Ten-man Oxford went down to a seventh-minute goal at Northwich Victoria[@opponent]Northwich Victoria[/@opponent] at the Victoria Stadium yesterday. United were undone by an early strike by James Dean (no, not that one), who was left totally unmarked at the far post from a left-wing cross by Richard Battersby. United tried to get back into the match, and showed much more purpose than they had against Burton Albion the previous Saturday, with Phil Senior forced into one excellent block from a Martin Foster shot, and the same player shot narrowly over ten minutes before half time. However, the game turned four minutes before half time when Rufus Brevett, who had been having a reasonable game, getting forward to good effect and looking solid at the back, was fouled by Battersby and kicked out in petulant retaliation. The referee had no option but to send off Brevett, leaving United with an uphill struggle for the second half.

Despite this, it was United who began the second period looking stronger, and there was never any evidence that the Us were one player short. Yemi Odubade almost immediately forced Senior into a near-post save, and Chris Zebroski fired narrowly wide ten minutes later. Pushing forward, United inevitably left gaps at the back, and this was almost exploited when Michael Byrne raced clear and tried to lob the stranded Billy Turley. Turley reacted well to stretch out a hand and push the ball over. Senior then matched Turley's save with a superb one-handed stop from Chris Hargreaves, and shortly after a sublime chip from Barry Quinn landed on top of the Northwich bar and bounced over. Turley then saved well from Mike Carr, and then Senior matched that again with an equally superb save from a downwards Rob Duffy header. United's next attack saw them fail to force the ball through a crowd of players, and the Vics broke down the other end, but again Turley kept them out.[@news]2102[/@news]

With one eye on tomorrow's game against Weymouth, Jim Smith and his new number two, Darren Patterson, made five changes to the side that drew 0-0 with Burton. Reverting to 4-4-2, he brought Matt Day in as right back, with Eddie Odhiambo-Anaclet dropping to the bench, and Brevett replaced Andy Burgess as the left-sided defender. Luke Foster was dropped as a result of a training-ground injury, with Pettefer coming in as wide-right midfielder. Danny Rose started wide on the left of midfield, with Marvin Robinson up front, with neither Zebroski nor Duffy starting. Following Brevett's dismissal, Smith made a double substitution at half time, with Anaclet coming on for Pettefer, and the pacey Zebroski replacing Robinson, who had been anonymous throughout the first half. With ten minutes to go, Duffy was thrown into the fray, in place of Rose.

Yesterday's referee was D Coote, taking charge of an Oxford game for the first time. Although he got Brevett's dismissal right, he was often over officious, on three occasions in the first half he penalised an Oxford player for a clean tackle, but at least he was happy to warn players (especially Hargreaves), rather than brandishing yellow at the drop of a hat. As well as Brevett's straight red, he did show Anaclet a yellow for a barge on Dean. The attendance of 1,552 was Northwich's best of the season, with United supporters making up around a third of the total, at a guess. We have been promised a match report, and hopefully that will be delivered sometime today.

The defeat was United's fourth game without a win, and leaves them 16 points adrift of Dagenham & Redbridge, whose 2-1 win over Aldershot assured them of the Conference title and promotion to the Football League next season. Hearty congratulations from Rage Online for a well-deserved championship. Aldershot are now ninth, eight points below the play-off places. Northwich's three points lifts them to 14th, six points above the relegation zone (and with nine games still to play, theoretically in with a chance of the play offs). United remain second, but now only on goal difference after Morecambe came from 3-1 down to earn a 3-3 draw at eighth-placed Stevenage Borough, who are seven points below the play offs, but with a couple of games in hand. York City produced an excellent 2-1 win at Burton Albion to go fourth, two points below United, while the Brewers drop out of the play offs into sixth place, six points beneath Oxford, but with a game in hand. Exeter City are back up to fifth after they beat third-bottom Tamworth 1-0.

Bottom club St Albans were whupped 5-1 at home by 16th-placed Altrincham, to leave United's next away opponents ten points from safety with just four games remaining (do the maths). Southport gave themselves a faint chance of safety with a 3-2 win at Rushden & Diamonds, in 12th place, to leave the Sandgrounders still in penultimate place, but five points from safety. Grays Athletic lost 1-0 at 12th-placed Woking to leave themselves 21st, one point behind 20th-placed Cambridge United, who were leapfrogged by Halifax after the Shaymen won 1-0. Grays have a game in hand on the Abbeymen, while Halifax have played two games fewer. United's opponents tomorrow, Weymouth, in tenth place, drew 1-1 with 11th-placed Kidderminster Harriers to effectively end both sides' play-off hopes (although both still have a mathematical chance of sneaking in). Seventh-placed Gravesend & Northfleet were surprisingly held to a 1-1 home draw by Forest Green Rovers, leaving the Fleet three points behind Exeter, while Crawley Town went to Stafford Rangers and won 1-0.