Chapman's a class act

They were 14 points off the top five places in January.

And although the top teams have kept on winning, United’s own form has been simply sensational.

Their magnificent support can again help them to get the result they need against 23rd-placed Northwich.

And then they just have to hope.

There will be an atmosphere of excitement and tension at the Kassam Stadium for this slightly-later 4pm kick-off, with U’s fans wanting to cheer on the players, but with many also listening to the radio and keeping tabs on what’s happening at Plainmoor and Aggborough.

Oxford will still be on a high after their stunning win at Burton. The adrenalin from that night is probably still flowing!

It was a night of heroes – with Adam Chapman, and Billy Turley the chief ones.

United are desperately hoping they will be able to sign Chapman in the summer, though that is down to his parent club Sheffield United.

The versatile midfielder showed again at Burton what a class act he is.

He has already been used at right back, on the right wing and as a creative central midfielder, and he demonstrated he can play the holding midfield role as well as anyone.

As well as being able to break down opposition att-acks, when the game starts to open up and he gets more space on the ball, he can influence play significantly.

That’s exactly what he did at the Pirelli Stadium, in what many Oxford fans thought was United’s best away team performance, in a high-pressure match, since they beat Leeds United at Elland Road in the FA Cup in 1994.

Chapman admitted: "We'd looked at that role in training a couple of times, and think it suits me, the sweeper part of the role as well where I can get on the ball.

"It was a very scrappy opening, we were disappointed at it, but after about 25 minutes, we got the ball down and started passing it about a bit."

Boss Chris Wilder said: "We thought McGrath and Simp-son were two main players for them, and we didn't give them any room first half, I thought Clist and Murray jumped all over them, and we got Chapman on the ball.

"We were giving the ball away a bit cheaply in the first 15-20 minutes, but then Chapman settled down, got on the ball, dictated the flow of the game and I thought we edged the second part of the first half.

"Burton had a blast at it in the first 15-20 minutes of the second half, obviously missed a great chance, but we got back into the game and I thought always looked a threat on the break, even when we were down to ten.

"We had real belief we could win. We looked at Burton's situation and that they possibly thought it would have been put to bed before.

"But people talk about pressure. Our team’s been under pressure the last three months, and we've handled that extremely well.

"And if we are going to be successful in my time here, we're going to have more big games like Friday night, and are going to have to handle the situation like we did.

"I'm proud of the players, there was great effort, decent play, and it was a good game of football.”

Chapman’s spectacular free-kick winner was just the latest in a string of superb free-kicks from U’s players over the past two months, arg-uably even better than those of Murray at Eastbourne, Woking and against Lewes, and Craig Nelthorpe's cheeky one at Kettering.

How United could do with another good free-kick against Northwich.

The Cheshire side are in such financial turmoil that manager Andy Preece has only 13 or 14 players to choose from.

It meant that, against Lewes last Saturday for example, they had only three subs. It mattered little. They won 3-0.

The players have not been paid up to date since Feb-ruary, generally getting paid half wages plus a promise of the remainder at a later date.

But Preece has got them on a winning run.

Had he been in charge since Christmas, they would probably have stayed up.

And their players have plenty to play for, with Preece saying it’s up to them to prove they should be given contracts for next season.