Two goals from Ruben Rodrigues and a wonder strike from Marcus McGuane earned Oxford United all three points at the Kassam Stadium this afternoon as they beat Burton Albion 3-0.
Rodrigues came back into the side after injury to keep United hot on the heels of the top two as we go into the Christmas period, with McGuane's excellent effort capping a fine afternoon's work. They might even have won more comfortably having created plenty of chances but are definitely starting to hit form again as they move up to third in the League 1 table.
The U's might have been in front inside six minutes but the flying Josh Murphy could only head a terrific cross from the returning Rodrigues, outstanding on the day, over the bar at the back post. That was the first of several fine moves down the flanks, where Stan Mills and Murphy continually made inroads, and a goal was on the cards long before Rodrigues provided it on 25 minutes.
The start of it was a peach of a pass from Cameron Brannagan to set Mills away on the right. He fed Rodrigues inside the box and he shimmied his way past a weak challenge and curled the ball beyond keeper Max Crocombe to put the U’s in front with a very well-crafted fifth goal of the season.
The Brewers rarely threatened James Beadle’s goal in a one-sided first half where they never looked like becoming the first visiting team to score at the east end of the ground this season.
The only danger was that United couldn’t quite provide the comfort of a second goal, leaving it late but always in control of the game. Mills put a chance wide, defenders threw themselves in front of dangerous crosses, and as a result the visitors were still in the game at half time.
They would have been out of it on 57 had a typical Brannagan blast found the top corner rather than the angle of post and bar, and on 59 there were four chances in as many seconds: two from Elliott Moore, with the first hitting his own man and the second cleared off the line by Cole Stockton, a third shot saved by Crocombe, a fourth kicked away by Joe Powell.
Mark Harris nodded a cross wide a minute later and saw a goalbound effort blocked by Sam Hughes as Burton got battered, although Ciaron Bown's Christmas box was needed between those chances to block a Rekeem Harper shot as the visitors briefly threatened - they didn't manage a shot on target all afternoon.
With a clean sheet coming and a first league win for Des Buckingham, all we needed was a second goal and after 83 minutes Rodrigues left another defender floundering and blasted the ball into the roof of the net, beyond the helpless Crocombe, and United were safe.
The icing on the cake came on 88, when McGuane picked up the ball on the left of the box and sent a wonderful strike into the same top corner to join the Goal of the Season contenders.
A win, three goals, a clean sheet. What's not to like?
Feliz Natal. Come and join us on Boxing Day against Cambridge.
Att: 7,438
Away: 150
Polythene UK Fifty/50 winning number 106766 wins £934.50
Report by Chris Williams, pictures Steve Edmunds, Darrell Fisher, Steve Edmunds, JasonPix