Matt Day seems to possess such a Midas Touch with his shooting from outside the box that there's surely an argument for letting him take free-kicks from distance.

The former Portsmouth defender admits he has to have a go from long range - because he's never close enough in to score "normal" goals.

He said after his fine strike against Altrincham last Saturday: "I'm not in the box enough to get tap-ins! That's why I'm having to try them from long range."

It was a similar goal, also at the Oxford Mail Stand end, to his one against St Albans.

"I rode one challenge, luckily it landed perfectly for me, I had another touch and then I just thought 'hit it again'," he said.

"I knew we needed a goal to lift us. We got the goal and then we got a poor decision against us."

The fans now love giving the 19-year-old every encouragement to have a pop.

So what's it like hearing thousands shouting 'Shoot, Shoot' when he's 40 yards from goal?

Day laughed: "I had one before where the player's blocked it and the whole crowd were going 'Shoot, Shoot' and it goes through your mind . . . so I hit it. But the one I did score I think I blocked everyone out, I was in a little world of my own."

Despite the joy of his third goal this season, though, he ended the game bitterly disappointed that United hadn't come away with three points.

"I hit the bar in the first half, John Dempster had a very good chance from six yards out when no-one closed him down," he said.

"We had headers and shots throughout the game, and I think Altrincham had one chance in the first half where the lad headed it over, and then the goal from the penalty. Just two chances the whole game."

Day found after his first goal of the season against St Albans that it was no guarantee he would keep his place, as he had to drop back down to the bench the following game, at Morecambe.

And the same could happen tonight at Cambridge because Chris Willmott is set to return from suspension after collecting five bookings, while Rufus Brevett is fit again after a knock at Kidderminster ruled him out of the Altrincham match.

Picking up yellow cards is a hazard of the job for defenders, but Day says there have been too many in the U's camp.

"There are a lot of lads who are on three or four bookings and it's not looking good," he said. "We need to stop getting booked as easily as we do.

"I wouldn't say it's mainly mouthing, but the refs are so picky in this league you've got to watch every tackle you do, and you've got to watch everything you say."