Oxford United? They looked more like Fawlty Towers in Torquay yesterday.

The team that led the third division at the turn of the year were a shambles as they crashed 3-0 to their promotion rivals at Plainmoor.

And even their play-off destiny is no longer in their own hands. Northampton's 1-1 draw with Lincoln means the Cobblers will now overhaul them if they win their game in hand.

Caretaker manager Graham Rix's decision to dispense with the three centre backs favoured by Ian Atkins has been a disaster.

Atkins picked three because he didn't think two were good enough.

They proved him right yesterday, but the whole side looked disorganised and dispirited as they slumped to their worst defeat in two and a half years.

You have to go back to Atkins's first away match, at Hull in November 2000, for the last time the U's lost by three clear goals.

Everything that could go wrong did go wrong for United yesterday.

Paul Wanless put through his own net with a header to give Torquay the lead

Skipper Andy Crosby was sent off for a professional foul on Jo Kuffour

Leading scorer Steve Basham couldn't come out for the second half because of blurred vision

And, worst of all for their supporters, they saw Torquay players taking the mickey out of Oxford with some showboating when they were three up.

Other results again helped the U's. Northampton being held at home was more than they could have hoped, while Mansfield could only draw at Field Mill against Bristol Rovers.

But the pressure is building on both Rix, who has yet to win in five matches, and Oxford United chairman Firoz Kassam, who hastily appointed him after suspending Atkins.