KEMAR Roofe and Danny Hylton scored two goals apiece to give Oxford United a confident start to their pre-season campaign with a comfortable win at Didcot Town.

Roofe's double gave the visitors a 2-0 lead, before Hylton matched his efforts after the break.

Josh Ashby, who delightfully set up Hylton's second, completed the scoring late on to give United a boost ahead of their pre-season trip to Austria.

United fielded different XIs in each half, with goalkeeper Sam Slocombe the only player to get 90 minutes under his belt.

Summer signings Slocombe and Liam Sercombe made their debuts in the first half side, who took time to settle.

Didcot, also playing their first warm-up game, impressed early on and Slocombe needed to be alert to race off his line to catch a dangerous cross from Jack Self.

James Roberts had United's only clear chance of the first 20 minutes, when his lob drifted just wide from Alex MacDonald's pass.

It took until midway through the half for the visitors to gain an upper hand. Johnny Mullins headed a Danny Rose free-kick against the post, before Roofe opened the scoring on 26 minutes.

Aidan Hawtin got forward from right back and although Patrick Hoban could not convert the cross, the ball fell kindly for Roofe to score from six yards.

The same player doubled the lead ten minutes later with an audacious show of skill. MacDonald was blocked on the edge of the area, allowing Roofe to burst forward and scored after jinking one way and then the other to leave a defender and goalkeeper Leigh Bedwell on the floor.

The second half team took just six minutes to make their mark. It came via a neat link-up between the front two, as Ryan Taylor's clever pass played in Hylton, who made no mistake from 15 yards.

Taylor had a chance to open his account shortly afterwards, but he mis-kicked from a Callum O'Dowda cross.

The winger, who played twice for Republic of Ireland Under 21s last month, looked sharp, but was fortunate to avoid an injury after one surge forward.

He ended up head over heels in the crowd after falling over the barrier, but thankfully returned to the pitch without a knock.

The flow of the game became increasingly one-way traffic as Didcot tired. Taylor had a succession of half chances which did not quite come off, before Hylton grabbed his second 12 minutes from time.

Within seconds of coming on, Josh Ashby cushioned a defence-splitting pass for the forward, who dinked a delicate shot over the goalkeeper.

Ashby helped himself to the fifth goal on 87 minutes, tucking a shot inside the far post after another intelligent touch from Taylor. Hylton still had time to complete his hat-trick, but was denied by Gannon with virtually the final action of the game.

Didcot Town: Bedwell (Gannon 62′), Elkins (Taylor 45′), Martin (Organ 62′), Ballard (Baines 45′), Carnell (Heapy 62′), Learoyd (Thompson 62′), Dutton-Black, Self (Williams 45′), McDonagh (Mills 62′), Longford, Janes (Woodley 62′)

United 1st half: Slocombe, Hawtin, Mullins, Wright, Grant, Roofe, Sercombe, Rose, MacDonald, Hoban, Roberts (George 36).

United 2nd half: Slocombe, Baldock, Dunkley, Long (Cundy 78), Skarz, Humphreys (Ashby 78), Collins, Ruffels, O'Dowda, Taylor, Hylton. Referee: Dan Leach. Attendance: 940.