Oxford United came from behind to beat Burton Albion 2-1 at the Pirelli Stadium for the second consecutive season, this afternoon.[@opponent]Burton Albion[/@opponent] The home side took the lead in the 11th minute, when Matt Day's slip allowed Daryl Clare to shoot home off the post. However, United equalised within a couple of minutes, when Eddie Hutchinson charged down a clearance, and the ball span through to Gary Twigg, clean through on goal. Twigg went to round Kevin Poole, who got his hand on the ball but couldn't keep hold of it, and Twigg blasted home from three yards for his third goal in successive games. There were few other chances for either side in the first half, until a minute before the break, when Hutchinson was brought down in the penalty area. Unfortunately, Twigg's spot kick was straight at Poole, and the scores remained level.

United started the second half brightly, with Twigg and Barry Quinn both going close. The Us took the lead 12 minutes after the break, when Eddie Anaclet surged forward, following some neat passing with Phil Trainer. Anaclet's shot came back off the post, and Yemi Odubade reacted fastest to prod the ball over the line and become the only United player to score this season whose name isn't Twigg. Burton came back strongly in their search for parity, but they squandered the few chances that came their way, as Oxford's new-look defence held firm to secure the side's first away win of the season.

Jim Smith made three changes to the side that lost at Cambridge United on Thursday. Out went the ponderous Arthur Gnohere, with Michael Corcoran coming into the side for his first appearance of the season. Luke Foster made his first start of the new campaign, as he replaced Carl Pettefer in central midfield, and Yemi Odubade also started a game for the first time this season, replacing Rob Duffy. United made their first change in the 66th minute, when Pettefer came on for the hard-working Hutchinson. With around ten minutes remaining, Marvin Robinson replaced Yemi, while Twigg went off in the final seconds, replaced by Joel Ledgister, whose first touch forced a diving save from Poole with a long-range shot.

Today's referee was DJ Cann, who was in charge of United's 2-2 draw at Stevenage Borough last season. He didn't have too bad a match, although his booking of Billy Turley for time wasting was rather harsh. He also cautioned Anaclet for kicking the ball away. The attendance was a measly 2,259, with perhaps 600 Oxford supporters there.

The result lifts United up to eighth, and leaves Burton in 12th place. This was a good battling performance from United, who needed a positive result after Thursday's defeat. The players were obviously ecstatic at the final whistle, and will hopefully use this opportunity to kick start their season. There are still some quite glaring deficiencies in United's play; the defence looks edgy, there is a lack of creativity in midfield that might be addressed by the introduction of Michael Standing or Danny Rose, while without Rob Duffy there isn't anyone up front who can win headers or hold the ball up. However, there is certainly enough time for these issues to be addressed, and there is much more cause for optimism now than there was after Cambridge.