FABIO Lopes and James Henry were on target to beat Brackley Town and give Oxford United their third pre-season win in as many nights.

Lopes’s classy finish opened the scoring, with Henry’s tap-in putting the visitors in charge before the half-hour mark.

A Nico Jones own goal quickly brought the home side back into a game which began to fizzle out after half-time.

But United did enough to secure the victory, coming hot on the heels of successes at Oxford City and Thame United.

Rob Hall was named in the XI, but when the teams appeared he had been replaced by young winger Kyran Lofthouse.

While Brackley made a bright start, the U’s should have been ahead in the ninth minute, but Henry’s shot from Malachi Napa’s low cross deflected just wide.

Mark Sykes fizzed a shot just over, before the visitors opened the scoring on 23 minutes.

Brackley struggled to clear a ball into their box which dropped for Lopes, who drove crisply low into the far corner from just inside the box.

Just before the half-hour mark it was 2-0, Henry tapping into an empty net after Cameron Brannagan had drawn out goalkeeper Danny Lewis and squared.

But Brackley had carried an attacking threat and were back in the game in the 32nd minute.

U’s goalkeeper Jack Stevens appeared to be fouled at a corner, but play carried on and the unfortunate Jones ended up diverting the ball into his own net.

Town came close to forcing an equaliser before half-time. From a corner Gareth Dean headed on to the crossbar and on the rebound Kelvin Langmead was superbly denied by Stevens’ outstretched right hand.

The flow of chances slowed dramatically after half-time, Thierry Audel’s header over the bar shortly after the restart the closest either side came for some time.

A flurry of substitutions for both sides did not help.

Mark Sykes and Jamie Hanson lashed shots just wide from the edge of the penalty area in the closing stages, before a late chance by a Brackley triallist was headed wide.

United’s pre-season continues on Saturday, at Woking.

Brackley Tn: Lewis, Myles (Trialist 60), Fairlamb (Walker 55), Byrne, Langmead (Franklin 55), Dean, Murombedzi, Armson (Nti 78), Ndlovu (Triallist 78), Holman (Lowe 55), Audel.

Oxford Utd: Stevens, McMahon (Hanson HT), Mousinho (Allardyce 80), Jones (Guthrie 65), Ruffels (Sade 80), Brannagan (Gorrin 65), Sykes, Lofthouse (Long 65), Henry (Crooks 65), Lopes, Napa (Whyte 60).

Subs: Harris, Dickie, Berkoe, Heap, McCreadie, James.

Referee: John Busby.

Attendance: 770.