Northwich Vics 1 Oxford United 0
Vics celebrated the start of a new era with a major victory, at a sodden Victoria Stadium on Saturday.
With new owners - as exclusively revealed on this site on Thursday - and with Dino Maamria ensconced in the manager’s seat permanently they beat pre-season title favourites Oxford.
It came at the cost of Richard Battersby’s 70th minute dismissal along with Alex Jeannin, both players committing their second bookable offence.
But it seems a small price. Survival now looks distinctlypossible if not yet probable, thanks to Lee Steele’s 37th minute 12 yard bottom corner strike.
Northwich more than stood up to Oxford’s reputation, glowing in terms of the quality of players if not results and committed more fouls as evidence.
But they controlled most of the game with Steele and his striking partner Lucas Akins posing constant problems for Oxford, who brought goalkeeper Scott Tynan to four saves without ever seriously troubling him.
VICS: Tynan; Battersby, Kerr, Welch, Brown; Williams (Maylett 87), Carr, Wilson, Horrocks; Akins, Steele.
Att: 911
