Oxford United 2 Forest Green Rovers 1

After a dire first half, United sprang to life after half-time and eventually earned a deserved win over a dour Forest Green Rovers. Oxford struggled to get going in the first period, and too often passes went astray and challenges were half-hearted. Forest Green were poor, and certainly showed why they are occupying the relegation zone, but still Oxford couldn't get through the massed midfield. In fact it was the visitors who had the first chance, when Les Afful got the ball around Billy Turley, but the keeper had forced Afful wide and his shot on the turn came off the outside of the post. Ricky Sappleton had Oxford's first attempt on goal, but his scuffed shot was no problem for Terry Burton. That aside, neither goalkeeper had much to do, other than deal with backpasses and take goalkicks.

United immediately increased the tempo after half-time, with Lewis Haldane doing superbly to get on the end of a cross, but his first-time shot was well saved by Burton. This was enough to get the rather sedate crowd going, and from then on there was a buzz around the ground. Ten minutes after the break Craig Nelthorpe, who had been running at the Forest Green defence all evening, prodded an excellent ball through for Adam Murray, but Burton somehow blocked Murray's prodded shot. Rovers always looked dangerous on the counter-attack, as the pace of Afful caused problems for Chris Willmott and Luke Foster, and when he drifted wide, Shane Killock also found him a handful. With 20 minutes remaining United finally made the breakthrough as a long hopeful cross from Killock bounced off the back of Yemi Odubade's head and looped over Burton. Whether or not Yemi meant it is neither here nor there, but can anyone remember if Yemi's scored from a header before? Three minutes later Yemi turned provider as he burst clear, but then held the ball up waiting for support. It looked like the opportunity had gone, but Yemi clipped the ball behind the defence for James Constable to run onto and steer under Burton to make the score 2-0, and to give Constable a goal for the seventh successive home game. Unfortunately, United always make things difficult for themselves, and with a minute to go they switched off at a Forest Green corner and subsitute David Brown was left unmarked to head home and ruin the clean sheet. Turley had already had to make a couple of good saves, and so the nerves started jangling as United sat deeper and Rovers looked for an unlikely equaliser, but eventually the Us saw out the game and earned another three points.

Chris Wilder made just one change to the side that beat Altrincham on Saturday, bringing in Sappleton to partner Constable up front. A double substitution eight minutes after the break changed the game, as Yemi and Eddie Hutchinson came on for Sappleton and Haldane, with Murray pushed into the space just behind the front two. With four minutes remaining, Matt Day came on for Joe Burnell. Wilder later admitted it was his own mistake that Rovers scored, as he had neglected to tell anyone to take over Burnell's role of standing on the far post at defensive corners. We forgive him.

This evening's referee was Declan Ford, who was last in charge of an Oxford game for the 1-1 draw with Kettering Town in September. Mr Ford has possibly the best game yet of an official this season. Pretty much every free kick he awarded looked like a foul, and he got the yellow cards spot on, including the one he gave to Killock after he felled Afful. Tonight's crowd was not unexpectedly low, with just 3,728 in the ground, of whom 119 were Nailsworth fans.

This game was the only match in the Conference tonight, and (points deduction disregarded) the win leaves United just four points off the play-offs. Oxford are now in ninth place, but have played more games than most of the teams around them. Forest Green Rovers remain third from bottom, one point below fifth-bottom Barrow.[@news]2448[/@news][@opponent]forest green rovers[/@opponent]