Oxford Utd 2, Rushden 1 (04/11)

4:57pm Saturday 4th October 2008

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A goal in each half from Barry Quinn and Phil Trainer brought Oxford United victory in a tense and exciting clash at the Kassam Stadium.

It was a result, and performance, which helped erase the memory of the 2-1 defeat at Lewes seven days earlier.

The U's showed their character, and played some good football on the ground in difficult windy conditions, to beat a Rushden outfit that has often in recent seasons been a bogey team.

Oxford could easily have been two up in the first 11 minutes.

Jamie Guy used his strength to fend off Gareth Jelleyman and fire in a angled shot from the right. Dale Roberts beat it out and when the ball ran loose to Phil Trainer, he sent a left-footed drive from 10 yards whistling past the far post.

But Trainer really should have scored at the far post, following a long throw. The ball just wouldn't come down for him as he shot, and Roberts saved, with Trainer then knocking a more difficult follow-up effort wide.

As the U's continued to press, Guy's slick backheel sent Yemi Odubade free, but he chose to shoot early and blazed high and wide.

Diamonds had been on the back foot for most of the opening 30 minutes, but they had a half-chance at a corner as Chris Hope rose above his marker, only to head well wide.

Oxford got the breakthrough their first-half play deserved, four minutes before the interval.

Lewis Haldane earned a corner, after a forceful run when Adam Murray set him clear with a cleverly-taken quick free kick.

Trainer's inswinging corner was caught by the wind, and Barry Quinn climbed high to nod it over the line, despite Curtis Woodhouse's efforts to stop it going over.

United, without their four-goal leading scorer James Constable, swapped over Odubade and Haldane at the start of the second half, to get Odubade to run at Jelleyman, who was on a booking.

But the first time he did, he knocked the ball past him and went flying - and was promptly booked for diving.

The game then burst into life with two goals in a minute.

Trainer made up for his earlier miss with a great finish, after Odubade had flicked on Joe Burnell's pass, to make it 2-0.

But no sooner had they finished celebrating that goal, than Adam Murray gave away a free-kick, and that was punished by a stunning goal from Daryl Clare, who smashed the free-kick from 25 yards over the wall and just under the bar.

Garry Hill's team were denied an equaliser by a great piece of defending from Chris Carruthers.

The pacy Leon Knight sprinted clear, and rounded goalkeeper Billy Turley, but Carruthers had raced back in the nick of time to stop Knight's angled shot on the goalline.

Diamonds were reduced to ten men on 81 minutes when Gareth Jelleyman, having been booked in the first half, was shown a second yellow card when he protested about an Oxford corner.

Haldane was then desperately unlucky not to make it 3-1 as he dribbled past two defenders only to shoot against the bar.

Oxford Utd: Turley, Clarke, Foster, Quinn (Willmott 69), Carruthers, Odubade, Murray, Burnell, Trainer, Haldane, Guy. Subs not used: Hinchliffe, Deering, Taylor, Hutchinson.

Att: 4,645