Oxford United 2 Histon 1

There's something happening here
What it is ain't exactly clear
There's a man with a gun over there
Telling me I got to beware
I think it's time we stop, children, what's that sound
Everybody look what's going down

A corner won in the first minute. On the back foot for the next 15. An offside goal conceded after 17 minutes. Danny Wright sent off for fluttering his eyelashes at Billy Turley after 28 minute (the first Histon player to be dismissed this season – how is that possible?). Relentless pressure on Danny Naisbett's goal for the remainder of the game, when the Histon players weren't busy time-wasting. A Beano shot hitting the post two minutes before half-time.

Fizzing the ball from wing to wing, Chapman hits the post from 25 yards six minutes into the second half. More relentless pressure. “Score in a minute”. And we did, provided that was said in the 65th minute. James Constable, who else, celebrating the alleged agreement of a three year deal at the end of the season, latched onto a mishit Craig Nelthorpe shot and smashed the ball past Naisbett. Mayhem. Lewis Haldane twisting and turning and being brought down, not once but twice, on the very edge of the Histon penalty area. Four minutes left and Constable, who else, received the ball from a Craig Farrell header and smashed the ball past Naisbett. Mayhem. Play-offs? Incredibly, there's still hope. Thin, plaintive, tantalising, but present. Don't go away.

No Damien Batt for this game, as he served his suspension for the red card he received at Stevenage Borough last weekend. So Chapman covered at right back, with Kevin Sandwith replacing Chris Carruthers on the left of defence. Otherwise it was the same as for Stevenage. With 17 minutes left, Yemi Odubade came on for Nelthorpe, and he performed far better than when he came on at Stevenage. Still some hope there. With three minutes to go Steven Hutchinson [sic] replaced Haldane, and that was that.

The referee today was Simon Beck, the same individual who failed to endear himself to the fans when Torquay United came to town on 28 February. Apart from wrongly allowing Histon's goal (although we'll give the linesman some credit for that decision too) and wrongly sending off Wright, he also got most other things wrong too. At least he was consistent. He also showed yellow cards to Haldane and Luke Foster. Possibly correctly (the Haldane one, anyway). The attendance was a season's best (so far) 6,231, of whom 6,124 were of the Yellow persuasion.

Despite the wonderful victory, United climb to seventh, but remain five points off the play-offs, but with one game fewer with which to make up ground. Histon drop one place to fourth, six points above the Us. Leaders Burton Albion were surprisingly beaten 4-0 at Crawley Town, for whom Jamie Cook scored a penalty, which leaves Crawley three points behind United with a game in hand (and a better goal difference). Another surprise was the home defeat for Cambridge United by Forest Green Rovers, which leaves Cambridge in second place nine points adrift of Burton, but just two points ahead of Torquay, who have played a game fewer. Torquay beat Kettering Town 2-0 two points below Oxford, but with two games in hand. The big game at the top (apart from Oxford's, of course) saw Kidderminster Harriers come from two goals down to beat Stevenage Borough 4-2, with Justin Richards scoring Kiddy's third. So Stevenage are a point ahead of Oxford, but it's either Kidderminster or Histon that Oxford need to catch, while hoping that Stevenage, Kettering, and Crawley all cock it up.

At the bottom there was a surprise win for relegated Lewes, who beat Altrincham 2-0. Second-bottom Northwich Victoria are almost ready to join Lewes (although not literally) after losing 1-0 at home to Ebbsfleet United, which result significantly increases Gravesend's chances of survival. Woking, who sacked manager Phil Gilchrist this week, remain third-bottom despite winning 1-0 at Barrow, who are 18th, three points above the drop-zone. United's opponents on Tuesday, York City, have dropped into the relegation places after losing 1-0 at Grays Athletic, who have climbed to 19th. Weymouth's plummet to the Conference South continued with a 3-0 defeat at Eastbourne Borough. The Terras are now just one place, and two points, above York.

The boring inconsequential games that no one cares about saw Wrexham beat Mansfield Town 2-0, and Rushden & Diamonds beat Salisbury City 2-1. [@news]2485[/@news][@opponent]histon[/@opponent]