Fans helped Oxford United into the record books on Saturday as the biggest crowd in years cheered on yet another victory.

The table-toppers made it 19 games unbeaten in front of 8,185 spectators with a 2-0 defeat of Aldershot.

The club was aiming to get into the top 10 highest Conference attendances and loyal fans, helped by 1,000 away supporters, set the fourth biggest crowd in the league's history.

Only 1,500 more spectators are needed to beat the record set by Lincoln City 18 years ago and the U's are aiming to smash that during the home clash with Woking on Boxing Day.

It was Oxford's biggest attendance this season and the U's now boast the nine highest home gates in the Conference so far.

The club spent weeks urging fans to turn out in their thousands and Oxford United director Kelvin Thomas was delighted with the attendance.

He said: "A lot of people were saying the club needed to be better marketed. We really promoted the game and it definitely made a difference.

"All credit to the players and coaching staff for the unbeaten run, because that helps to get people through the turnstiles. There is a real feelgood factor at the moment."

Outside the ground at full time, Anita and Steve Hewer, both 54, of Kidlington, were among the happy fans on their way home.

Mrs Hewer said: "We've come every week for the last 40 years and it is so much much better than previous years.

"We have come down a league but we're playing better football and with more confidence than we have for many years.

"Even when we were in top leagues the football still wasn't as good as this."

Simon Smith, 40, of Didcot, was among the thousands of smiling fans flocking from the ground after the final whistle.

He said: "We were in the doldrums and then Jim Smith and Nick Merry came in and the support has been coming back.

"There is a hardcore of around 6,500 who would be here no matter what, but it is a less negative place to come now and I think not only will we get the record on Boxing Day but in the last three or four games of the season we'll be looking at crowds of ten or eleven thousand."

The U's now have the top three attendance in their sights and are aiming to top the 8,868 set by Yeovil Town in 2001 and 9,215 at Carlisle United in 2004.

But, to become record-beaters, more than 9,432 must squeeze into the stadium to smash the attendance record set in 1988 when Lincoln City played Wycombe Wanderers.

There was some tension inside the ground and police, who were out in force, made three arrests for public order offences.

Chief Insp Dave Parker said: "It was a larger crowd than usual at Oxford and that is why we policed it as we did.

"It was a firm but fair police response.

"We had three arrests but no reports of anyone injured and no disorder within the ground."