The Matt Bloomfield era began for Oxford United in uninspiring fashion with a goalless draw against Bristol City at the Kassam Stadium.
The former Luton Town boss has inherited a precarious situation with the U’s fighting against relegation from the Championship and a point was valuable in that respect – as was a first clean sheet in 17 games – but it is now one win in eight for the club.
Bloomfield watched on from the stands for last weekend’s FA Cup tie against MK Dons but took the reins from interim manager Craig Short for the first time for the visit of a Robins side whose play-off push has stalled.
In a game of few chances, Gerhard Struber’s Robins were disappointing as an attacking force.
Oxford could have won the game in added time after Stanley Mills had been put through by Jack Currie but his shot was blocked by the legs of Radek Vitek.
It was one of only two saves the Manchester United loanee, returning from injury, had to make all game with the first, also from Mills, coming in the 72nd minute.
The visitors had just one shot on target all game, a long-range effort from Sam Morsy in the first half dealt with by Jamie Cumming.
The result was at least something to build on for Bloomfield as he begins his mission to save the U’s from the drop.
It was the first of four games within the space of 15 days that could go a long way to deciding their fate with QPR, Leicester City and Birmingham City to come during a busy spell.
Bloomfield brought Will Vaulks on at the interval for Yunus Konak who had been booked for a late tackle on Scott Twine and there was greater urgency about Oxford after the break.
But despite the late effort of Mills and defender Ciaron Brown, who had a late header blocked by Bristol City substitute George Earthy, they were unable to break the deadlock.
Oxford United head coach Matt Bloomfield told BBC Radio Oxford:
“I’m fairly content. I would have been ecstatic if we’d got that winner at the end but it wasn’t quite to be.
“There’s loads of things to be pleased with today including our first clean sheet for a while.
“We played against a very, very good Championship team who have scored 12 goals in their last three games and we were the ones offering the threat so plenty to be content with but loads to go after as well.
“We’ll continue to try to work on what we need to work on but the input from the players this week has been fantastic and that’s what we are going to need between now and the end of the season.”
Bristol City head coach Gerhard Struber told BBC Radio Bristol:
“For everyone in the stadium, it was probably not easy to look at how we played football today. This was not our expectation.
“The only thing that was good today was box defending and this was at a high level to jump out with a point.
“With a new manager on the field, every single player was showing him the right face and we struggled a bit with the energy from them and in some physical moments.
“We were not strong in the basics today. We lost the ball too easy and there was so much ping-pong and lack of control.
“We want to be critical with ourselves today. So many things weren’t at the level that we want.”
Bristol City travel to high-flying Ipswich Town on Tuesday in their next Championship fixture while Oxford United entertain Queens Park Rangers the same evening.
