Back from the dead?

In front of a paltry crowd of just 2,271 United won their first game of the season, and Mark Wright's first game as a league manager, at the Shay yesterday. Goals from Andy Scott in the 6th minute and Phil Gray six minutes later were enough for the U's to take the points as Halifax rarely threatened, even after referee Phil Joslin sent off Scott shortly before half-time for a second bookable offence. Also booked were Gray and Phil Bolland as Joslin put in an “interesting” performance.

United made just one change from the team which performed so abysmally against Shrewsbury two days earlier, Dean Whitehead starting the match in place of Jamie Brooks. Brooks later came on as a substitute for Gray and Robert Quinn made his first appearance of the season, replacing an injured Paul Tait. A match report has, finally, appeared here.

Elsewhere Paul Wanless scored Cambridge's consolation as they lost 2-1 at Brentford and Mark Stein opened the scoring for Dagenham and Redbridge as they came from behind to beat Woking 3-1.

Latest in the ongoing rumour saga about United's alleged new striker is that Mark Wright has been in talks with Mark Hughes. This story might have originated from a Blackburn connection because, allegedly, Mark Wright has been talking to Dean Saunders again and Saunders is currently training with Blackburn in order to stay fit.

It has also been alleged that Paul Moody won't be coming to Oxford until after his divorce has been finalised “for financial reasons” (presumably meaning he doesn't want to pay his ex-missus too much alimony). If true, and so far all the linking of Moody with United has been purely speculative, then one wonders whether Mark Wright will want to wait that long, as these decree absoluts can sometimes take a long time to be granted…