Oxford United secured a spot in the FA Cup fourth round for the first time since the 2019-20 season after defeating MK Dons 4-2 in a penalty shootout following a 1-1 draw at Stadium MK. The match, which saw new manager Matt Bloomfield watch on from the stands as an interim replacement, witnessed Aaron Collins opening the scoring for the Dons before Will Lanskhear equalised for Oxford just minutes later.
The contest was levelled once more in the 52nd minute when Dan Crowley's corner found Oxford defender Will Vaulks, whose long throw was not cleared, allowing Lanskhear to rifle home. The score remained tied at 1-1 after extra time, prompting a penalty shootout that saw MK Dons ultimately fall short.
In the other matches, Port Vale secured their spot in the fourth round with a 1-0 win over Fleetwood Town, Jordan Shipley's late strike proving decisive in the match. Meanwhile, Wigan Athletic claimed a narrow victory at Preston North End, Harrison Bettoni scoring an 18-year-old's first senior goal via a deflection off Andrew Hughes.
The news of Oxford United's progression marks their first FA Cup fourth-round appearance since 2019-20.
The contest was levelled once more in the 52nd minute when Dan Crowley's corner found Oxford defender Will Vaulks, whose long throw was not cleared, allowing Lanskhear to rifle home. The score remained tied at 1-1 after extra time, prompting a penalty shootout that saw MK Dons ultimately fall short.
In the other matches, Port Vale secured their spot in the fourth round with a 1-0 win over Fleetwood Town, Jordan Shipley's late strike proving decisive in the match. Meanwhile, Wigan Athletic claimed a narrow victory at Preston North End, Harrison Bettoni scoring an 18-year-old's first senior goal via a deflection off Andrew Hughes.
The news of Oxford United's progression marks their first FA Cup fourth-round appearance since 2019-20.
they did it!!! 
I'm so hyped for Oxford United, been following them all season and to see them get that spot in the FA Cup fourth round is amazing 
. The way Matt Bloomfield held down the fort as interim manager was impressive too 
. And can't even begin to say how excited Port Vale is 
Wigan Athletic's win was a close one too 
️, Harrison Bettoni's goal was so sweet 
. Bring on the fourth round, it's gonna be lit 
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. Why are we still wasting time and money on it? It's just a bunch of teams playing each other for the sake of it, with some lucky breaks here and there. And now Oxford United is gonna get all the attention because they finally made it to the next round... big whoop 
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. I mean, they were stuck in League Two for so long and then this new manager comes in and they start winning like crazy 
. Now let’s hope they can keep it up and make a real go of it in the competition 
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and i think its awesome that oxford united made it to the fa cup 4th round 
. i mean, penalties can be so intense, but its all part of the game, gotta respect teams like mk dons for giving it their all 
, good luck to them and wigan athletic! 
OMG did u no oxford united r back in the fa cup 
!! they deserve it tho, Matt Bloomfield must be doin somethin right as a manager 
i'm hyped for them!!! that penalty shootout was crazy 
4-2 is a sick score lol. port vale & wigan athletic also gettin their spot which is dope 
I'm impressed by Matt Bloomfield stepping in as an interim manager, shows he's got some serious game face going on. And Will Lanskhear, what a player! His equalizer at 1-1 was like a breath of fresh air for Oxford fans. 
Still, congrats to them on making it to the fourth round! They'll definitely be buzzing about this one. Port Vale's win is also nice, and Wigan Athletic's narrow victory just shows how tough the competition is this season 
... I mean, who needs to actually score goals when you can just tie and then lose in a penalty shootout? 
At least they won't have to go back to that embarrassing losing streak in the 2019-20 season. Guess all that practice paid off for Oxford United's fans... they got their first FA Cup fourth-round spot in ages! 
just when u thought the season was gonna be boring, oxford united comes from behind to snatch a win 
their manager must be so proud 
. It's like, their young team is really starting to gel and show some promise 
so Ollie Watkins and co was getting destroyed by MK Dons but somehow manages to pull it off in the penalty shootout? 
still can't believe Will Lanskhear scored like 3 goals lol 
so does this bode well for their season in the league? 
️. Matt Bloomfield stepping in as interim manager is a good move too - at least he's trying to get the team back on track 
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. Plus, the other results are pretty mixed - Port Vale's win was nice, but Wigan Athletic's victory was super narrow 
I'm so over these penalty shootout shenanigans. Can't we just have one tiebreaker that doesn't involve a bunch of nervous players running up to kick some pens? And what's with all the goalies getting paid millions, only to get picked on by strikers who can barely keep up with the pace of the game 
. I mean, Port Vale's win was nice and all, but did we really need 10 minutes of build-up just so they could snatch that one goal? 
And Wigan Athletic, Harrison Bettoni is like a superhero or something, scoring his first senior goal in like what, 18 years?! 
Still can't help but feel the whole experience was a bit underwhelming.
. Seriously though, this is a huge boost for their season and fans can't wait to see what they do next! 
. And can we talk about Will Lanskhear for a sec?! He's literally my spirit animal with all those goals he's been scoring lately 
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