Steve Basham scored his first goal of the season as United put last week’s humiliation behind them to beat Bury 3-1 at Minchery Farm this afternoon. Bash struck five minutes before half-time following a low Tommy Mooney cross from the right wing, his low shot was close to Glyn Garner, but the keeper couldn’t get down quickly enough. Oxford should already have been one up at the time, Lee Bradbury heading wide from a Terry Parker cross when he had the whole goal to aim at. Having said that, Oxford rode their luck at bit from some early Bury pressure, and had to rely on Chris Tardif to make a couple of excellent saves, and Basham to head off the line before United came back into the game. In the second half, two more right wing crosses led to two more goals. First, just after the hour mark ROS Chris Hackett crossed towards Brabury, but defender Paul Scott got their first to send a looping header past Garner and into his own net. With 20 minutes left Bury pulled a goal back when David Nugent tapped home a Dwayne Mattis cross, but the best move of the match, two minutes later, led to the Us restoring their two-goal lead. Bradbury and Hackett exchanged passes, with the winger flying into the Bury box. His hard, low cross was met by Mooney who flicked the ball into the net with a cheeky back-heel.

Graham Rix made only one change from the side beaten 6-1 at Yeovil last week, the injured Jon Ashton being replaced by David Woozley, making his first full appearance for United. At half-time Parker, who had struggled to get into the game, was replaced by Hackett, with Matt Robinson switching to his favoured left-back position and Basham switching wings. With quarter of an hour left Rix replaced Rob Wolleaston with Paul Wanless in order to shore up the defence.

Referee Keith Stroud had a reasonable game, rare in itself at this level, although he did book Bradbury for kicking the ball way after the United captain had been penalised for a foul. The attendance was just 4,308, a new low for a league game at the KasStad, not helped by the paltry support from Lancashire, with just 183 fans in the away end. We hope to publish a proper match report tomorrow, if anyone wishes to send one in that would be much appreciated. We will also publish a match report of Raging Fever’s 5-2 defeat by Bury supporters.

Despite these three points United remain ninth in the table, four points from top, but Bury have dropped four places to 14th. Yeovil have gone top, coming from a goal down to beat Shrewsbury 2-1 at Gay Meadow, to leave the Shrews third from bottom. Scunthorpe are second after being held 1-1 by fifth-placed Mansfield at Glanville Park, while Swansea have risen to third after beating 15th-placed Rushden 1-0. Wycombe have dropped to fourth after being held to a 1-1 draw at Cheltenham, who are now sixth from bottom. Macclesfield are up to sixth after they beat 16th-placed Darlington 1-0, but Bristol Rovers have fallen to seventh after they lost 2-1 at 13th-placed Northampton. Rovers’ goal was scored by Dave Savage, but the Pirates also had James Hunt sent off.

Leyton Orient’s goalless draw with tenth-placed Boston leaves the Os in eighth place, while Southend are up to 11th after their 1-0 win over Kidderminster condemned the Harriers to bottom place. Kiddy’s plight was worsened by Abdou Sall’s dismissal. Grimsby climbed up to 12th after beating second bottom Cambridge 2-0, while Notts County lifted themselves off the bottom and right up to 17th after winning 3-0 at Rochdale. Lincoln, in 18th place, and 21st-placed Chester, shared a 1-1 draw at Sincil Bank.

In the Conference, Manny Omoyinmi scored Gravesend’s second in their 2-1 win at Accrington Stanley, and in the SPL Ritchie Foran scored the winner for Motherwell in their 3-2 win at Livingston. In Scottish Division One, Andy Thomson scored Falkirk’s goal in their 1-1 draw against Clyde. In the Southern League Premier Division Howard Forinton scored a hat-trick as Banbury United beat Bedford Town 5-1. One of Banbury’s other goals came from Andy Wallbridge, and the Pilgrims gave a debut to former United midfielder Paul Tait. Joey Beauchamp scored one of Abingdon Town’s goals as they beat Farnham Town 5-0 in the FA Vase.