First the good news: the Golden Ball in Littlemore has reopened under new management and it’s an improvement on what it is was like before. Doom Bar on tap and a nice vibe.

Then the very good news: an attacking line up, with two wingers, Tyler Goodrham playing centrally behind the striker, Nik Prelec, with Luke Harris and Brian De Keersmaecker there to ensure midfield solidity and the side’s two best full backs – Brodie Spencer and Jack Currie – both starting.

Then the very, very good news. Craig Short’s line up and tactics were enough for Oxford to beat a disappointing Southampton side to earn a much-needed three points and lift the side out of the bottom three.

Southampton were still a very good side, for all that their entitled fans might moan about their failure to beat “teams like Oxford”. They moved the ball at pace and overloaded the flanks and played some penetrating through balls.

What their fans fail to take into account is that Oxford were also very good. They allowed the Saints to have the ball at the back and out wide and allowed them to pass the ball around at will while the ball remained in Southampton’s half. The U’s then pressed and harried and blocked as soon as the visitors crossed the halfway line, allowing them little space to turn their possession into chances.

Of course, Oxford are near the bottom for a reason and there were still opportunities for Southampton that they largely failed to exploit. The U’s, on the other hand, were in no mood to sit idly by while the opposition took the game to them.

Instead, United were quick to counter, using their pace out wide to good effect and carving out some decent opportunities of their own. The Yellows rode their luck a bit and were thankful for Southampton’s profligate finishing but, when the breakthrough came, it was Oxford that broke the deadlock.

A corner was cleared as far as Stan Mills. His perfect delivery found Michał Helik at the back post and he headed the ball into the mix. A Saints defender got a decent clearing header to the ball but it sat up nicely for Goodrham to smash the ball past Gavin Bazunu from 20 yards. A great strike, greeted with a huge roar.

The lead was short lived. A deep free kick was floated into the Oxford area and Taylor Harwood-Bellis rose to head the ball into the far corner. If there were questions about the defence’s marking, there were also questions about the lack of an offside flag, with three Southampton players beyond the back line when the ball was played.

The second half saw Oxford become slightly more organised and a lot more threatening. Bazunu was forced into a full-length save from a Przsemysłav Płacheta drive and when Filip Krastev came on his driving runs stretched the play.

Oxford were also grateful to Jamie Cumming on more than one occasion. He made one world-class stop to keep out Adam Armstrong’s close-range shot and also did well to get down to prevent Jay Armstrong’s effort at his near post.

That was as good as it got for Southampton, who seemed to lack further ideas how to unlock the Oxford defence. And, ironically, Oxford’s winner came from a long, hopeful ball into the area from the same area of the pitch from where Mills launched his cross for Goodrham’s opener.

It was Currie who headed the cross clear, finding Mills in acres of space. He surged forward, beating a covering defender and latching onto Will Lankshear’s flicked pass to take him past the final two members of the Saints rearguard before coolly slotting the ball past Bazunu to spark wild scenes in the Kassam Stadium.

A great win for Craig Short in his first game in his third caretaker spell. He got the side playing as we know they can, on the front foot and with attacking intent, without leaving themselves too open to the counter attack.

There are clearly still areas for improvement, not least the defending of set pieces, which has been a particular weak spot this season. But it was great seeing players being played in their proper positions and with new ideas. The smiles on the faces of all the club staff and supporters after the final whistle was a joy to behold as they witnessed a true Christmas miracle.

Happy holidays everyone (with the caveat that if the side doesn’t follow this up with a similar performance against Swansea City on Monday evening it still leaves Oxford in deep shit in the relegation battle).

UTFO

(Games without a penalty: 75)