Cheltenham Town slipped to their first defeat of the summer at Oxford United this afternoon.

It was the Robins first trip to their Grenoble Road Ground since February 2006 when as League Two clubs, the pair faced each other five times during the season in all competitions.

Since then the U's have dropped into the Blue Square Premier, but on this showing they certainly have the personnel to make a swift return to the Football League next term.

All the goals in this one came towards the end of the first half Paul Connor's headed goal was sandwiched by a Jamie Guy brace but with the new season now just seven days away, manager Keith Downing's focus was on keeping players fresh and injury-free ahead of next Saturday's curtain raiser at Northampton Town.

TEAM NEWS: Cheltenham Town manager Keith Downing named trialist Richard Langley in his starting XI. The Jamaican international starts out on the right, joining Ben Gill, Alex Russell and Andy Lindegaard in midfield. Alan Wright, David Bird and Craig Armstrong are named among the substitutes, while Shane Duff (thigh) and midfielder Scott Brown (ankle) miss the trip with minor complaints as a precaution.

1st minute: U's front man Jamie Guy sets out on a mazey run, slicing through the Cheltenham Town defence before calling Shane Higgs into his first save of the afternoon seconds after kick-off.

10: Oxford fashion another chance, Guy this time teeing up Haldane who shoots from 20 yards. The effort drops in front of Higgs but the Cheltenham number one gathers it at the second attempt.

11: Langley registers Cheltenham's first chance of the contest with a 20 yarder that flies over the target.

16: Oxford full back James Clarke is careless with a header back to his goalkeeper, conceding a corner. Russell gets a couple of chances to send it over from the right but Townsend can't keep his back post header on target.

17: Cheltenham create a decent move involving Russell, Langley, Connor before Jerry Gill centres from the right, but this time Vincent fails to draw a save from goalkeeper Ben Hinchcliffe with a header from 16 yards.

22: Russell rolls a ball out to Lindegaard out on the left, who beats his marker and finds Vincent in the middle, but the striker's glancing header flashes across goal and wide.

25: Oxford open up the Cheltenham defence, skipper Adam Murray playing in summer signing Lewis Haldane down the inside left channel but the former Bristol Rovers wide man is denied by a decent block by Higgs before missing the target with his follow-up. He blasts a 25-yard strike well over a moment later.

34: Vincent fires high and wide from a tricky position within the Oxford penalty area.

37: Lee Ridley lifts a ball forward down the left, and Paul Connor cottons onto Vincent's flick header before pulling his angled shot across goal.

39 GOAL: Oxford United claim the opening goal. Captain Murray slips a ball through to Guy down the inside left channel who takes a touch before firing low across Higgs.

44 GOAL: Equaliser for Cheltenham. Russell delivers a corner from the left, Michael Townsend heads it across goal and Connor headed home from close-range.

45 GOAL: Guy bags his second of the afternoon. Haldane sends in a cross from the left, and the U's striker steers the ball past Higgs.

HALF TIME: Oxford United 2, Cheltenham Town 1.

46: Oxford United replace 10 of their starting line-up at the break.

57: Lively substitute Yemi Odubade fires over from the edge of the penalty area.

68: Cheltenham's first chance of note in the second half. Langley cuts inside from the left and threads a ball through to Vincent, who spins, beats his marker and shoots first time, although his shot was always rising.

71: Higgs is called to save a shot from Michael Husbands, who has already appeared for the Robins in the current pre-season programme.

78: Husbands plays in Odubade down the right of the penalty area and the diminutive striker thumps one first time that grazes the angle of the goal.

86: Second year scholar Marley Watkins delivers a couple of delicious crosses from the right flank, although fellow replacement Dean Maynard wastes the opportunities created for him from promising positions.

89: Ian Sampson drives one from the edge of the Cheltenham Town penalty area, but it strikes the outside of the left upright.

SUMMARY: The Blue Square Premier outfit presented a stern test for a below-par Cheltenham side and deserved to be in front at the break. The home side began purposefully while lacklustre Cheltenham displayed little invention, relying too heavily on Russell's creative powers to create something from central midfield.

Former QPR, Cardiff and Luton winger Langley was quiet throughout as Cheltenham struggled to undo a well-drilled defence and get back in the game.

Cheltenham finished the game with a side that arguably contained only two or three players that may line-up against Northampton in the season opener with Keith Downing's focus on shielding his personnel from injury ahead of next Saturday's curtain-raiser at Sixfields.

OXFORD UNITED: Hinchcliffe (Cole 46); Clarke (Day 46), Quinn (Willmott 46), Foster (Odubade 46), Carruthers (Jeannin 46); Reid (Sampson 76), Burnell (Hutchinson 46), Murray (c) (Davies 46), Haldane (Deering 46); Constable (Husbands 46), Guy (Andrade 46, Groves 63). Subs not used: Sampson, Groves, Taylor.

CHELTENHAM TOWN: Higgs; J Gill (c) (Armstrong 66), Townsend (Wright 66), Gallinagh, Ridley; Langley (Emery 86), B Gill, Russell (Bird 56), Lindegaard (Maynard 75); Connor Ledgister 75), Vincent (Watkins 75). Subs not used: SP Brown, Armstrong, Wright, Ledgister, Watkins, Emery, Maynard.

REFEREE: J Farries Snr

ATTENDANCE: 1,174 (139 from Cheltenham)