Oxford Utd 3, West Brom 0

FORMER Oxford United manager Denis Smith got a taste of his own medicine last night as three players who had come through the ranks at the Manor buried his West Brom team.

Joey Beauchamp, Paul Powell and Simon Marsh got the goals as Malcolm Shotton's confident new United made it seven up in two games to banish Sunderland to the past.

Last night's display was even more dazzling than their 4-1 demolition of QPR, especially in the first half when they should have been four up in 19 minutes - and would have been six up at the break but for some brilliant saves by Albion keeper Alan Miller. Attacking down the slope in the first half, United went straight for their opponents' throats, pinning them back in their own final third for long spells.

They passed the ball around with speed and accuracy, with Martin Gray and David Smith, two of Denis's favourites, bossing the centre of the park. And in Beauchamp and Powell they had the width and pace to punish.

Beauchamp should have done better when Marsh set him up for a run on goal but a poor first touch sent him away from goal and his shot was saved.

But in the fifth minute Beauchamp got the party under way as he rifled a volley into the top left corner from 16 yards after a long throw-in from Powell was headed back by Phil Whelan.

Big centre back Whelan was to play a part in all three goals, and West Brom's defence just couldn't cope with him in the air.

At the other end, Phil Gilchrist was back to his best with some tough marking on ten-goal Lee Hughes and a string of brilliantly-timed tackles and interceptions.

More wonderful wing play by Beauchamp nearly brought a second United goal on 12 minutes. He muscled past two defenders and pulled the ball back for Marsh whose right-footed shot was tipped around his post by Miller. The visitors' keeper made a spectacular save to turn a Gilchrist header for a corner and when a header by Andy Thomson came back off the post with Miller beaten, one couldn't escape the uneasy feeling that Albion were riding their luck and United undoubtedly needed a second goal.

It came on 32 minutes as Dean Windass sent over a deep right-wing cross which Whelan headed back at the second attempt. And there was 20-year-old Powell diving bravely forward to head home his first senior goal at the Manor.

Predictably, West Brom gave it a go at the start of the second half. They could hardly have been any worse than they were in the first period and Smith and Malcolm Crosby were letting them know about it. Yet United professionally soaked up everything that was thrown at them when they came under pressure, and then broke free to grab the crucial third goal.

Italy Under 18 captain Enzo Maresca nearly made an instant impact after coming on as a half-time substitute, only for Gilchrist to deny him with a remarkable headed clearance off the line.

The dangerous Hughes set up his striking partner Fabian DeFreitas for a scoring chance, but he didn't take it, shooting straight at Phil Whitehead.

And then the U's hit back. Windass and Matt Murphy went close before Marsh, a player ex-manager Smith almost sold to Brentford for £50,000 a year ago, applied the final flourish with goal No 3, stabbing the ball over the line from three yards after Whelan had again made a nuisance of himself at a David Smith corner.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.