Forest Green Rovers 0 Oxford United 1

All it took was one moment of sheer brilliance from James Constable midway through the first half to lift this drab, windblown game out of the ordinary and earn Oxford three valuable points. Constable picked up the ball 30 yards from goal, but was forced out wide. Looking like he was going nowhere, he turned smartly, cut inside the defender to get the ball onto his right foot, and smashed a curling shot beyond Terry Burton and into the far corner of the net.

The rest of the game was largely forgettable, but that one piece of magic will be long remembered by those lucky enough to witness it. The game was otherwise a scrappy affair, with misplaced passes from both sides and long hoofed balls down the middle. The hoofs towards the away fans seated behind one goal barely reached the half-way line, while those towards the home fans standing at the other end almost invariably went straight through to the goalkeeper or out for a goalkick. Ryan Clarke was forced into his first save of the evening on the half hour, getting down well to his left to keep out a header. There was a moment of farce four minutes before half-time when the floodlights, and all other electrics apart from the emergency lighting, failed. It turned out that this was a general problem throughout Nailsworth and not just at the New Lawn, and as fans feared that the game might be abandoned, after 15 minutes the power was restored and the teams were able to complete the first half.

There was no respite from the conditions after half-time, but Oxford were using the wind to force the home side onto the back foot. Dannie Bulman shot into the side netting and then Francis Green was denied by a Burton block. With 10 minutes remaining Jack Midson thought he had scored with a half-volley that Burton managed to push away at full stretch, and then Forest Green mounted their first real pressure of the game. It ended soon after it had begun when Clarke rushed out to block a shot and the ball was cleared.

While another 1-0 scoreline would seem to imply that the goals are drying up somewhat, this is a result that anyone would have taken at the start of the game. It was all about who could cope best with the conditions, and it was never going to be an evening of flowing football. United came through the test, and can be well pleased with both their endeavour and their fortitude.

Chris Wilder made two changes to the side that beat Barrow 1-0 on Saturday. Mark Creighton was fit to resume his place in the heart of the defence, but it wasn't Ross Perry who made way for him. Instead, captain Adam Murray was given a rest with Perry pushed into a defensive midfield role. Up front Francis Green made his debut, just four hours after joining the club, with Jamie Cook relegated to the bench. United's first substitution took place just seven minutes into the second half, when Damian Batt, who had earlier been feeling his hamstring, was replaced by Adam Chapman. On the hour mark, Constable was taken off and Onome Sodje was brought on for his first Oxford appearance.

Last night's referee was Ian Smedley, who took charge of Oxford's 3-1 win at Rushden last season. He had a very good game, considering the weather must have made his job very difficult. He showed yellow cards to Green and Perry, both deserved. The attendance was 1,610, of whom over half (891) were supporting United.

The win maintained United's five-point lead at the top of the Conference, and was made more important considering that second-placed Stevenage Borough, who beat bottom side Chester City 2-0 with Yemi Odubade scoring the first goal, are in league action at Salisbury City on Saturday, while Oxford entertain Barrow in the FA Cup second round. Forest Green dropped to third from bottom. York City move into third place, nine points behind Oxford, following their 1-0 win over fifth-bottom Gateshead, while the decline of fourth-placed Kettering Town continued with a 1-0 home defeat by Hayes & Yeading. Mansfield Town, whose home game with seventh-placed Luton Town was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch, drop to fifth. Rushden & Diamonds blew a 2-0 lead at Cambridge United, with Jefferson Louis scoring their second goal, to draw 2-2 and go up to sixth.

Second-bottom Ebbsfleet United were unable to increase the gap over Chester, going down 3-0 at AFC Wimbledon. Grays Athletic climbed above Forest Green thanks to their 2-2 draw at Barrow, United's next opponents. Craig Nelthorpe was on target for the Barrovians. Eastbourne Borough climbed above Gateshead into 19th place after drawing 1-1 with Histon, while Salisbury went down 2-0 at Crawley Town. Altrincham won 2-0 at Tamworth, while Wrexham and Kidderminster Harriers fought out a 2-2 draw in north Wales. [@news]2600[/@news][@opponent]forest green rovers[/@opponent]