Oxford United chalked up their third consecutive away win with a performance full of drive and determination.

Whereas they had struck four good goals in their win at Torquay, this time it was a classic own goal from Shots centre half Anthony Charles which separated these teams until late in the game.

Then midfielder Luke Guttridge scrambled in a 76th-minute equaliser with a close-range header.

Guttridge was lucky to be still on the pitch at that stage.

Already booked, he left his foot in on Simon Clist in a nasty foul, and had they been playing away, Aldershot would surely have been down to ten men.

But the U’s were not to be denied.

James Constable, who had come off the bench midway through the second half, showed great determination to win the ball and race forward on the right.

And the ball was then worked beautifully from right to left, via Josh Payne and Steve Maclean, to Tom Craddock, who drove low into the net.

Victory was no more than Oxford United deserved after they had bossed the first half.

There was a purposefulness about United in the way they played from the start.

They looked sharp and their passing was crisp, in contrast to the home side, who gave away a lot of fouls in the early stages.

U’s keeper Ryan Clarke had to wear a cap because of the low sun, which he was looking directly into in the first half.

While United had fortune on their side with the own goal, it was a brilliant tackle from Jake Wright which set off the move that led to it in the eighth minute.

Jermaine McGlashan dribbled past Anthony Tonkin but Wright darted in with a perfectly-timed challenge to win the ball.

And from there Asa Hall quickly moved play to his right for Damian Batt to send over a cross.

Charles, facing his own goal eight yards out, was unchallenged as he stuck out a boot to divert the cross away from his goalkeeper, and the ball dropped just inside the right post.

There might easily have been a second Oxford goal a few minutes later as Maclean dispossessed keeper Jamie Young but then, from an acute angle, over-casually chipped the ball back into his arms.

Nevertheless, it remained very comfortable for the visitors as they controlled the play, with some of their inter-passing a delight to watch on a difficult playing surface.

A terrific move down the left, involving Tonkin and Craddock, earned half a chance for Jack Midson, who poked a first-time shot wide.

The U’s hardly ever wasted a pass, players moving effortlessly into space to support those in possession, and Aldershot were struggling to live with them.

But they could have done with a second goal to convert their superiority into something more tangible.

It almost came on 38 minutes when Batt overlapped down the right from Maclean’s pass, and his close-range shot almost squeezed in at the near post, Young just managing to keep it out.

Guttridge produced the Shots’ first real shot, just before the break, when the U’s also had to defend testing corners.

Aldershot came out for the second half more fired up, but Oxford weathered that early storm.

Simon Clist and Harry Worley picked up yellow cards for fouls, along with Guttridge, for dissent.

Just after the hour mark, Constable took over from Midson, who had put in a good shift without this time getting any goals.

Constable played a part in the build-up when the U’s nearly doubled their advantage.

After good work by Maclean, and link-up from Constable, Batt crossed deep to the far post to where Clist had run 40 yards, and the midfielder was unfortunate to see his looping header drift just past the post.

Oxford Utd: Clarke, Batt, Worley, Wright, Tonkin, Hall (Payne 79), McLaren, Clist, Maclean (Heslop 88), Midson (Consatble 64), Craddock. Subs not used: .

Att: 3,129 (806 from Oxford).