Rangers loanee Brandon Barker has missed out on the chance to appear in a Wembley final after Oxford United suffered a shock EFL Trophy semi-final defeat to Tranmere Rovers.
Barker has made a strong start to his loan stint at the Kassam Stadium, scoring in his second appearance and registering a key assist in his third.
The Us are pushing for promotion to the Championship this season and are in excellent form in League One.
They were also taking the EFL Trophy seriously, topping Group L before defeating Forest Green Rovers, Cambridge United and AFC Wimbledon to move within touching distance of the Wembley final.
However, despite landing a kind semi-final draw at home to League Two side Tranmere Rovers, they fell at the final hurdle.
Oxford manager Karl Robinson made plenty of changes to his starting XI, with Barker one of those to drop to the bench.
Yet, he would be left disappointed with his side’s performance, with goals in the 35th and 66th minutes from Kaiyne Woolery and Kieron Morris putting the visitors 2-0 up.
Barker was introduced shortly after the second goal in the hope that he would be able to turn things around late on.
However, the Rangers loanee couldn’t add to his goal or assist tallies and his adopted side were ultimately eliminated from the competition.
On the bright side, Robinson’s post-match comments suggest it won’t be difficult for the 24-year-old to get back into the starting XI for Saturday’s trip to Ipswich Town in the league.
“It’s a rubbish night, a terrible night,” he said [BBC Sport]. “I’m feeling anger about the first half, frustration for the second half. I think for the first half our attitude was poor and we were second to everything.”
“Certain players were miles off it and they know who they are. I will take responsibility as well, I picked the team so I have to look at myself as always but certain people let themselves down.”
Meanwhile, a player who left Ibrox in 2020 is in limbo after a disappointing stint with an overseas club.
