Town were completely out-of-sorts at Marsh Lane and should have lost my more than the 2-1 scoreline. Here are our player ratings from a thoroughly forgettable evening...
5. Christopher Missilou
The only natural central midfielder in the side and it showed. Barely got a kick in the middle, outnumbered and overrun by Oxford throughout. Hosts were simply sharper and hungrier and bullied the Cobblers in midfield... 3 Photo: Pete Norton
6. Sam Hoskins
Skipper for the night & he was the best of a poor bunch in terms of outfield players. First-time finish opened the scoring & he was closest to equalising late on. Terrific tracking back & clearance also denied a certain goal... 4 Photo: Pete Norton
7. Morgan Roberts
A full debut to forget. He actually delivered two or three really good crosses in the first-half but just didn't get the ball enough to continue that threat and then faded out of the game badly after half-time... 3.5 Photo: Pete Norton
8. Mark Marshall
Did well to tee up the opener and only denied a goal of his own by a miraculous goal-line clearance. That was about it though, and fell away completely in the second-half before being hooked... 3.5 Photo: Pete Norton