As the Oxford Mail removes its reports, I took the liberty of making a copy.
Hope nobody minds!

Dismal United torn to shreds Oxford Utd 0, Bristol Rov 5  By Jon Murray A SECOND-HALF cave-in against impressive Bristol Rovers raised serious doubts as to whether Oxford United's players have either the personnel or the strength of character to avoid a second successive relegation.  They were ripped apart with embarrassing ease by a Rovers team who were without their suspended leading goal-scorer Jason Roberts.  Jamie Cureton helped himself to a hat-trick, Robbie Pethick scored his first Rovers goal, and 18-year-old Nathan Ellington, deputising for Roberts, got in on the act as United crashed to their heaviest defeat of the season.  It's well known that United are woeful in attack, and many believe that, if you take Mark Watson out of the back line, their defence lacks pace or class.  They got away with it last week at Cardiff but the Bluebirds were not a good side. Bristol Rovers were, and they sliced through a Watson-less back line.  But United also committed defensive suicide by handing the Pirates goals on a plate.  Joey Beauchamp's despair as he was substituted just seconds after a shocking backpass presented Cureton with his hat-trick, summed up sorry Oxford's afternoon. Most worrying of all for United supporters was the fact that the team don't seem at all happy playing at the Manor.  Yet if they are to finish above the bottom four in Division 2, they are going to have to lose the fear they are playing with at the moment in front of their own supporters.  One could only feel sorry for on-loan Derby keeper Richard Knight, who was making his debut. He made a string of great saves but the record books show 5-0.  United reverted to a 3-5-2 formation, with Les Robinson operating in between Steve Davis and Phil Whelan, Neil McGowan returning after suspension at right wing back and Jamie Cook trying to feed off Steve Anthrobus up front.  They tried to play the ball in to the feet of Cook, Matt Murphy and Paul Tait for them to spin off their markers, but they were tightly marked.  There was much more confidence and purpose about second-placed Rovers and they should have been in front long before Cureton struck first on the half hour. Only some smart goalkeeping by Knight kept the U's in it.  But after a mad scramble in the box at a corner, Cureton hit a cracking right-foot volley into the goal from ten yards. Robert Trees should have added a second, but Paul Powell put him under pressure as he ran in to meet a Walters cross eight yards out.  United were offering little at the other end, although Cook did have the ball in the net following a brave Davis header, only for it to be ruled out for offside.  Paul Powell went off with a suspected broken rib which gave a chance to Peter Fear, and moments later, Fear's driven cross from the right found Murphy, who stuck out a foot five yards out but scooped his shot over.  It was a measure of the visitors' supremacy, however, that by the time the U's forced their first corner of the game on 42 minutes, Rovers had had six.  Anthrobus put himself about better at the start of the second header but missed a good chance from a Beauchamp cross when his downward header deflected wide off Mike Trought's legs. But at the other end, defensive mistakes were increasing. Knight pushed over a 20-yard drive by Cureton after a Robinson blunder and on 56 minutes, Murphy's poor clearance at a corner fell to Andy Thomson. He drove the ball goalwards from 20 yards and Cureton deflected it home from three yards.  Lewis sent on Ben Abbey, pushed Murphy up front and Fear into midfield, but the three at the back just couldn't cope.  Pethick slammed in a shot from 20 yards, and moments later, with United's defence at sixes and sevens, Ellington was given far too much space on the edge of the box and he curled a shot around Knight.  Abbey had an effort blocked but it was only token stuff in the London Road goalmouth compared with the demolition work going on in front of 2,700 delirious Bristol Rovers fans who had packed the Cuckoo Lane end.  Oxford's own fans were probably thinking it couldn't get any worse, but with ten minutes to go, it did.  Beauchamp's terrible backpass fell straight to Cureton, who calmly slotted past a bewildered Knight for his hat-trick.  Story date: Monday 24 January  Copyright 1999 Newsquest Media Group