OXFORD United's three-season stay in Division 1 is effectively over after Saturday's calamitous second-half collapse against the Canaries.

After battering Norwich in the first half, it all went wrong in the second for Malcolm Shotton's team as they slumped 4-2 for their third successive defeat.

And now, even if they win their two remaining games, they are unlikely to have enough points because many of their relegation rivals must play each other.

Crewe play Bristol City tomorrow night, Port Vale face QPR on Saturday and on the final day, it's Bury v Port Vale.

There's even the possibility that United's leading scorer this season, Dean Windass, could score the goal which will send them down when they visit Bradford next Saturday.

Manager Malcolm Shotton reflected ruefully on another catalogue of missed chances and bad luck as his team fired in a remarkable 18 goal attempts - 11 on target - but still ended up losing.

Teenage striker Simon Weatherstone twice hit the post and others missed gilt-edged opportunities, but Norwich stormed back after the break to avenge their 3-1 defeat by Oxford last November.

Shotton said: "The only thing we're missing is a bit of quality. "They've been totally honest, they've given everything they can. We just can't take the chances we create. We hit the post three times - how many times have we said that in the last few weeks?

"At the end of the day we're down the bottom because we're not taking our chances. If you've got players like Norwich's Iwan Roberts and Craig Bellamy who can stick the ball in the net, they're worth a lot."

It was not the way skipper Les Robinson would have chosen to mark his 500th league game, and Shotton was forthright in his views about some of the goals his team let in after the break.

"In the second half it was just bad defending and a lack of leadership cost us dearly," he said.

Norwich manager Bruce Rioch said he felt sorry for Oxford and could understand why they were so intent on attacking the whole game.

"In their position they had to, but it made them very vulnerable. Our goal led a charmed life at times," he admitted. Nicky Banger's sizzling performance deserved better. However, he held up his hand to admit responsibility for one of the bad misses.

"I went round the keeper and it was probably harder to miss than to score. If we had managed to hold on to our lead until half-time it would probably have been a different game," he said.

"We played some great football first half, but we just couldn't seem to put them in."

Story date: Monday 26 April

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