A RUEFUL Tyrone Barnett held his hands up for a missed header which turned out to be the key moment in Oxford United’s defeat.

Trailing to Luke Wilkinson’s early goal for Luton Town, the visitors got back in the game and had their best spell in the 15 minutes after half-time.

Shortly after testing goalkeeper Mark Tyler with a fierce low shot, Barnett should have equalised with a header from close range.

Instead he nodded wide from Callum O’Dowda’s cross and within minutes Luton had doubled their lead to effectively kill the contest.

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Barnett, who headed another O’Dowda centre straight at Tyler in stoppage time, made no excuses for the missed opportunities.

He said: “I felt I could’ve got the lads back in the game with a couple of chances, but it wasn’t to be.

“We are disappointed not to get anything out of the game.

“On a different day maybe they go in and we get the goals we need for a different result, but maybe is no good in football.

“The crosses were perfect.

“The first one I tried to put it in the corner and the second one because I had missed the first I tried to get a good connection.

“Unfortunately for me neither paid off.

“They are my bread and butter, that’s why I’m very disappointed not to get something out of the two chances.”

Barnett might not have been on the pitch to have the second chance following a bad tackle on Nathan Doyle.

The Peterborough loanee insisted while he left the ground it was not reckless, although for a moment the crowd’s reaction made him think a red card was coming.

He said: “I did think that with the reaction of the player as well.

“I think he made a meal of it because he got up straight away after rolling around for a minute and a half.

“The referee did well to stay strong and give me a yellow card.”

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