Oxford Utd 1 (Clist 53), Hayes & Yeading 2 (Basham 25, Basham 43) STEVE Basham returned to the Kassam Stadium to haunt Oxford United last night - with a first-half brace that could cost them promotion.

The U's were knocked off the top of the table as they ost at home for only the second time this season.

But it was as much their own ineptitiude as Basham's prowess, well though he took his goals.

United's first-half performance was as poor as they have produced under Chris Wilder, with several individuals giving wretched displays.

They badly missed top scorer James Constable and creative midfielder Adam Murray, not yet fit enough to return from injuries.

Basham struck in the 25th and 43rd minutes for Hayes, but chose not to celebrate each time, with Oxford United still holding a place in his heart.

When he went off early in the second half, he was given a big ovation.

Part-timers Hayes & Yeading had Esmond James sent off in the 48th minute. But although United improved considerably, they could manage to pull only one goal back.

On a cold and windy night, there wasn't the atmosphere at the start that there has been in many recent games, the visitors themslves bringing less than 100 supporters.

And United took a horribly long time to get going.

Passes went astray, attacks were very laboured, and although Matt Green kept making good runs, his striking partner John Grant was finding it difficult to make an impact.

Behind him, Chris Hargreaves had a first half hour he would rather forget, several times lacking sharpness in the tackle, and with his distribution.

Grant did find space when he cut to his right inside the box, but blazed high and wide.

The U's were looking a different side without Constable, but sometimes the ball from the back was poor too.

A couple of times Hayes winger Esmond James delivered very useful crosses from the right, and it wasn't really against the run of play when the part-timers took the lead in the 25th minute.

Again a cross came over from the right and centre backs Rhys Day and Mark Creighton gave their opposite numbers far too much space. Craig Watkins knocked the ball to his left and Basham shot home on the turn, the effort going in off the right post.

The fans weren't happy with what was going on, though they didn't really show it, and Chris Wilder wasn't happy.

Just after the half hour mark he made a tactical substitution, sending on Ashley Cain on the right wing, taking off Day and pushing Jake Wright back into the middle, and Simon Clist to left back.

It meant Sam Deering, who earlier in the day had signed a new two-year contract, but who had been well contained by Adam Green, moved into the hole beind the strikers.

But it went from bad to worse for Oxford just before half-time when Basham got his second goal.

This time it was straight from a corner, and he was unmarked to head in his eighth goal in ten weeks.

The paint must have been peeling on the walls of the home dressing room during the interval, and the Oxford players were sent out early.

Hargreaves was not among them, Lewis Chalmers replacing him for his debut after joining from Aldershot at the weekend.

As soon as the second half began, Deering started running at the Hayes defenders.

In the first few seconds, he sent a screamer of a volley over.

And then, when he was tripped by James, who had been booked for kicking the ball away just before half-time, that gave United the break they were looking for.

James was sent off, and with ten men trying to defend the Oxford Mail Stand end, Hayes knew it was going to be like the Alamo.

Matt Green had a drive parried, after clever play by Deering, and on 53 minutes Simon Clist pulled a goal back with a cracking left-foot volley.

It came from Damian Batt's cross, which was headed high in the air.

Clist struck it beautifully, and it arrowed into the net for the midfielder's first goal at the Kassam Stadium.

However, attempts to gegt another goal back were thwarted often because there was no understanding in key areas in the team - like Grant and Green up front, and among the defenders where Batt nodded the ball goalwards virtually off the forehead of Creighton.

But a great run from Deering through the middle of the park culminated in a drive that keeper Clark Masters pushed to one side. Grant probably should have scored with the follow-up, but Masters fingertipped it aside for a corner.

At the other end, Ryan Clarke made a terrific one-handed save from Justin Cochrane's free-kick.

Chalmers showed he could hurl the ball long from a throw-in, taking over that duty from Batt.

Grant failed to put the ball in the net when a defender and the keeper almost handed it to him on a plate.

It really was one of those nights.

Oxford Utd: Clarke 7, Batt 5, Day 5 (Cain 6, 31), Creighton 5, Wright 6, Deering 6, Bulman 6 (Midson 77), Hargreaves 5 (Chalmers 7, h-t), Clist 7*, Grant 5, M Green 6. Subs not used: Turley, Chapman. Booked: Wright.

Hayes & Yeading: Masters 7, James 6, Harris 6, Ruby 7, Cadmore 7, A Green 6, Cochrane 7, Canham 7, Marwa 6 (Stolcers 5, h-t, (Binns 79)), Watkins 7, Basham 8 (Wishart 6, 57). Subs not used: Sent off: James.

Booked: none.

Referee: Carl Berry (Surrey) 7 Att: 5,045 ( from Hayes)