United's season ended with defeat as Northwich ruined the party. Torquay's win over Burton made the result irrelevant anyway but the biggest crowd of the season in the Blue Square Premier were left disappointed despite James Constable's goal.

With Chris Willmott suspended there was a new role for Kevin Sandwith at centre half and a return for Yemi Odubade up front, but it was a nervous opening as Northwich initially pushed United back towards the massed ranks of home fans behind Billy Turley's goal. Last week at Burton there were two nervous sides, this week already-relegated Northwich could play with total freedom.

It wasn't until the eighteenth minute that a Yemi Odubade scissor kick flashed just wide of the post and sparked United into life. Crosses started to flash across goal, Haldane and Chapman both drove efforts at goal and the tempo which has marked United's remarkable end to the season started to build.

A deflected effort from Odubade on 37 went close again, but right on the stroke of half time a deathly silence came over the ground as Northwich began  to wreck the party. Jamie Mullen jinked and feinted a couple of times to get past Adam Chapman twenty five yards from goal then unleashed a superb right footed shot which arrowed into the corner of the net like a knife to 10,000 hearts.  He'd never scored a goal before but will never score a better or more distressing one.

That goal should, strangely, have been exactly what United needed because for the next 45 minutes they tried to batter Victoria like a music lover at a Spice Girls reunion. Attacking their favoured Oxford Mail Stand United started to pour forward and went for broke. Like the entire second half of the season they now had the odds stacked against them but weren't going to die wondering. Somehow it just didn't quite work this time.

It left gaps at the back and Turley needed to finger tip a chipped effort from Jonny Allan away from danger seven minutes in, but United controlled much of the game and should have drawn level as Odubade skipped past the last man but slipped and then Farrell saw his effort go wide. Carruthers, Sandwith, Chapman and Foster all had efforts at goal, but things just wouldn't happen. Farrell got his head to a cross but keeper Clark touched it away, and at times The U's had five up front.

The inevitable goal came with seven minutes left as Constable smashed home a low  shot from six yards but that sparked ridiculous scenes. 'Fans' poured on to the pitch and one idiot approached Northwich's Simon Grand and seemed to flourish his flag in the defender's face. It was threatening and both Grand and Luke Horrocks reacted by chasing the fan from the pitch. Northwich boss Andy Preece had seen enough and called his men from the pitch to delay the game by five minutes amid angry scenes.

By the time the game restarted United's fate was already sealed with the final whistle blown at Plainmoor and two minutes later it was literally all over as Matty Crowell took a couple of steps then slammed the ball home off the post to make it 2-1 and end what has been a magnificent run with a defeat.

The season may have ended but for United this is just the start.

See you next season

Att: 10,298

Away: 119

Report by Chris Williams

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