Oxford United 1 Leicester City 1

Oxford's first home game since they won promotion saw a decent performance against a strong Leicester side that ended with the spoils deservedly shared. Leicester started the stronger and were the better side in the first half, but after the break United changed their shape slightly and looked a stronger proposition.

Leicester played a neat passing game, and with United very narrow their wingers DJ Campbell and Lloyd Dyer saw plenty of the ball, although the Oxford defence rarely looked too troubled. City did come close after just two minutes when Dyer curled a shot against the outside of Ryan Clarke's post, but generally the visitors found it difficult to get a sight of goal. Dannie Bulman went close for Oxford, but City took the lead after 20 minutes after Mark Creighton was harshly adjudged to have climbed on Steve Howard. With Clarke too far over to his left, and a rather unsightly gap in the defensive wall, Campbell had the relatively straightforward task of chipping over the wall and beating Clarke at the right-hand post, the goalie getting his hand to the ball but having too much ground to make up.

Oxford were playing some decent passing football of their own, and almost unlocked the City defence with a neat move involving Alfie Potter and Damian Batt before Sam Deering backheeled the ball into the path of Simon Heslop, who blasted well over. Mark Creighton possibly should have done better when he headed narrowly wide from a Heslop corner. The first half ended with a worrying moment for United when Jake Wright went down clutching his back, and he didn't reappear for the second period, replaced by triallist Leigh Franks.

In the second half Oxford looked more competitive and Potter was soon in the action, slicing wide from the edge of the area when he should have hit the target after a James Constable challenge on Chris Weale saw the ball bounce free. After a clash of heads Potter was replaced by Matt Green, and Mitchell Cole then came on for Sam Deering. It didn't take long for the winger to make his presence felt as he burst clear and opted to shoot, the ball easily held by Weale, when he had Constable and Heslop clear alongside him. Batt was the next to try his luck, fizzing a shot wide after a scintillating right-wing run.

With just over a quarter of an hour remaining United scored the goal that their second-half performance deserved. Green, hugging the right touchline, dummied a City defender rather easily and passed inside to Bulman. His slide-rule pass found Heslop in space, and his cross was met first time by Constable who blasted it into the net. Clarke then did what he's paid for, making two superb saves to keep the scores level. New signing Harry Worley replaced Creighton to notch up five minutes against his former club, and the game ended with the scores deservedly all square and Oxford looking good for the season ahead.