OXFORD United secured Sky Bet League One football for next season as they coasted to a convincing win at Forest Green Rovers.

MK Dons conceded a late equaliser in a 4-4 draw at home to Barnsley, meaning the U’s can only be caught by the teams below before the end of the season through an extraordinary goal difference swing.

Kyle Joseph gave United the lead early in the first half with a composed finish, before Tyler Goodrham and Billy Bodin then both scored sensational goals from distance.

After ending their 17-game winless run with a 4-0 victory at home to Cheltenham Town on Tuesday night, head coach Liam Manning made just the one change as Josh Murphy replaced Goodrham, who was forced off with an injury shortly before half-time in midweek.

The opening exchanges between the two sides were light on goalmouth action, with the first 10 minutes seeing Ciaron Brown head a Bodin free kick from deep on the left into the arms of home goalkeeper Ross Doohan.

Joseph opened the scoring though when he latched onto Marcus McGuane’s through ball and finished with aplomb past Ross Doohan in the Forest Green goal.

With 20 minutes on the clock, Marcus Browne fizzed an effort wide of the post from 25 yards as United took full control of the game.

The next sight of goal came moments later when Bodin stole the ball from Udoka Godwin-Malife down the left flank, before cutting inside and firing a right-footed effort high over the crossbar.

The U’s worked some clever moves, with one seeing Joseph glance over a Sam Long cross.

As the scoreboard ticked towards the final 10 minutes of the opening period, Stuart Findlay charged down the left, with the ball bouncing up in front of Bodin, who hooked well wide.

The home side threatened for the first time on 40 minutes when Tyrese Omotoye was close to getting a head on Myles Peart-Harris’ right-wing cross.

Harvey Bunker was then afforded space but his shot from 25 yards was wide of Simon Eastwood’s near post.

Manning made a change at the break as Goodrham came on in place of Browne, and within sixty seconds of stepping onto the pitch, the teenage winger doubled United’s lead.

Goodrham collected the ball on the left corner of the penalty area and bent in a sublime curling shot into Doohan’s top corner.

Brown then saw a strike from the edge of the box charged down and deflect out for a corner.

Rovers boss Duncan Ferguson responded to seeing his side go two down by making a triple substitution, and it had something of an impact almost straight away.

Omotoye found himself in behind the U’s backline, but Eastwood was sharp off his line to thwart the Forest Green man.

At the other end, Cameron Brannagan slipped as he took aim from 20 yards, with the ball firing just wide.

Manning’s second alteration saw him withdraw Murphy just after the hour mark as Brandon Fleming came on in his place.

Bodin scored a cracker to rival Goodrham’s effort, to give the U’s a three-goal advantage, when he curled a right-footed shot from outside the penalty box into the top corner.

Bodin’s return to the side after injury has lifted United recently, and with just over quarter of an hour to go, he was brought off as Oisin Smyth replaced him.

Brannagan fancied his chances of adding to the stunning strikes when he fired a shot from 25 yards, but it proved a comfortable stop for Doohan.

Fleming, industrious and busy after coming on, then forced a sprawling save out of Doohan with a low, left-footed strike from 20 yards.

Forest Green Rovers (4-4-2): Doohan; Godwin-Malife (Bernard 53), Casey, Cooper, Robson; O’Keeffe (Garrick 53), Bunker (Brown 87), McGeouch, Omotoye; Savage, Peart-Harris (Bakayoko 53 (O’Brien 83)).

Unused subs: Burnett, Moore-Taylor.

Booked: None.

Oxford United (4-2-3-1): Eastwood; Long (Anderson 85), Moore, Findlay, Brown; Brannagan, McGuane; Murphy (Fleming 62), Bodin (Smyth 74), Browne (Goodrham 46); Joseph.

Unused subs: McGinty, Wildschut, Smith.

Booked: None.

Referee: Tom Reeves (West Midlands)

Attendance: 4,070 (1,224 away)