TOP-OF-THE-TABLE Oxford United will travel to York City on the back of their biggest victory for eight years.

Saturday’s 5-0 thrashing of Grays Athletic represented the U’s greatest winning margin since a 6-1 humiliation of Halifax in December 2001 and emphasised their position as the dominant club during the first third of the Blue Square Premier season.

Chris Wilder’s men are nine points clear at the summit of the table, having won 12 of their first 16 games and lost just once – last month’s 2-1 defeat at Mansfield.

The Kassam Stadium outfit are the division’s top scorers with 34 goals, which is four more than second-highest marksmen Cambridge United. Oxford have only failed to net in one match – a surprise 0-0 home draw with Forest Green at the end of August.

At the other end, only Stevenage can match Oxford’s mean defensive record of ten goals conceded, which has resulted in nine clean sheets.

Unsurprisingly, the U’s goal difference is ten better than any other team in non-League football’s highest echelon.

Away from home, Oxford and Kettering are the only sides to have won as many as five games on their travels this term while James Constable has carried his free-scoring form of last season into 2009/10.

The former Kidderminster striker has netted 11 times after contributing 24 during the previous campaign.

Constable also ended a three-game drought – his longest barren spell of the season – with a brace against Grays.

The 25-year-old forward hobbled off during the first half of that match but has recovered from the kick on his knee and will be flanked by Matt Green and Jamie Cook in a three-pronged strikeforce, although former Histon forward Jack Midson proved an able deputy against Grays, scoring twice after coming on as a substitute.

Centre-back Ross Perry is set to join Midson on the bench after missing last weekend’s match because he was on international duty with Scotland Under-21s.

Teenage midfielder Sam Deering will also travel to Bootham Crescent having returned from a loan spell with Newport County but unfit trio Billy Turley (calf), Alfie Potter (flu) and Marcus Kelly (toe) will all be missing.

Turley – ousted as first-choice ’keeper by ex-Northwich stopper Ryan Clarke this season – is expected to be back in a fortnight with right-back Adam Chapman designated for emergency cover between the sticks in the meantime.


Match facts

OXFORD United have made three Conference visits to Bootham Crescent.

In the last game of the 2006/7 season, City won 1-0 with Neal Bishop the marksman. The victory clinched a play-off place. The crowd was 5,378, which is the biggest league crowd at Bootham Crescent since the club dropped out of the Football League in 2004.

In the following campaign, United won 1-0 and the corresponding fixture last term ended goalless. City’s line-up on April 7, 2009, was: Ingham, Pejic, McGurk, Parslow, Robinson, C Smith, Greaves (Hogg), Brown, Boyes, Sodje (A Smith), McBreen.

Oxford made 12 Football League trips to York and honours were even with five wins each and two draws.

The last Football League meeting between the clubs at Bootham Crescent was almost exactly six years ago when on October 21, 2003, the game finished 2-2. Lee Nogan, left, and Richard Hope scored.

Players who have represented both clubs include John Byrne, Nogan, David Rush, Darren Patterson, Luke Foster, Craig Farrell and Craig Nelthorpe with Denis Smith and Malcolm Crosby providing the managerial link.

Current City boss Martyn Foyle made 126 league appearances for United (1986-1991), scoring 36 goals.

It happened on October 17

• 1953: David Dunmore hit a hat-trick in a 5-1 home win over Mansfield Town watched by 6,294. City were in the lower reaches of Division Three North.

• 1987: Dale Banton, right, netted twice in a 2-2 home draw against Aldershot. After 13 games, City were still without a win and they were at the foot of Division Three (League One). The crowd was 1,984.

• 1992: Rochdale were beaten 3-0 at Bootham Crescent with Paul Barnes and John Borthwick (2) scoring infront of a 4,161 crowd. With ten wins and a draw in their opening 12 fixtures City led Division Three (League Two).