Oxford United made it three wins in a week as goals from Cameron Brannagan and Kyle Joseph gave them all three points against Burton Albion despite a Victor Adeboyejo strike for the Brewers.
All the goals came in the second half of an entertaining game which ended with the two teams heading in different directions: Burton rooted to the bottom and United just two points off the play-offs.
With new injuries to Matty Taylor and Steve Seddon to add to an already crowded treatment room, United gave 17-year-old striker Gatlin O’Donor a league debut and John Mousinho the captain’s armband against his former club.
They were almost ahead inside a minute when visiting keeper Viljami Sinisalo was forced to tip a misplaced header from his own defender over the bar, and the Finnish keeper was again in action after eight minutes to tip a Brannagan effort round the post.
Burton then came into the game, propelled by the long throw of Tom Hamer, and they should have been in front after 24 minutes when Hamer was off target from six yards with the goal at his mercy.
With O’Donkor fitting in well, looking strong and drawing foul after foul, United remained the team most likely to score - Joseph being denied by a last second block and plenty of neat football leading up to the box, but the final touch was missing until the second minute of the second half, when Brannagan gave them the lead.
Joseph was the maker when his shot looped over the keeper via the covering Sam Hughes. The ball bounced back off the crossbar and Brannagan seized on it and thumped it high into the roof of the net for his fifth of the season.
There was more good news soon after, with Marcus Browne returning to action, looking sharp and an eager runner alongside the always energetic Joseph, who doubled the lead on 71 with his third of the season. The excellent James Henry created it, robbing a dawdling defender and allowing the ball to run free for Joseph who charged forward into acres of spaces and calmly nutmegged the keeper for the most confident of finishes.
Burton had chances - their best two, soon after Brannagan's goal, landing in the car park with Simon Eastwood more worried about his windscreen than the back of his net. Adeboyejo then got them back into it with an excellent goal to make it 2-1 on 77 minutes when he outmuscled a defender and hammered the ball past the exposed Eastwood.
Indeed, it could have been a lot worse for the U's when Joe Powell powered a free kick against the bar soon after. But when you are bottom of the table then a ball hits your bar and goes to the other team's top scorer, when you hit the woodwork it is easily cleared.
Another good win for the U's and with Browne back and others not far behind him there are plenty of positives. As they say, as one window closes another one opens.
See you at Shrewsbury
Att: 7,560
Away: 141
Fifty/50 winning number 39713 wins £846
Report by Chris Williams, pictures Steve Edmunds and Steve Daniels, stats by OPTA