Toothless Cobblers suffer second-half collapse as they are hammered at Oxford United

Town were not as defensive as they had been at Crewe Alexandra on Saturday but it was limp and toothless performance completely devoid of quality and spark in attack, deservedly leaving them empty-handed and spiralling towards the relegation zone.

The visitors' makeshift back four had defended well in the first-half and limited Oxford to next to nothing, but just four minutes of the second period had passed when Matty Taylor broke the deadlock.

A Cobblers response was not forthcoming and Olamide Shodipo's deflected goal all-but ended the contest, with Town left wishing the referee would just blow his whistle there and then.

Unable to conjure anything at all in attack, the visitors folded all too easily as Taylor stooped to head in his second before Dan Agyei's fabulous fourth capped an evening to forget across the county border.

It's one thing to be pragmatic, but it's another altogether to surrender with such limp disappointment as Keith Curle's side did here.

They now teeter just one place and one point above the bottom four.

It was a big night for 17-year-old Max Dyche who was handed his first senior start by Curle.

He partnered stand-in skipper Fraser Horsfall at centre-back while Danny Rose, Ryan Watson and Chris Lines, making his first league start of the season, also all started.

Cobblers lined up in a diamond in midfield with Sam Hoskins at right-back, and they had a very early opening when Harry Smith's header fell to Jack Sowerby, but his shot was blocked.

Taylor headed wide on the stretch in response for Oxford but, those moments aside, the opening half-hour was cagey and passed without incident.

Neither side, no doubt low on confidence given their league positions, looked particularly dangerous in attack but United came closest to the breakthrough goal 10 minutes before the break when Josh Ruffels curled a shot against the woodwork.

Oxford ended the first-half in the ascendency but Town's patched-up defence was doing a good job and ensured the visitors got into half-time on level terms.

However, parity lasted just four minutes of the second-half. Sean Clare, only on at the break, stood up a deep cross and with Steve Arnold slow to react, Taylor headed in from underneath the crossbar.

Caleb Chukwuemeka and Nicky Adams were both sent on by Curle but despite Town's need for a goal, they managed only half chances at best with Chukwuemeka slashing over and Harry Smith's shot blocked.

But in pushing more men forward, the visitors left themselves vulnerable at the other end and that showed with 25 minutes to go.

Oxford broke with pace and incision and the move was finished off by Shodipo via a deflection.

Horsfall nodded just wide but Oxford continued to play with more intent and after Sam Long planted a free header over, Taylor was left unmarked to nod in his second just a couple of minutes from time.

And Town's wretched evening was not done there as Agyei piled on more misery with a superb fourth goal in stoppage-time.

Match facts

Oxford: Stevens, Long, Moore, Mousinho (c) (Clare 45), Ruffels, Kelly (Hanson 76), Gorrin, McGuane (Agyei 86), Henry (Hall 90), Taylor, Shodipo (Obita 86)

Subs not used: Eastwood, Forde

Cobblers: Arnold, Harriman, Horsfall (c), Dyche, Hoskins, Sowerby (Missilou 69), Watson, Lines (Adams 61), Holmes, Rose (Chukwuemeka 55), Smith

Subs not used: Mitchell, Korboa, Marshall,

Referee: Declan Bourne

Attendance: 2,000