In the fourth division Mansfield won 2-0 at Shrewsbury to move back above Oxford (and Grimsby), leaving the Yellows in 18th place. The Shrews remain third from bottom as last club Kidderminster lost 2-0 at Cheltenham, and had Wayne Hatswell sent off to add to their woes, and second-bottom Cambridge managed to draw 1-1 with Bury. Rushden, who Oxford visit on Boxing Day, lost 3-1 at home to league leaders Scunthorpe, while fifth-bottom Notts County were trundled 4-0 at third-placed Swansea. Chester, who are immediately below Oxford, lost 1-0 at 4th-placed Southend last night.

Yeovil, in second spot, won 3-2 at Orient, while Northampton moved up to fifth after winning 3-1 at Macclesfield, who drop to seventh, eight points above Oxford. Wycombe went 6th after beating Lincoln 1-0. Darlington are 8th after losing 3-1 at 9th-placed Boston, and in the division’s most insignificant fixture, Rochdale drew 0-0 with Bristol Rovers.

In the Conference, Simon Weatherstone opened the scoring for Stevenage, who won 3-0 at Burton Albion. In the Southern League Premier Division Mark Angel was on the scoresheet for King’s Lynn, scoring their final goal as they beat Solihull Borough 7-3. Howard Forinton opened the scoring for Banbury United in their 3-1 win over Tiverton Town at Spencer Stadium.