United slipped to their first home defeat of the season as an Iysden Christie goal gave Tamworth a surprise win. Christie's chipped effort meant that United started 2010 with a loss and so remain in second place in the table.

If there were any worries of United being slow out of the traps following the enforced winter break it didn't initially show as Potter ran through and on to a Constable flick on thirty seconds, but his left footed effort drifted wide of the far post.  Two minutes later and it was Constable's turn to get an effort in on goal, seeing his scuffed effort saved comfortably by Alcock in the Tamworth goal, while on five he was at it again, linking well with Potter before firing a right footed effort straight down the keeper's throat.

United were looking the brighter of the two teams in the opening few minutes, but after that bright start  The Lambs started to get less fleeced and on ten Tamworth threatened as Jake Sheridan raced away down the Oxford right. His ball across the face of goal looked dangerous but Anthony Tonkin tracked back well to clear from the edge of the six yard box. For the following fifteen minutes United struggled to keep their rhythm, often failing to find a man with their passes as Tamworth began to snap at their heels, but on seventeen minutes they managed to come close to opening the scoring. Franny Green found some space on the left of the Tamworth penalty area and squared the ball for Potter on the edge of the six yard box, though his effort was bravely blocked by Michael Wylde as the goal beckoned.

However it didn't take long for the Lambs to threaten themselves as Christie ran through the Oxford defence onto a ball from former U's loan man Michael Blackwood, but his chipped ball over Clarke ran across goal and was once again cleared by the busy-looking Tonkin. Minutes later they came closer still with Tom Shaw's spectacular volley crashing off the bar with Ryan Clarke beaten in the United goal.

Even with Tamworth coming close United were finally beginning to stamp some form of authority on the game, albeit fleetingly, but it was the visitors who took the lead in bizarre circumstances on twenty eight. Christie ran through the channel after Alfie Potter lost possession in the Tamworth half before attempting an acutely-angled chip from the edge of the box. Ryan Clarke looked in firm control of the attempt, though somehow the ball wriggled through his hands and dropped agonisingly inside the far post. It was the first time that United had fallen behind at home since the opening day of the season against York and left the Yellows with much to do in the second half.

Kicking towards their own fans United stirred things up after five minutes with two attack minded substitutions, and their fans, starved of football for so many weeks, found their voices and tried to lift things. Jake Wright headed narrowly over from a corner, sub Damian Batt started to ping in dangerous crosses, and Tamworth started to drop deeper to try and cope with the renewed pressure. They took as much time out of the game as they could and showed little inclination to go and find a second goal but then they didn't need to...

The three man front line of Constable, Matt Green and Jack Midson were reunited for the last half hour or so, and the force was now with The Yellows but perhaps the enforced lay-off without a match had had more impact than imagined. Certainly the flow and swagger weren't quite at the same level as the effort and commitment.

Tamworth's tactics were best shown when Jake Sheridan was booked as he left the pitch after being substituted, taking far too long for ref Hopkins and most of the fans' liking, but they were almost made to pay for that as Constable finally got a sight at goal and saw his fierce shot tipped over by keeper Alcock. The same player's header was then safely held from the resultant corner and as the clock ticked down it became more and more clear that this wasn't to be United's afternoon.

That was confirmed when a Constable blockbuster was pushed away by Alcock to the feet of Green who couldn't adjust his feet in time and so allowed two desperate defenders to throw their bodies in the way. Michael Wylde did exactly the same on 94 as Constable shot again from ten yards and credit to Tamworth for that commitment in defence all afternoon, but for United it was just one of those days...

That was finally rubbed in in the 98th minute as Creighton scored when offside and Damian Batt was booked for protesting, then booked again, and dismissed, for a comment to the ref. Not a good end to not a good afternoon.

There will be better days to come in 2010.

Att: 5,690
Away: 141

Fifty/50 winning number: 68472

Report by Ryan Bird and Chris Williams

Highlights and reaction in Yellow Player