Oxford United 2 Yeovil Town 0

Danny Rose picked up the sponsor's champagne, but accepted it could have been chilling in a team mate's fridge.

Former Manchester United reserve team skipper Rose, 27, pulled the strings from midfield as Oxford ran Yeovil ragged, but admitted six or seven players could have won the bubbly including goal scorers Danny Hylton and Callum O'Dowda. He said:

"Danny's relentless and horrible to play against. He's always happy and it's hard not to love him when you see his work rate.

"Callum's also got the work rate required and his quality is showing through because of it. He got four goals last year and has two already this season, so that's good. He's a year older and definitely a year wiser."

But Rose feared for his Oxford future last term. He revealed:

"I was an un-used sub for about ten games and so you're thinking you're probably not going to be wanted. Fortunately I had a good last eight games and I'm delighted I was able to stay."

Hylton even had time for a joke at referee's expense after when  picked up whistler Kevin Johnson's yellow card and waved it at him. Hylton said:

"I just had to do it. It's been shown it to me often enough, so I thought I'd get my own back! I always play with a smile on my face. There's no better job in the world. You're playing football, playing with your friends and doing well."

O'Dowda picked out Hylton for the opener in the fourteenth minute.

Keeper Artur Krysiak failed to collect O'Dowda's chipped cross from the right side of the box and striker Hylton found himself unmarked at he far post to nod in his fourth goal of the season.

In the 75th minute Hylton returned the favour to help O'Dowda to his second of the campaign.

Hylton surged into the box and put a low pass into O'Dowda's path for the easiest of tap-ins from a couple of yards.

Oxford boss Michael Appleton was delighted with the performance and joked:

"I'm happy and that's all that matters.

"We're eight points better off than we were last year. We're in a good place and on target after five games and have so many good, young energetic footballers."

Appleton was especially pleased for O'Dowda and said:

"He hears, sees and breathes everything because he's a local lad. We just try to remind him to relax and trust the people around him."

Oxford signalled their intent in he first six minutes when Hylton fired a shot straight at Krysiak from the edge of the box and the former Poland U-19 stopper did well to save from full back George Baldock and then get up to immediately shut out striker Kemar Roofe. 

In the dying minutes Roofe rattled the bar with a 25 yard shot and midfielder Liam Sercombe forced Krysiak to save with his feet as Oxford continued to press for more goals.

Town boss Paul Sturrock has six first team players out injured and could only name six on he bench. He groaned:

"Defensively we were shocking right through the team. They are all young lads. What can I do? Well if I had a shotgun I might be able to scare a few of them. The fear is that when you are that young, confidence can erode very quickly. To play how we played is mind-boggling."

Blog Catch Up: Bristol Rovers 3 Barnet 1

Lee Brown got Rovers rolling as they easily took the sting out of the Bees.

Skipper Chris Lines picked out unmarked Brown from a corner on the right in only the second minute and the left back opened his account for the season by drilling home a low 25 yard strike through a crowded area.

Rovers boss Darrell Clarke was pleased with the win, but admitted to being unimpressed with his players before the break. He revealed:

"I had a go at the lads at half time. We had a bit of a heated discussion. We changed things and then looked a lot more comfortable.

"I thought it was an entertaining end-to-end game."

Jermaine Easter sealed the win from twelve yards in the 77th minute with his first of the campaign when he belted the ball in after substitute Matty Taylor's shot from distance was deflected into his path.

Barnet captain Curtis Weston gave them hope briefly in the 86th minute when he fired in a low shot from the edge of the box.

But within one minute Taylor had restored Rovers two goal cushion with his first league goal when he slotted in skipper Chris Lines's pass from eight yards.

Both teams were promoted back into the Football League last term, but Play-Off winners Rovers always looked the better side.

Brown, Lines and midfielder Ollie Clarke all tested Barnet keeper Graham Stack early in the second half, and on the hour Easter rattled the post and midfielder had the follow-up ruled offside. 

Barnet manager Martin Allen admitted:

"I thought they deserved to win. They were sharper, brighter and better than us. It's my responsibility though. The players give everything and work hard. We now have to dust ourselves down, get our shoulders back and our heads up."

Blog Catch Up: Bradford City 1 Gillingham 2

Gills boss Justin Edinburgh was delighted with his young guns as they continued their unbeaten start to the season. He said:

"It was a very much deserved win and probably our best performance to date.

"I don't think you'll find a younger starting eleven in any league - the oldest out there was only 24. There's going to be some bumpy rides and there's naivety, but they'll learn quickly. There's a great spirit about this group."

Manager Phil Parkinson was left fuming as bottom club Bradford were jeered off at the final whistle, but he said:

"I'll take the flak. There are no excuses from me and I take responsibility for the second half. I've had plenty of plaudits at this club over the years, but tonight I have to take the criticism.

"We had a soft centre tonight. We didn't play with any quality. Our execution of a pass wasn't good enough and it cost us. We need to be tougher. I didn't like what I saw."

Blog Catch Up: Oldham Athletic 1 Middlesbrough 3

Cristhian Stuani opened his Boro account in style by grabbing a brace to see off Oldham.

Stuani signed for the Championship club in a £3.7m deal from Espanyol in the summer and scored in each half of his full debut.

But former Den Haag winger Yanic Wildschut struck first in the 23rd minute.

Skipper Albert Adomah split the Latics defence in the 23rd minute to pick out Wildschut and he raced on to the pass before sliding the ball past helpless keeper David Cornell.

