AFC Wimbledon 0 Oxford United 3

George Dugdale

A fine away performance gave Oxford United the perfect end to the year as Chris Wilder's men defeated AFC Wimbledon at Kingsmeadow. Goals from Sean Rigg, Alfie Potter and Tom Craddock made the win a comfortable one for the visitors, whose day was tainted slightly by the dismissal of James Constable in the second half.

The weather held off in the hours before the game to reward the effort of the Wimbledon fans who had turned out to help drain the pitch.

Liam Davis' tight hamstring and a suspension for Tony Capaldi meant that Luke O'Brien was recalled to an otherwise unchanged United side.

United started brightly with both wingers carrying on their Boxing Day form. Potter had already fired wide of Neil Sullivan's goal before his jinking run and pinpoint cross picked out Rigg at the back post. The winger's volley flew wide of the post, but his moment would come.

Potter forced Sullivan into a full-length save with a powerful drive from the corner of the penalty area, before Wimbledon sent two free-kicks into the new stand behind Ryan Clarke's goal.

United continued to press and found a breakthrough shortly after the half hour mark. Potter advanced on another run and this time played a neat reverse pass inside the full-back for the advancing Rigg to slam the ball high into the Wimbledon net.

The pitch was actually in reasonably good condition despite the recent downpours and United looked to make the most of it. Cox was charging around the midfield, Peter Leven was spreading the ball nicely and both wingers were giving their full-backs problems.

The roles were reversed five minutes later as Rigg tore down the wing to swing a cross into the area. Sullivan and Potter met in mid-air, but the winger got to the ball first to send it bouncing goalwards. The header had just about enough power behind it to beat the defender to the line and the linesman's raised flag signalled that United had doubled their advantage.

The rule of the former player hasn't yet applied for Jack Midson, but one of United's Wembley heroes came close to halving the deficit moments before half-time as his left-footed shot flashed wide of Clarke's post.

Wimbledon had been disappointing in the first half and you always suspected a storm would need weathering at some stage. Rashid Yussuff came the closest to getting the hosts back into the game, but his effort was magnificently hooked over the bar by Leven. The pats on the back from his team-mates told a story.

The clearance became all the more significant as United sealed the points on the break. Stacy Long thought he was about to receive the obligatory round of applause for heading the ball back to his goalkeeper but looked on in horror to see Craddock controlling the ball in the penalty area. Another touch, a quick glance at the goal and it was game over as the striker slotted the ball into the corner of the net.

Sadly, this wasn't to be the last action of a game that looked set to wind down to a quiet conclusion. A long ball was sent forward towards Constable and the aerial duel left the Will Antwi clutching his face on the increasingly soggy turf. The linesman flagged vigorously and a red card was brandished in the direction of the United striker. The pair had clashed minutes earlier after Constable had taken exception to a collision with a barrier and this may have played a part in the officials' judgement.

The drama wasn't over there as Antwi sought to cement his lowly status with Oxford fans. The dismissal clearly amused the centre-back, although the smile quickly vanished when he met opposition from Messrs Wilder, Melville, Lewis and Duberry on his way past the United bench. Words were exchanged, the fourth official earned his money and more gesticulations were witnessed than a game of Christmas charades. Oxford will appeal the decision and with Constable facing a lengthy ban for his second red card of the season, you can only hope the video footage makes the incident look as innocuous as it initially seemed.

Duberry entered the field of play to add his defensive experience to help the visitors see out the remaining time, while Josh Parker put in a tough shift running the channels as a lone striker.

The red card left a slightly sour taste in the mouth, but it couldn't overshadow another excellent away day for Oxford. 4 days, approximately 466 miles and 6 points later, it has been a good Christmas for Wilder's men. A tough challenge awaits as United host Cheltenham on Tuesday, but this was another step in the right direction.

Jake Wright and Lee Cox were outstanding throughout, while Rigg and Potter are enjoying a fine spell of form. The signature of Cox would go down well with everybody in the New Year. He makes the two man midfield work and together with Leven, United were able to win the midfield battle hands down.

United head into 2013 with a renewed sense of optimism. It is now nine games without defeat and with draws being converted into wins, there may be better times ahead.

Referee Lee Collins has now sent off 5 players in his last 12 appearances and Constable's dismissal did look harsh. The highlights will be interesting viewing, but it is difficult to be entirely sure from one viewing. Paul Beasley once described Collins as a 'bloody joker' on these pages. Could he have struck again?

The joy of Wimbledon is that you get to sit behind the benches and United's staff clearly felt that they weren't being given their share of the decisions long before the red card came out. Mr Collins wasn't the best and had a lot to say to the benches. His fourth official seemed to have a wonderful comic repertoire as he exchanged jokes with the Oxford bench on numerous occasions. His decision to reduce stoppage time from 6 minutes to 5 after opposition from the fans behind him also went down rather well. I wouldn't mind not seeing Mr Collins again, but his mouthpiece is more than welcome to attend our games.

Damian Batt and Sean Rigg saw yellow for fouls, while three Wimbledon players found their way into the book.

The win moved United up to 14th in the league, while Wimbledon sit rock bottom.

The fixture list lost three fixtures to the rain, but Port Vale were able to move to the top of the league with a 3-2 victory at Dagenham & Redbridge. Rotherham consolidated their play-off position with a 4-1 victory over Accrington Stanley, while Burton Albion moved into the top seven with a 2-0 victory over Southend. Rochdale were 4-2 winners at Bradford City and Chesterfield drew 1-1 with Morecambe.

At the bottom of the table, Barnet picked up a valuable point as they came from two goals down to draw at Exeter City. Wycombe's resurgence continued with a 1-0 win at Plymouth Argyle.

In the other game, Fleetwood and York finished goalless.

Attendance: 4,401 (749 away)

Everybody at Rage Online would like to take this opportunity to wish all of our readers the very best for the New Year. As ever, we appreciate you taking the time to read our various mumblings. Whatever 2013 may bring, we are in it together.