United finally surrendered all pretensions to automatic promotion, as they fell to their second successive home defeat, 1-0 to Kidderminster Harriers[@opponent]Kidderminster Harriers[/@opponent] this evening. Kidderminster were well organised, and far better than Saturday's opposition, Forest Green Rovers, but United played more as a unit than they had on Saturday, and it took a wonder strike from Simon Russell, four minutes from time, to beat the Us.[@news]2082[/@news]

United were on the back foot almost from the beginning, and Harriers should have taken the lead ten minutes in, when James Constable turned Gilchrist and blasted over, when he could easily have scored. Eight minutes later Rob Duffy's curling shot from the edge of the area brought a flying save from debutant keeper Steve Taylor, and two minutes later a Danny Rose shot went narrowly wide. Ten minutes before the break the visitors should have taken the lead when Rufus Brevett brought down Iyseden Christie in the penalty area. Christie took the spot kick himself, but Billy Turley chose correctly, dived to his right, and blocked Christie's shot. Kidderminster did have the ball in the net a couple of minutes later, but the linesman had already flagged Constable for offside.

A triple substitution on the hour briefly galvanised United, with Chris Hargreaves having a shot deflected into Taylor's arms with his first touch. Two minutes later an Andy Burgess corner went all the way to the back post, where Yemi Odubade headed wide from a yard out, and Odubade then did well to create a chance for himself, but his shot hit Mark Creighton and went for a corner, which debutant Luke Foster headed narrowly wide. The tide turned back in Kidderminster's favour, with Turley getting down well to stop a Constable shot with quarter of an hour remaining. Then came Russell's spectacular goal, and the match was all over for Oxford, with just Brevett firing over in injury time all that remained.

Jim Smith made a number of changes, as he had threatened to do. With Barry Quinn still unfit, Mike Corcoran shifted to right back, Luke Foster came in for his debut at centre back, and Matt Day was put on the bench. Brevett started at left back in place of Gavin Johnson. In midfield, Yemi started on the right wing in place of Eddie Anaclet, Carl Pettefer started his first game since his injury at Woking on 23 January, with Burgess making way. The front pairing was Duffy and Marvin Robinson. Smith made a triple substitution on the hour mark, with Hargreaves replacing Duffy, allowing Yemi to move up front to partner Robinson; Anaclet came onto the right wing, with Martin Foster making way; and Burgess replaced Rose, much to the crowd's displeasure, the Manchester United loanee receiving a standing ovation, and the decision being widely booed.

Tonight's referee was Graham Horwood, who last took charge of an Oxford game when United won 3-0 at Cambridge, back on 20 October. His decision to award Kidderminster a penalty was correct, as was his booking of Brevett for the tackle. He also showed a yellow card to Martin Foster, and in a bizarre episode he sent Jim Smith from the touchline for disputing a dodgy offside decision. Other than that, Horwood was of the usual standard that we've sadly come to expect. Tonight's attendance was just 4,542, Oxford's lowest home league attendance this season. Of those, just 180 made the trip from the West Midlands. We may publish a match report tomorrow, depending on whether anyone submits one or not.

Tonight's other Conference results proved a mixed bag as far as United are concerned. Leaders Dagenham & Redbridge won 2-1 at St Albans after being a goal down, to extend their lead over Oxford to 11 points, and to leave St Albans second from bottom. Third-placed York City moved to within a point of the Us, thanks to a 5-0 win at Cambridge United, with Clayton Donaldson bagging a hat-trick; a result that leaves Cambridge fifth from bottom. Burton Albion stayed fourth after their 1-0 win over Forest Green Rovers last night, but fifth-placed Morecambe lost 1-0 at home to 17th-placed Altrincham, where United play on Saturday. This leaves Morecambe seven points behind Oxford, but with two games in hand. Exeter City are sixth, one point behind Morecambe, and also with two games in hand on United. Seventh-placed Stevenage Borough have three games in hand on Oxford, and are nine points below the Yellows after they beat bottom club Southport 3-1, despite being a goal down at half time.

Grays Athletic leapfrogged Tamworth to go fourth from bottom after beating the Lambs 1-0, while play-off hopefuls Gravesend & Northfleet were beaten 3-1 at Stafford Rangers, David McNiven scoring a hat trick. Stuart Beavon scored Weymouth's third as they beat Crawley Town 3-2, Aldershot drew 2-2 with ten-man Woking, and Halifax and Rushden & Diamonds were unable to find a goal between them.