Oxford Utd 4, (Constable 57, 84, 89, Green 68), Chester City 0 James Constable bagged a brilliant second-half hat-trick as Oxford United turned on the style at the Kassam Stadium.

They totally outplayed relegated Chester City in this Blue Square Premier match, and produced some of their most eye-pleasing football for a long, long time.

It was only Chester's damage-limitation, getting as many men behind the ball as possible, in the first half which prevented a complete rout.

As it was, once Constable had broken the deadlock on 57 minutes, it was then only a question of how many they would get.

Matt Green also scored a beauty, with a set-up from the outstanding Alfie Potter.

So dominant were they, the U's had 28 shots on goal.

Adam Murray and Damian Batt were back in the starting XI, but more of a surprise was Rhys Day's recall at centre half, with Luke Foster dropping to the bench.

Attacking towards the open end in the first half, United looked lively.

Constable's early break earned a corner in the opening minute, and not long after, Green cut in from the left, past three players, but curled his shot well wide.

Playing at a quick tempo, Oxford began passing the ball around beautifully, often with eight and nine-man moves, and it seemed only a matter of time before they broke through.

One incisive raid involving Green and Constable ended with a deft pass to Alfie Potter, who shwed great feet in jinking past two defenders before getting in an angled shot which keeper John Danby saved.

Potter, looking sharp, followed that up with a much more powerful 23-yard drive s89raight into Danby's chest.

The speed at which Chris Wilder's men moved the ball was as good as I can recall in the first half at home since United dropped into the Conference. They just needed an end product, but Chester were defending resolutely.

The determination in the Oxford camp was epitomised by Potter in the 37th minute.

He lost possession in midfield, but raced around the Chester players like an annoying wasp until they gave the ball back again, following his challenge.

And then, when the home side had, rugby-like, three or four phases of attack, it was Potter who ws on the end of it again with a shot, albeit off target.

The U's continued their barrage after the break, but this time with Murray muh further forward.

And it was the skipper who almost broke the deadlock with a shot from the right of the area, which unfortunately struck Mark Creighton's heel.

There was a scare for United as Ryan Clarke had to save to his left a header from Michael Lea on 51 minutes, but it was only six minutes later that they deservedly went in front with a goal that owed much to Constable's natural predatory nature.

Simon Clist couldn't turn onto Murray's pass to get a shot in, but Constable was in exactly the right place to shoot low into the net from 12 yards.

The one-way traffic continued and Potter had another shot saved, and then, showing silky ball control, cut inside and out before rifling in a drive from the right that Danby just managed to parry at his near post.

But Potter was soon involved in Oxford's second goal on 68 minutes.

Constable crossed hard and low from the left, Potter flicked it up and Green volleyed in, for a spectacular and classy goal.

That became 3-0 on 84 minutes as Murray centred from the right, Green dummied cleverly and Constable took the ball on and fired left-footed low past Danby.

United's star striker had hit a second-half brace at Histon on Saturday but he was determined to o one better this time, and with two minutes to go he again broke free, working himself into space, and shot home emphatically for his first hat-trick for the club.

A minute later, when he made way for Marcus Kelly, the crowd rose to give him a well-deserved standing ovation.