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• Des Buckingham feels heavy schedule caught up with Oxford

  Oxford boss Des Buckingham felt the heavy schedule of three games in six days took its toll on his team as they were held 1-1 by Stevenage at the Kassam Stadium.

  It means it is effectively no longer in Oxford’s hands to reach the League One play-offs because Lincoln are three points behind them with a game in hand and a superior goal difference.

  Buckingham felt the decision not to award the U’s a penalty when Marcus Browne appeared to have been fouled by keeper Craig MacGillivray in the first half was crucial.

  They had to come from behind as Stevenage went in front through a Sam Long own goal in the 32nd minute, Cameron Brannagan replying from the penalty spot on 58 minutes when Carl Piergianni fouled Ruben Rodrigues – though that appeared to have been outside the box.

  Buckingham said: “To play three games in six days is a big ask.

  “We had 26 shots but couldn’t get that second goal we needed.

  “There was a clear penalty not given in the first half, and for us that’s the second game in a row that one hasn’t been given when it should have been. It was a huge moment in the game, and very frustrating.

  “The referee told me he couldn’t see it, but the linesman was only 15 yards away and had a clear view.

  “I’m delighted with the performance but ultimately we’ve got just the four points from these three home games, now we need to make sure we prepare right and get three in the last one at Exeter.

  “When we looked to rearrange the Lincoln game we chose this week because it was a free week, then Sky told us they wanted to bring this Stevenage one forward and show it on the Friday night which meant three games in six days.

  “There was nothing we could do about it, but had we known they were going to do that, we would have played the Lincoln game another week.

  “It’s going to be a tight finish – I wouldn’t rule out Blackpool either, and they’ve got to play Barnsley.”

  Stevenage had lost manager Steve Evans in the week, with Evans heading north to become Rotherham boss.

  Caretaker boss Alex Revell said: “Steve always had two clubs very much in his heart – this one and Rotherham. Believe me, making the decision was probably the hardest thing he’s had to do, he said.

  “I wanted to take today and make the players ready. I really enjoyed it because they gave everything.

  “I’m very proud of what the lads did tonight.

  “We had a great day yesterday in terms of training and getting ready and trying to get a few bits into them.

  “They came to a really tough place and worked so hard for each other.

  “In spells we created some half-chances, probably not enough, but it was about showing our togetherness as a club and our spirit.

  “I think we showed why we have caused teams problems this season, especially with our energy and our workrate.

  “The first penalty shout against us was a penalty and should have been given so we got away with that.

  “But it doesn’t mean that something that started outside the box should be a penalty. Two wrongs don’t make a right.”

• Pep Guardiola says Cole Palmer is one of the players of the season

  Pep Guardiola admits Chelsea’s former Manchester City starlet Cole Palmer has been one of the players of the season.

  The City manager has also revealed the 21-year-old England midfielder had been trying to leave the Etihad Stadium for two years prior to his £42.5million switch to Stamford Bridge last summer.

  Palmer, who was considered one of City’s brightest Academy products, has been Chelsea’s most influential performer since he moved south in search of more first-team opportunities.

  Palmer has scored 25 goals this season, 11 of which have come in his last six appearances.

  He heads into Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final showdown with former club City at Wembley fresh from a four-goal salvo against Everton on Monday.

  Guardiola said: “Cole has been the decisive player, maybe of the season, in many aspects.

  “He’s an exceptional player. We knew that when he was here.

  “We know how he’s proving (himself), but he has had a lot of minutes. I said many times, I didn’t give him the minutes when maybe he deserved it. He wanted the minutes he now has at Chelsea.

  “I understand completely. I’m happy for him because he’s a lovely guy, a shy guy. He has an incredible potential, otherwise he would not have been here.

  “He’s playing good. He’s an incredible threat. He’s playing fantastically.”

  Palmer was a member of the City squad that won the treble last season and he began the current campaign strongly with goals for Guardiola’s side in the Community Shield and European Super Cup.

  Yet despite attempts to persuade the Wythenshawe-born player to stay with his hometown club, his mind to move on before the end of the summer transfer window had long been made up.

  Guardiola said: “So what can I say? The decision has been made for many reasons. He was asking for two seasons to leave.

  “I said, ‘No, stay’. At the end, (he said), ‘No, I want to leave’. What can we do? I said in pre-season, ‘Stay because Riyad (Mahrez) has gone’. He said, ‘No, I want to leave’.

  “After two seasons, what can you say? So go there. Playing at that level is exceptional. Everybody knows it.”

  City’s hopes of winning a second successive treble were dashed on Wednesday as they suffered an agonising penalty shoot-out defeat to Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-finals.

  Their focus is now on defending the domestic double, a feat no side has previously achieved, but Guardiola prefers not to view the targets in those terms.

  Guardiola said: “We were close again (to the treble) but it didn’t happen.

  “So my advice about trebles or doubles or these things is, why are we not focused on Chelsea? It’s enough of a target to think about.

  “When you have one or two games left to the end of the Premier League and you are already in the FA Cup final, I can answer you perfectly.

  “We’ve felt, two times, how strong Chelsea are. They are really, really difficult.

  “So, win that game and see what happens the next three, four, five games in the Premier League and after we will see.”

• Raith Rovers keep unlikely title bid alive with narrow victory at Inverness

  Raith Rovers rode their luck to keep alive their slender cinch Championship title hopes with a smash-and-grab 1-0 win at third-bottom Inverness.

  Caley Thistle, looking for a third successive win to further boost their survival push, hit the goal frame four times and saw visiting goalkeeper Kevin Dabrowski produce a host of stunning saves.

  But in the end it was Lewis Vaughan’s 49th-minute strike that settled the contest as Raith, who could have seen leaders Dundee United win the league on Saturday if they had lost at Caledonian Stadium, close the gap on the pacesetters to three points.

  Duncan Ferguson’s Inverness created several good chances to take the lead in a one-sided first half, with Dabrowski keeping out Cammy Harper’s 25-yard free-kick before Alex Samuel was denied by a goalline block.

  The hosts came even closer in the 21st minute when Harper fired against the bar and then saw Dabrowski fling up a leg and somehow manage to block his follow-up.

  Rovers had done little to prove they were the team at the top end of the able in the first half but four minutes after the restart they took the lead, top scorer Vaughan getting on the end of a flick-on to coolly guide the ball past Mark Ridgers.

  That proved to be the game’s decisive moment as the Raith goal continued to lead a charmed life, Samuel seeing a curling shot come back off the far post and the brilliant Dabrowski turned over a shot from the same player.

  Inverness then hit the crossbar twice in quick succession, Danny Devine and James Carragher seeing headers come back off the goal frame, before Dabrowski tipped over a stoppage-time effort as Raith somehow held on for the three points.