CRAIG Nelthorpe made a sensational return from suspension to inspire Oxford United to victory against play-off rivals Kettering at Rockingham Road last night.

The former Doncaster Rovers winger scored a classy free-kick goal after six minutes, and it was from his beautifully-flighted corner two minutes later that Chris Willmott headed in a second to give Chris Wilder's team a dream start in their televised Setanta Blue Square Premier game.

Kettering's hopes of mounting a reply weren't helped by having striker Craig Westcarr sent off just before half-time for raising his hands to Luke Foster after the two got involved in a dust-up near the bye-line, just in front of Oxford's travelling fans.

Foster had been shepherding the ball out for a goal kick and both he and Wwestcarr crashed against the advertising hoardings. After both had got up, Westcarr then lifted his hands and pushed Foster in the face.

Referee Gary Sutton produced a straight red card to the Kettering striker, and although Foster thought he may too have been in deep trouble, he escaped without even a yellow.

The Poppies did pull a goal back 13 minutes from time when Jean-Paul Marna's shot bobbled along the ground and beat Turley inside his right post, with the keeper very slow to get down.

Oxford were also reduced to ten men in the closing minutes when Kevin Sandwith was booked for a second time, for a stupid handball.

But United held on for a vital victory, which lifted them to sixth in the table.

As well as recalling Nelthorpe after his three-game ban, U's boss Chris Wilder put Adam Murray on the bench, which was presumably to rest his foot injury, and Craig Farrell lined up alongside James Constable up front.

It was a brilliant start from the visitors, who took the game to the Poppies from the off.

They tricked Kettering's defence and goalkeeper Lee Harper for the opening goal.

A couple of minutes earlier, James Constable had won a free-kick 25 yards out, tripped from behind, and Adam Chapman took the kick right-footed but hit it straight into the wall.

So, when Constable was again felled from behind by John Dempster, and Chapman once more shaped to take the free-kick, there would have been few people in the ground who would have guessed what was to happen next.

Nelthorpe, approaching from a different angle, sneaked up and curled the free-kick left-footed, the other way around the wall, and it was perfectly placed, beating Lee Harper at his near post.

If they were shell-shocked by that first goal, there was more trauma to come for the Poppies, playing their sixth home game in succession.

Nelthorpe curled over a sublime right-wing corner, which giant defender Exodus Geohaghon appeared to miss, and Willmott attacked it six yards out, and forced it powerfully high into the goal, the ball possibly coming off his shoulder rather than his head.

Only once before this season, have Mark Cooper's team conceded two at home this season in the league, when they lost 3-1 to Mansfield, and this was with just eight minutes gone.

Oxford remained in control for another seven minutes, before allowing Alfie Potter to hit a low shot from outside the area, which Billy Turley comfortably saved on his knees.

Good play from Farrell helped set up Lewis Haldane for a drive, which he struck well enough, but just a yard over the bar.

Foster made a vital defensive headed clearance from Darren Wrack's shot moments before his altercation with Westcarr.

Haldane's purposeful running down the right kept Oxford driving forward, but less was seen of Nelthorpe on the other side for spells of the game.

In the second half, Kettering sent on Gareth Seddon to give them some attacking threat without Westcarr, and he tried his luck with a 25-yard shot on the turn, though the ball went straight into Turley's arms.

Brett Solkhon planted a header wide but Kettering's attacks were few and far between, and the U's were able to bring on Murray, without any undue alarm, midway through the second half.

However, Marna's goal out of nothing, lifted the home team and gave them unexpected belief that they could get something from a game that had looked out of reach.

And ex-U's defender John Dempster wasn't far from an equaliser with a looping header that Turley clawed away high to his left.

In stoppage time at the end, Kettering sent keeper Harper up for a corner, and the ball dropped to him, but he sliced his volley miles wide.