Blue Square Premier Play Off Final

16/05/2010

Oxford United V York City

Oxford United 3 - 1 York City
Attendance: 42,669

Chris Wilder's Oxford United are back in the Football League after four years. They beat York City 3 - 1 in the Conference Play-Off Final before 42,669 fans at a rain lashed Wembley.

Goals by Matt Green, James Constable and Alfie Potter clinched United's place in next season's League Two in a match that was a great advert for Conference football.

Cheered on by 33,000 supporters, most of them in their yellow replica shirts, Oxford ran the show in the early minutes and were ahead in 15, Matt Green volleying high into the corner with his left foot after York 'keeper, Michael Ingham, had rushed out to block an earlier effort and was temporarily out of his goal.

Six minutes later it was 2 - 0, the lethal James Constable rifling in a left footer that whistled past Ingham's right hand. Constable, then on 26 goals for the season, had scored the new Wembley's first competitive goal in 2007.

Things could only get better for Martin Foyle's York after all that floundering in the dampness. They did, three minutes from half time, when Ben Purkiss chipped the ball into the goalmouth from the right. Oxford 'keeper Ryan Clarke, under no real pressure, got both hands to the ball but dropped it behind him. It was well over the line before he or his defenders could do anything about it.

City pushed hard for an equaliser in the second half, with Richard Brodie looking particularly dangerous, but United held out. Almost inevitably they made a chance on the break with City committed to going forward.

It was two against one in City's half and Sam Deering and Alfie Potter cleverly exchanged passesbefore the latter had slid a right footer past the exposed Ingham. Potter had famously scored for Havant in front of the Liverpool Kop in The FA Cup.