Oxford United 3, Queens Park Rangers 0

What can you say?

Oxford United’s habit of shocking the soccer world continued at Wembley Stadium yesterday in front of an audience of millions.

More than 90,000 spectators plus many, many more watching on TV saw the little club – only three years ago playing at places like Port Vale and Scunthorpe – take Wembley by storm.

They didn’t just beat Rangers in the last ever Milk Cup final, they humiliated them into submission.

After a slow, tense start United took control and finished so embarrassingly ahead that Rangers might not have been there.

United’s performance was a credit to the players, manager Maurice Evans and his staff, the fantastic Oxford fans, but more importantly, a credit to football.

For this must rank as the best ever League/Milk Cup final performance by a side who made history by recording the biggest ever Wembley victory in the competition.

As the game began, a huge yellow balloon wafted across the pitch. Was this meant to signify United’s hopes of Wembley glory floating away? Not so.

After 40 minutes Trevor Hebberd, who won the man-of-the-match award, gave United the lead, and second-half goals from Ray Houghton and Jeremy Charles sent the fans jubilantly back up the M40 to begin the biggest celebrations this city has ever seen.

The victory could not have been better, with United playing a flowing brand of football which deserved to grace the famous Wembley turf.

Ten minutes before the first goal, Rangers escaped a penalty scare when John Aldridge fell at Steve Wicks’s feet.

I thought Wicks took Aldridge’s legs, but Rangers survived.

United’s opener was a credit to Hebberd who, ironically, was Jim Smith’s first signing in his spell as Oxford’s boss.

Smith had to sit and watch as Charles headed on to Aldridge, who found Hebberd.

The midfielder waltzed wide on the left, side-stepped Alan MacDonald and then slotted home into the bottom left-hand corner from an acute angle.

Oxford Mail:

Just before the goal, United’s fans had been chanting: “We’re gonna score in a minute.”

They were right, but even the most fanatical supporters could not have imagined United playing such beautiful second-half football to take the cup back to Oxford.

They simply ran the show, and seven minutes after the break came the best goal of the game.

Hebberd fed Houghton, took the return and set up the Scot for a quite brilliant goal.

Oxford Mail:

Two minutes later Rangers caused Alan Judge problems for the first time when John Byrne, the only QPR man seemingly capable of scoring, forced the keeper to reach high to pluck the ball from the top left hand corner.

With Hebberd finding so much space in the middle, aided so superbly by Les Phillips, it was only a matter of time before United added another.

Rangers replaced the ineffective Martin Allen with Leroy Rosenior before Aldridge missed a sitter after Phillips and Houghton had combined.

Ian Dawes forced Judge to palm over from 25 yards before Wicks had to save twice off the line, firstly from Charles and then Aldridge.

Then with four minutes left United completed the rout.

Aldridge combined with Hebberd before shooting from the right. Barron couldn’t hold the shot and there was Charles to slot home.

Oxford Mail:

The whistle heralded predictably moving scenes.

Malcolm Shotton, who had performed quite brilliantly at the back along with Gary Briggs and the rest of the defence, couldn’t stop dancing with joy.

Oxford United: Judge, Langan, Trewick, Phillips, Briggs, Shotton, Houghton, Aldridge, Charles, Hebberd, Brock. Sub: Thomas.

Queens Park Rangers: Barron, McDonald, Dawes, Neill, Wicks, Fenwick, Allen (Rosenior 61 min), James, Bannister, Byrne, Robinson.

Referee: K Hackett (Sheffield).

Attendance: 90,396.

Receipts: £897,646