Stuani added the second four minutes before the break when he outjumped a static Latics defence to head co-striker Diego Fabbrini's cross past the stranded Cornell.

Uruguay international Stuani finished off the League One outfit on the hour.

Oldham's defence stood and watched a low cross from left back James Husband fly across the face of goal and Stuani pounced from three yards out at the far post.

Striker Danny Philliskirk scored a 93rd minute consolation with a curling shot fro. The right angle of the area.

Cornell had gone from zero to hero in the seventh minute when he raced from his line to bring down Watford loanee Fabbrini before picking himself up to save Adam Clayton's penalty.

Blog Catch Up: Walsall 1 Oldham Athletic 1

Jonathan Forte grabbed a late point and then claimed it was the least his team mates deserved.

Super sub Forte, 29, converted a cross from former Wolves striker Jake Cassidy in the 83rd minute before admitting:

"There was a fair bit of relief when I scored because the boys had worked so hard, but I wasn't after the glory and I'd have been just as happy with an assist."

And Forte paid tribute to man of the match summer signing Cassidy. He said:

"He put in a real shift and is going to be an important player for us this season. He's big, strong and powerful and he takes a lot of pressure off the other lads."

Midfielder Romaine Sawyers opened the scoring in the eighth minute, but admitted:

"Their goal was Premier League quality from the cross to the finish so we can't beat ourselves up too much about it.

"We've set a high standard for ourselves because we've branded ourselves as a footballing team. At times we weren't up to those standards, but it's the first game of the season so we've got a long way to go."

St. Kitts and Nevis international Sawyers, 23, revealed he and boss Dean Smith had agreed a goals target for the season. He said:

"I'm not saying what it is, but I know I've got goals in me and so does the gaffer, so it's a good way to start."

Smith said:

"It turned into a chess game at times. It was important we got our wing backs out and we did for the first period but they stifled us as the game went on."

Oldham's Darren Kelly was pleased with a point in his first game as a manager and delighted with Cassidy. He said:

"Jake's fantastic and his attitude is superb. People see a big man, but he's more than that. He's quick and as the season goes on you'll see his true quality."

- ends -

Walsall: Etheridge 7, Demetriou 5, O'Connor 6, Downing 6, Taylor 6, Henry 6 (Forde 87, 5), Chambers 6, Mantom 6, Sawyers 7, Cook 5 (Lalkovic 66, 5), Bradshaw 6.
Subs not used: MacGillivray, Preston, Flanagan, Morris, Baxendale.
Entertainment value: 3

Oldham Athletic: Coleman 6, J. Wilson 6, B. Wilson 5, Burn 6, Mills 6, Kelly 7, Winchester 5 (Dunn 66, 5), Jones 6, Croft 6 (Philliskirk 75, 5) Turner 5 (Forte 63, 7), Cassidy 8.
Subs not used: Cornell, Gunning, Brown, Poleon.
Entertainment value: 3

Referee: Mark Brown (Humberside) 6

Sun star man: Jake Cassidy (Oldham Athletic) Never gave up and his work rate paid off with Forte's leveller.

Blog Catch Up: Bristol City 8 Walsall 2

Aden Flint was a hat trick hero as League One Champions City finished the season in style.

Flint risked being drummed out of the Central Defenders Union though when he cancelled out Walsall winger Jordy Hiwula's thirteenth minute opener with a stunning strike three minutes later.

Midfielder Marlon Pack picked out 6' 5" Flint with a cross from the left flank and he curled home a sweetly struck fourteen yard left foot volley to leave rookie keeper Craig MacGillivray, 22, no chance in only his second league game.

Robins boss Steve Cotterill joked:

"I said the strikers they should be ashamed of themselves when someone like Aden scores hat tricks. When he hit that volley I knew it had been a special season."

Striker Jay Emmanuel-Thomas put City ahead from the spot in the 20th minute after winger Kieran Morris handled a cross from defender Derrick Williams.

Walsall looked determined to ruin the Champion's party when Hiwula drilled a low shot through the legs of defender Luke Ayling and under the body of Fielding for his ninth goal in seventeenth starts.

But City took full control after the break when they rattled in four goals in ten minutes.

In the 57th minute Emmanuel-Thomas cleared a Morris corner and midfielder Korey Smith raced from his own half before teeing up striker Kieran Agard to net from the right side of the box.

Five minutes later Emmanuel-Thomas cut the ball back from the byline for midfielder Pack to side foot home his third of the campaign from fourteen yards.

Within one minute Emmanuel-Thomas burst past two defenders into the box and smashed in his twelfth goal of the campaign with a fierce eight yard shot from a tight angle on the left.

Flint then claimed his brace when he stabbed Luke Freeman's right wing cross past MacGillivray at the near post to leave Walsall reeling.

In the 85th minute Flint sealed the game of his life when he belted in his third at the far post after reaching a left wing ball cross from substitute Wade Elliott.

Agard completed the rout with his fourteenth of the season from twelve yards from the right side of the area in the 91st minute.

Dean Smith was left embarrassed by the biggest defeat of his managerial career and groaned:

"We conceded from four corners and one of them was our corner! I thought we were very good for an hour until they scored their third.

"It tells me an awful lot about players I've got and next week we've got contract discussions. I felt for the kid MacGillivray. None of the goals were his fault - I hope he's not scarred."