Oxford United were left frustrated but still extended their unbeaten run to seven games with a 1-1 draw against Forest Green Rovers at the Kassam Stadium this afternoon.

A goal to the good after 45 minutes through James Henry, United were pegged back by a Jamille Matt header as Rovers hit back to claim a point.

A game that ebbed and flowed all afternoon had a breathless start and United might have been ahead inside 30 seconds when Billy Bodin freed Henry, only for keeper Luke McGee to block that effort, swiftly followed by a second save to claw away a Ciaron Brown header.

With Marcus Browne relishing his number 10 role despite the close marking of Harvey Bunker, and the excellent Lewis Bate firing a ninth minute effort over the bar, United were very much on top, although Simon Eastwood needed to make the first of a string of good saves to deny Josh March as Rovers started to retaliate.

Forest Green could hardly complain about going behind though, even if they might have moaned about the method.

There was a hint of offside in the build up as Henry broke the lines to get in on goal. Defender Harry Boyes slid in, and with McGee stranded, the ball Henry poked the ball gently over the line to make it 1-0. 

Hardly a game goes by without United suffering an injury or Eastwood making a worldie.

Today it was the lively Bodin, hobbling off half way through the first half with what looked to be a knee injury, and then Connor Wickham denied as Eastwood flew across his goal to somehow keep the striker’s effort out of the net in the last minute of a very entertaining first half, where the U's should have had a penalty in the very last seconds after Henry's shirt was blatantly pulled inside the penalty area.

Rovers, bottom of the table and with a long injury list, had little to lose and threw men forward after the break. After an hour they were level when the always dangerous Matt sneaked in at the back post to head past Eastwood and make it 1-1.

It could have been worse as Man of the Match Eastwood flew from goal to make another top save to stop Corey O'Keefe, and with Boyes hitting the post in the follow-up and the visitors enjoying their best spell of the match, it became a question of whether the U's could regain the initiative.

Brannagan went close as we entered 10 minutes of added time, but there was to be no late drama. Sub Gatlin O'Donkor nodded a cross over the top after a surging run from Djavan Anderson, and Brown flashed a last-minute drive just wide, but the visitors had deserved their point, and will see Eastwood's outstanding contribution as evidence.

A point and another step in the right direction, but the afternoon had promised more.

Att: 7,813

Away: 444

Report by Chris Williams, pictures by Steve Daniels, Steve Edmunds and Rex Shutterstock