Oxford Utd 2, Swindon Tn 1

JOEY Beauchamp helped to sink his old club Swindon with two perfect crosses from set-pieces in Saturday's Division 1 derby at the Manor Ground.

Steve McMahon, the manager Beauchamp never really got on with at Swindon, paid the winger a big compliment by designating Lee Collins to man-mark him throughout the game.

But Collins couldn't get close enough to frustrate him at set-plays as Beauchamp greatly improved on his below-par deliveries at Port Vale last week to send over first a perfectly flighted corner and then a superbly whipped-in free-kick.

The corner came in the 28th minute and 6ft 7in Kevin Francis was there to meet it with a well-timed leap and deft glancing header from three yards out.

Nine minutes later, after Brian Borrows had brought down Jamie Cook, Beauchamp's trusty left foot curled in a free kick from the right and Phil Gilchrist dived forward to flick a header past the helpless Fraser Digby.

At that stage, sorry Swindon looked exactly what they are, a team on the slide, and United fans were beginning to wonder just how many goals their team would get.

But McMahon abandoned the ultra-cautious tactics he had used in the first half, when striker George Ndah was the only man up front and, Denis Smith-like, he brought on all three subs at half-time, as if to signal his displeasure.

The changes made a significant difference and one of the subs, Mark Walters, began to turn the game with some strong runs forward.

Phil Whitehead made one superb save, coming quickly off his line to narrow the angle and block Ty Gooden's fierce drive, before Town were handed a lifeline by a rash challenge on Walters from Simon Marsh. Walters looked to have played the ball too far forward near the bye-line, but Marsh went in with a tac-kle before it had gone out of play, and brought Walters down.

The ref pointed for a penalty and was immediately surrounded by protesting United players before Ndah stepped up to convert.

At 2-1, it was now anyone's game but United pulled themselves together and for the next quarter of an hour it was they who looked the more likely to score again.

Steve Davis was unlucky with a firm header after Nicky Banger did well to get round the back of Swindon's defence to fire over a cross, but Digby made a great save down by his post.

The Town keeper then saved bravely at Banger's feet after a Beauchamp run and cross from the right.

The game's opening 30 minutes had been scrappy, a strong wind not helping matters, and United might have gone in front in only the fourth minute when Digby bravely saved from Banger at point-blank range.

But Cook struggled to make an impact and it took the fierce determination of Martin Gray in midfield and Phil Gilchrist at the back to keep the U's in control.

Beauchamp and Alan McDonald had already been booked when all hell let loose near the centre spot after Borrows recklessly fouled Gray.

The United midfielder retaliated and about 15 players dived into the melee in an unsavoury scrum of pushing and fighting.

But it was over as quickly as it had started and the referee contented himself in merely booking the two main antagonists.

Thanks to some solid defending under pressure, United restricted Swindon to just one real equalising chance, Gooden driving a shot across goal with 12 minutes left.

Although not on the scale of Swindon's win at the County Ground, the victory was still sweet revenge for Oxford and it extended their remarkable record under Shotton to seven wins and a draw from eight home matches.

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