WHAT now? The question asked by 32,000 Wanderers fans badly let down by their club at Wembley. Missing out in the play-offs for a second consecutive season is one thing but to do it in such timid fashion is as unfathomable as it is unforgivable. This team, built by Ian Evatt on foundations of swagger and bravado, has its pants pulled down on the biggest stage of them all.
Out-thought and out-fought, that Oxford United won by only two clear goals is the only possible consolation you can take from a wretched day. Neither the manager nor his players could adequately explain what went wrong, their own minds still spinning with under-performance. In the days to come we can pick apart how Des Buckingham’s U’s negated every possible threat and closed down space with maximum efficiency, or how Evatt and his players floundered in their attempt to find a riposte.
The first issue that must be solved before we contemplate a fourth season in League One goes down to the very roots. Has Evatt reached his ceiling after four seasons of league progression? Just like one of his predecessors Phil Neal, he has knocked on the door of Championship football for two straight seasons but been unable to find the key. Anger must not be allowed to cloud judgement on this issue.
As embarrassing as this performance most certainly was, Evatt has produced plenty to be proud about in his four years as Wanderers boss. By finishing third he has improved league position in each season, there were of course h.