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Yemi Odubade shoots wide against Histon

Oxford United suffered one of the most embarrassing league results since they turned professional when village team Histon beat them in front of the Setanta cameras last night.

A deflected first-half goal from Antonio Murray brought the little Cambridgeshire club one of the most famous scalps in their history.

For the U's it was a second successive defeat which will inevitably increase the pressure on manager Jim Smith.

But there was nothing "village" about the way the Histon team played. They worked tremendously hard and showed outstanding spirit and stamina after their nine-goal epic against Torquay just 48 hours earlier.

Oxford were the better team in the first 20 minutes, but didn't score when they had chances and paid the price. By the end, they looked a sorry outfit.

Smith dropped Micheal Corcoran and Rob Duffy from his starting line-up, kicking off with Marvin Robinson and Yemi Odubade as his front two and Paul Shaw in the hole just behind.

Eddie Anaclet returned at right wingback, allowing Day to slot into the defence.

Neither Chris Tardif nor youngster Sam Worrell travelled, so Oxford didn't have a keeper on the bench.

United started impressively with Histon's debutant keeper Danny Naisbitt needing to push out Shaw's effort in the first minute and Odubade then denied by the keeper.

In the seventh minute, Arthur Gnohere made a crucual block after Antonio Murray got the better of Barry Quinn in Histon's first real raid.

Odubade and Shaw linked well when the visitors broke quickly, Shaw firing in a shot that was blocked. Straight away, Histon counter-attacked and Cliff Akurang whipped in a dangerous low cross from the right that Billy Turley did well to cut out falling on his knees.

Still United had more menace about their attacks, and Odubade got into a good central position for a right-foot shot that brought another save from Naisbitt.

Moments later, Robinson knocked on well with his head and Odubade lashed an instant first-time left-footed shot just beyond the far post.

Histon were coming more into the game as the first half progressed, and Eddie Hutchinson produced a great saving tackle on Akurang.

But in the 21st minute, Robinson went closer to breaking the deadlock than previously when he got a faint touch on a header from Day's free-kick and saw it hit the left post, prompting Smith to hold his head in his hands - not so much at the miss but at how close it had been.

United had managed five shots on target by the time Histon recorded their first, in the 28th minute, but the Cambridgeshire side found the net with theirs.

Antonio Murray played a one-two with Akurang on the edge of the box and his shot took a big deflection off Gnohere and looped over Turley.

The goal came as quite a shock to the U's, but they responded with Shaw having a low shot saved.

Murray and Akurang were proving a lively front two for Histon, who almost went two up when captain Adrian Cambridge tried a 30-yard lob that had Turley back-tracking, but he saved above his head.

Robinson got off the ground well to meet an Anaclet cross just before the break, but couldn't direct it on target.

United changed it around at half-time, bringing on Michael Standing to replace Hutchinson and moving Day across to the left side of defence.

Alex Jeannin was guilty of real sloppiness at the start of the second half when he lost possession from Turley's quick throw-out, which inadvertently set up another Histon attack.

Histon were impressive in the second half, playing with great commitment and all understanding what was required in the system, and winning the second ball with great frequency.

Rob Duffy replaced Robinson just after the hour and Danny Rose came on soon after, for Shaw.

Gnohere was booked for climbing over Akurang when he was almost free for a run on goal.

Jeannin was on the right side of midfield so that he, like Day on the left, could fire in some shots, and Jeannin did that to good effect with a fierce blast nine minutes from time. Naisbitt could only parry and whe Day headed it back in, Rose bundled the ball in at the far post but was flagged offside.

Day had another long-range effort near the end. When the final whistle sounded, Histon's 1,000 or so supporters were jubilant, Oxford's in despair.

Oxford: Turley, Day, Quinn, Gnohere, Anaclet, Hutchinson (Standing 45), Trainer, Jeannin, Shaw (Rose 75), Odubade, Robinson (Duffy 62). Not used: Corcoran, Pettefer.

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