RYAN Clarke praised Oxford United’s defensive display as they claimed a first clean sheet on the road since April, writes DAVID PRITCHARD.

The 1-0 win at York City was hard-fought, with the home side on top for lengthy spells.

But United, who won the game thanks to a close-range finish from James Roberts, defended superbly to limit the chances.

It meant while Clarke was busy in goal, he was not forced into making any exceptional saves to keep the Minstermen out.

The keeper said: “The boys in front were class again and we had to do the horrible side of it and it’s got us the result.

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“I enjoyed it, it’s great to be in the thick of it.

“Credit to York, they played some good stuff and got a lot of balls in the box.

“But it wasn’t just me coming for crosses, it was the boys heading it away as well, getting in good positions and dealing with it.”

United did not hit top gear when they had the ball, but Clarke felt the way they worked out of possession bodes well for the future.

He said: “We had a few phases of play, especially in the first half, where we bopped it about pretty well and we were patient on the ball.

“But there will be times like this where you have to put a shift in, dig in and it’s good for morale because it shows we are all happy to do the dirty side of the game as well.”

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