Thanks to Ash Mason for this 'report'

New signing Alex Jeannin was rested, with Matty Day at left wingback, and Barry Quinn, Luke Foster, and Michael Corcoran the centre-backs, and Eddie Odhiambo-Anaclet at right wingback. In the middle Phil Trainer started alongside Michael Standing and Eddie Hutchinson, while Marvin Robinson partnered Rob Duffy up front.

The game was very dull until the last 20 minutes, to be honest. If anything, Eastleigh looked on top for large spells and Oxford were finding it difficult to string passes together. United were being done on the left side with Anaclet left stranded up-field way too often, and his and the midfield's hoofs up front were not being won by Marv. Duffy did some good running, but neither of the front two had much of a sniff, apart from when the Eastleigh keeper (a 5'7″ chap, pushing 20 stone) fumbled what seemed an easy claim, twice, as Duffy challenged.

The second half, and some changes seemed not to have much effect at first, but Oxford's game came together on around 70 minutes.

First, a great double save from the substitute Eastleigh keeper kept out first the excellent Standing, then a rasping follow-up from Gary Twigg. A few mins later and United scored: 77 mins, Mr Twigg. There was a suspected foul on Carl Pettefer as he attempted to turn the centre-half in the box. The centre-half got the ball away from Petts, but only managed to thread it forward to the on-rushing Twiggy, just outside the six-yard box. Twigg ran at goal from an acute angle with the ball, and looked to have taken it too close to the keeper and to too tight an angle, but just when you expected it all to fizzle out, he squeezed it in past the keeper low and tight; a great finish.

Then we started moving it about well, with a majestic ball from Petts to David Malloy across the field, reminiscent of Glenn Hoddle. Then, a carbon copy from the excellent Standing across the field to Joel Ledgister, who dribbled into the box but fired his shot into the keeper.

A bad two-footed lunge into the chest of an opponent from Hutch in the last 10 minutes would have seen him see red in a league game. As it was, he got nowt except a ticking off (I think).