was different. I feel for the lad. I pulled him over after the game because in the first 30-35 minutes he was by far the best player on the pitch, back to what I know he can do. He's taken our advice like a man.

"He needs to take note of the help and advice we have given him. He gets plenty of praise, a lot of people don't see that, they just think I've had a right go at him (after Wrexham).

"He needs a reminder every now and again because he can't get complacent.

"I spoke to him after Wrexham. I sat at the back of the coach and had a long chat to him.

"He knows the belief I've got in him, the belief we have of what he can be, but he must listen to us, and keep that consistency.

"He will need looking after with this one. We've now got to sit down with the boy. He's distraught, absolutely gutted, has apologised to everybody.

"But the lads are backing him - we're all backing him - he's just been unfortunate with that one.

oTomorrow's game at home to Blue Square North champions Kettering Town will be every bit as tough, possibly harder, with the Poppies still unbeaten this season.

Mark Cooper's hard-to-beat team drew their first four matches - all 1-1, as it happens - and they have won their last three.

A 2-0 victory at fancied Cambridge United made everyone sit up and take notice, and they have followed that up with successive 1-0 wins at home, against Woking last Saturday, and against Stevenage Borough in midweek.

Former Oxford United man John Dempster, who was outstanding last season, picking up all the player-of-the-year awards, can't get in the side.

He has been a sub in recent games, coming on for Alfie Potter with 16 minutes to go against Woking, and with just two minutes remaining against Stevenage on Tuesday.

The star of the show over the opening month at Kettering has been no-nonsense defender Guy Branston, who won the Blue Square Premier player-of-the-month award for August.

He has marshalled a Kettering defence that has conceded only four goals in seven games, as the Poppies have made a mockery of their pre-season relegation odds.

Branston has formed an excellent partnership with a player who has one of the more unusual names in football - Exodus Geohaghon.

Up front, Chris Beardsley, who grabbed the winner against Stevenage, has been inflicting damage.

But Cooper has told his players not to get too carried away.

"It has been a fantastic start for us but Oxford is the second of two hard games in five days for us and we need to keep switched on," he said.

"We need to keep scrapping and keep working."

United manager Darren Patterson has been understandably delighted by the character of his team.

Too fight back from a goal down with ten men at Ebbsfleet showed great spirit, and the U's went one better in Cheshire, hitting back from a goal down to beat Northwich 2-1 thanks to James Constable's second brace of the season.

"We're not appealing because it's a waste of time.

"From the referee's angle there is reason for him to do it.

Even their manager said it was a fantastic tackle.

"In our day, it was a wonderful tackle, beautifully-timed.

"What people have got to remember with that tackle is that a year and a half ago, York away, the left back came in, similar touch, Luke's gone in, similarly bad touch and he didn't go in for it whole-heartedly.

"By not going in properly against this lad at York, he had his leg broken, and the lad only got booked, and it was a much worse tackle. So I feel a bit for Luke.

"Luke's timing is perfect and he's taken the ball and he's taken the lad. In my opinion, a hard but fair tackle.

"However, we understand that he can't go in like that, we've looked at the video and at the angle the referee's seen, which is different to our angle.

"I can understand a bit why the ref's produced a red, but he's also got to understand that from our reaction, from our side, it looked that Luke was in perfect control, his timing was perfect and it was a hard, fair tackle.

"But in this day and age, as we've told him, you can't do it.

"I've seen lots of people do that tackle, and even worse - I've seen an Ebbsfleet player do it in a live game against torquay when two feet were lifted off the floor and he only got a booking.