Spurs loan watch: Championship round up | OneFootball

On Saturday afternoon, for the final weekend of fixtures before Christmas, there was the usual Championship slate. There were games for Spurs loanees and their sides - Dane Scarlett’s Oxford United, who were playing their first game in the post Des Buckingham era, as well as for Ashley Phillips’ Stoke City side.

How everything happened in the final games before Christmas

For Oxford, it could not have really been much of a harder game, as they travelled to West Yorkshire to play Leeds United at Elland Road. New manager Gary Rowett was in the stands for this one, as he takes his first game on Boxing Day.

For this game, interim manager Craig Short started with Scarlett on the substitutes bench, as he went with Wales international Mark Harris instead. The reality is, it was always going to be a long day chasing shadows for whoever got the nod up front, as the U’s were completely dominated all game, and condemned to a tough 4-0 defeat.

As for Scarlett himself, he played the final twelve minutes of the game, replacing Harris, when Leeds were already four goals to the good. Former Tottenham Hotspur central defender Joe Rodon played 90 minutes at centre-back for the hosts.

This defeat has left Oxford in the relegation zone for the first time this season, as they sit in 23rd place, with 18 points from their 21 games to date. They are only one point below Hull City in 21st, having played a game fewer, although the same can be said for Cardiff City in 22nd.

Elsewhere, for the first time since the 22nd of October, Phillips was not named in Stoke’s starting XI – ending a run of eleven consecutive games in the side, as they travelled to South Yorkshire to face Sheffield Wednesday. This was despite manager Narcis Pelach moving to a three at the back formation.

It would be a tough afternoon for Stoke in his absence. Four minutes before the break, Wednesday had a man sent off for two bookable offences, as the sides went into half-time 0-0. However, the Potters could not make the man advantage count, in fact quite the opposite, and 10 man Wednesday would score twice to secure a 2-0 win.

This makes it eight games in a row without a win for Phillips’ side, with just four points in that time. They now find themselves in 19th place in the Championship, with 22 points from 22 games, having played more games than four of the five teams below them.

Next up for Oxford is a big game at home to Cardiff, whilst Stoke now have Leeds themselves – albeit at home. Both games are on boxing day – with Scarlett’s side kicking off at 15:00 GMT, and Phillips’ side at 20:00 GMT.