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Patto cannot hide his delight

Phil Trainer headed home a second-half winner as Oxford United made it seven wins from nine games with a good showing at Kingfield on Saturday.

Yemi Odubade had continued his good form with a super goal but Woking equalised early in the second half through Guiseppe Sole, who followed in his own penalty after Billy Turley had saved. But the U's, who had been the better team on the day, kept going forward, and Trainer powerfully headed in Adam Murray's corner on 77 minutes for the winner, following a goalkeeping error from Ross Worner.

In fact, it was two goalkeeping mistakes because Worner first needlessly gave away the corner by making a mess of a cross, and then didn't get the ball when Murray knocked the flag kick over from the left.

It then needed some good defending by the visitors, with Barry Quinn and James Clarke making some fine last-ditch tackles, to ensure the victory.

Reader Poll Who was United's man of the match at Woking? Yemi Odubade 11.1% Billy Turley 11.1% Jamie Hand 22.2% Phil Trainer 33.3% Barry Quinn 22.2%

Odubade's goal came on 20 minutes from Jamie Hand's classy volleyed pass. Running along the left channel, Odubade chose to take the shot early, and his low left-footed volley, across the keeper, nestled neatly into the right corner of the goal.

It was an especially good finish considering Odubade had missed an easier chance 15 minutes earlier.

The game began in light drizzle and with the pitch in a poor state anyway, conditions were not easy.

Craig McAllister was back in up front, against his old club as Darren Patterson tried out the partnership of McAllister and Yemi Odubade.

Yemi scores the U's first

And just five minuites had gone when Odubade had a glorious chance to put the U's ahead.

Adam Murray played a simple ball through, in a central position, and Woking keeper Ross Worner, who could have collected it, bizarrely back-tracked towards his goalline.

Odubade had so much time to do what he wanted, but tried a simple side-footed shot, when he might have looked to go around the keeper, and Worner saved well.

Woking worked an opening with a one-two on the edge of the box, but the shot, when it came in, was yards wide.

McAllister attempted a long-range drive, and made good contact, but his 25-yard effort went straight at Worner.

United were playing most of the game in the home team's half, thought woking did have their occasional moments.

Guiseppe Sole struck a superb free-kick from 28 yards, which zipped only just over Billy Turley's crossbar.

Hand was booked for his second rugby tackle-style challenge of the first half, and James Clarke soon followed into the referee's notebook with a two-footed attempt to win the ball near the corner flag.

Then Matt Day was yellow-carded for what might be euphamistically termed a professional foul, stopping his opponent breaking quickly in the team's interests, The Cards' tactics seemed to be simply to get the ball forward to their big striker, Marvin Morgan, at every opportunity.

Most of the time it was just a question of dealing with the second ball, because he won the bulk of his headers simply through his height.

But he did manage to break between Barry Quinn and Day to get a sight of goal just before half-time, but Turley was off his line in a flash to make a great save.

Hand was living dangerously, and was spoken to again for another over-zealous challenge.

United put together a good move at the start of the second half, involving Clarke and Murray that finished with McAllister direcing a glancing header downwards at goal, but it was a comfortable save for Worner.

The visitors had looked comfortable, but Woking drew level, out of the blue, through a penalty in the 57th minute.

Trainer and Michael Howard got into a bit of a mess trying to clear the ball near the bye-line and Morgan was tripped by Howard, Turley made a great save from Sole's spot kick, but could only beat the ball out ahead of him, and Sole followed up to knock the rebound in.

The U's keeper then berated his teammates for not following in the penalty, but they would have had a job to have got to the ball before Sole.

As they tried to hit back from the goal they had conceded, Eddie Anaclet chipped over a cross from the right and McAllister climbed well but couldn't direct his header under the bar.

Howard went off injured and was replaced byDanny Rose, with Trainer moving to left back.

Midway through the second half, Quinn was very close to putting Oxford back in front from Murray's corner, directing his header just inches over.

Trainer's well-taken goal put United back in charge. Yet Woking nearly made it 2-2 from their first corner of the game, Paul Lorraine totally unmarked to head powerfully at goal, but straight into Turley's grasp.

Oxford Utd: Turley, Clarke, Quinn, Day, Howard (Rose 64), Anaclet, Hand, Murray, Trainer, Odubade (Green 78), McAllister (Hutchinson 90). Subs not used: Fisher, Benjamin.

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