Oxford United turned on the style in magnificent fashion in their final game of the season on Saturday - but lost player-of-the-year Luke Foster to a bad knee injury.

The fans' and players' player-of-the-year damaged the medial ligaments in his knee in a challenge just before half-time and had to be helped from the field.

United were quite sublime in some phases of the first half, moving the ball at speed, and looking like they might score every time they went forward.

They were so superior to their opponents, who will be at Wembley for the FA Trophy final, that they stormed into a three-goal lead in 28 minutes, and by then it could have been five.

Matt Green scored in 30 seconds and Phil Trainer added a second in the 20th minute, with Green netting again soon after to leave Liam Daish's team shell-shocked and bewildered.

Ebbsfleet regrouped and regained a measure of pride by pulling a goal back and going on to do much better in the second half, but by then the contest was over.

It was a quite sensational start from the U's.

The home team hadn't switched on properly after all their player-of-the-year award ceremonies just before kick-off - Stacey Long appearing to pick up most of them - and the U's took full advantage.

As soon as they got possession, Eddie Anaclet touched the ball on to Yemi Odubade. He in turn knocked it forward to Green, who raced forward and then dinked it low under goalkeeper Lance Cronin for his ninth goal of the season.

In their all-blue strip, and with every player on top of his game, the visitors were soon dominating, Ebbsfleet looking distinctly uncomfortable against the pace of Odubade and Green, the lattewr preferred this time to Craig McAllister.

There were justifiable claims for a penalty when Odubade ran into the box and was clearly brought down from behind, but the referee wasn't interested.

A few minutes later, Odubade turned smartly on the edge of the area and was brought down again . . . but again, the man in black let Ebbsfleet get away with it.

Yet on 20 minutes, Oxford did deservedly go two up. Anaclet flicked the ball on to Odubade, who drove it firmly across the goalmouth, and Trainer, arriving late at the far post, shot home first-time to join Green on nine goals for the campaign.

Ebbsfleet left back Sacha Opinel was being torn to pieces by Odubade as United put together some lightning quick attacks, and some very controlled football.

There was one superb move, begun by Trainer on the left touchline. The cross came in from the overlapping Michael Howard, Green flicked on and Odubade shot, first-time, narrowly over the bar.

The Oxford United fans, in their hundreds behind the goal their team were attacking, and some in fancy dress, were loving it.

The one-way traffic was broken briefly by Long trying his luck with a 25-yard free-kick, but Turley got right behind it.

Almost immediately, from Odubade's ball over the top, Green found himself in acres of space unmarked on the right of the penalty area, and he took two steps forward and drilled a shot past Cronin and just over the line, before it was hooked out by a back-tracking defender.

Some players tried to play on, but Green was already celebrating. He knew the ball had crossed the line, and the linesman was already on his way back to the halfway line.

This was probably United's best scoring spree on their travels since last season's 5-1 win at Forest Green.

Their pride hurt, Fleet tried to hit back, and Turley got down to save a side-footed effort from Long, their one player of creative quality.

But United were so in control, they could showboat. Anaclet backheeled a pass to Adam Murray, who was energetic and seemingly everywhere.

Trainer went close with a shot and Odubade drove over a centre that Cronin had to twist to turn over his bar.

As Fleet started to wake up properly, Turley was called into action again, saving well from Luke Moore's 16-yard shot.

The keeper has been troubled a lot by his shoulder injury but carried on playing with it, but at the start of the second half he got Matt Day to take goal kicks for him.

By then, Foster was already off the pitch, and Foster's replacement, James Clarke, was also in the wars after Ebbsfleet pulled a goal back five minutes after the break.

Michael Bostwick got behind United's defence to fire over a cross from the right, and George Purcell shot home eight yards beyond the far post as Clarke tried to block.

The teenager was hurt by the impact, and needed lengthy treatment, but was able to continue.

It was a day of injuries. Even the referee, Nick Kinseley, had to go off. He sprained his Achilles midway through the half, tried to soldier on, but then handed over the whistle to one of his assistants.

With United having had to reshuffle, Ebbsfleet were well on top throughout the second half, but Turley again kept them out, saving spectacularly from one free-kick, plucking the ball away from the top left corner of his goal, and one of his defenders also clearing off the line in a scramble near the end.

It was a fifth win in a row for the U's. An impressive finish indeed.

Oxford Utd: Turley, Day, Quinn, Foster (Clarke 45), Howard, Anaclet (Rose 69), Hand, Murray, Trainer, Odubade, Green (McAllister 69). Subs not used: Hutchinson, Pettefer.

Att: 1,852