A mix-and-match Town side was beaten 2-0 by Oxford United at the Kassam Stadium in the first of today’s two friendlies. Jack Currie gave the home side the lead on 61, before Stan Mills profited from a David Button error in the 72nd minute to see the League One side to a deserved victory in their final friendly.

Kayne van Oevelen was in goal with Chieo Ogbene the right-back with Ben Johnson at left-back and Corbin Mthunzi and Cedric Kipre the centre-halves.

The midfield pairing was 18-year-old Charlie Compton and Sindre Walle Egeli with the trio ahead of them former Oxford loanee Wes Burns, who skippered, Jack Clarke and Kasey McAteer. Chuba Akpom was the striker.

Youngsters Frankie Runham, Fin Barbrook and Luca Fletcher joined sub keeper Button on the bench.

Oxford, relegated from the Championship last season, included former Blues left-back Greg Leigh among their substitutes.

The home side were first to threaten in the fifth minute. Currie was found in space on the left and cut back to Jamie McDonnell, who turned wide.

Town’s first effort on goal came in the 16th minute, Clarke shooting low from just outside the area but failing to test Jamie Cumming in the Oxford goal.

The Blues’ somewhat makeshift backline should have conceded in the 20th minute when Mills volleyed back an overhit Aidomo Emakhu cross from the right to Mark Harris, but the striker’s shot was straight at Van Oevelen when either side of him would have been a goal.

Moments after Van Oevelen had almost been caught in possession at one end, not for the first time, McAteer cut in from the left but blazed well over at the other.

As the game passed the half hour mark, Clarke played in Akpom on the left of the box and the former Ajax man went to ground as his shirt was pulled. Referee John Busby, an official who rarely judges a penalty decision in the Blues’ favour, waved away the appeals.

On 42, Mills was shown the game’s first yellow card for pulling back Johnson with the half having been a scruffy affair with plenty of free-kicks.

That was the last action of an understated first 45 minutes with the home side having had the better of it overall against the mix-and-match Blues and creating the game’s two significant chances against the improvised Town backline.

The highlight of the period from a Blues perspective was youngster Compton’s tenacious performance in midfield, winning tackles against more experienced players - not always taking the ball - and playing one or two clever forward passes.

Town put their best move of the game together seconds after the restart, from which they should have scored.

Johnson fed in McAteer down the left, the former Leicester man’s cross deflected off Sam Long, onto the bar to the far post, where Burns slammed it the wrong side of the post.

Town went close again in the 48th minute, Clarke playing on McAteer on the left but the Irish international scuffed his low shot wide. Akpom had been clattered very late by McDonnell in the build-up and the Blues frontman rightly queried why no card had been shown.

Oxford created the first chance of the second on 52, a deflection taking Goodrham’s effort from the right of the box wide.

Three minutes later, Cam Brannagan, scorer of the winning goal in the infamous fog-bound game in 2023, shot well over from the edge of the box. Soon after, Goodrham shot over from the left of the box.

Mills, already booked, irked new Blues keeper Van Oevelen by pointlessly jumping into him as the keeper claimed a bouncing ball on 57, the two briefly squaring up.

The Dutchman was forced into his best save of the game a minute later when his poor kick only reached Spencer Brodie, whose header found Mark Harris in the area. After taking the ball past Mthunzi, his low effort was stopped by the keeper’s outstretched left boot.

Oxford were looking like scoring every time they attacked and in the 61st minute they took the lead.

Goodrham was played in down the right and cut the ball across the edge of the six-yard box and Currie slammed into the net.

Town swapped keeper Van Oevelen for David Button and set about getting level, Akpom seeing an effort blocked from a McAteer cutback from the left.

On 69, a deflected Brannigan shot narrowly passed the wrong side of Button’s right post, then from the corner the Blues needed a couple of desperate lunges to keep the ball out.

But the home fans didn’t have to wait too much longer for a second goal and when it came in the 72nd minute it was a disastrous one from a Town perspective.

Keeper Button was caught in possession when dallying on the byline to the left of his goal and was robbed by Mills, who stroked from a tight angle into the empty net.

On 74, Siriki Dembele, one of a number of second-half Oxford substitutes, shot powerfully over from distance.

Three minutes later, Town swapped Burns for Barbrook, Clarke moving to the left and Walle Egeli to number 10 as the academy product came into his usual central midfield role. Akpom took the armband, while Oxford made further changes, among them the introduction of ex-Blue Leigh.

Walle Egeli almost caught out Yellows’ keeper Cumming with a free-kick in the 85th minute, the Norwegian shooting powerfully goalwards when Cumming was anticipating a cross, but the keeper was able to readjust and touch over. Following the corner, the ball was returned to Walle Egeli, but this time he shot well over.

It should have been 3-0 in the 87th minute when Leo Snowden was presented with a golden opportunity when a misdirected defensive Town header reached him on the edge of the six-yard area but he nodded straight at Button.

The sub Town keeper was forced into another save moments later when Gatlin O’Donkor was through on the left of the area but Button was able to block.

As the game moved into its penultimate minute, O’Donkor shot across the face and wide from the right of the box.

A deserved win for the U’s against a Town side which was every bit as disjointed as its makeshift nature would suggest and with the home team much further through their pre-season programme.

Aside from a brief spell after the break when Burns and McAteer had Town’s best chances, the League One side were on top and might well have won more comfortably given the number of opportunities they created in addition to their goals.

But Blues boss Gary O’Neil is unlikely to look at the game for much other than fitness with the team far from one which will ever line up during the Premier League season.

A stronger Blues XI will be involved in this afternoon’s later game against Wycombe Wanderers at Adams Park (KO 4pm).

Oxford: Cumming, Long (Helik 77), Brown (Leigh 77), Brannagan (Snowden 77), Harris (Sibley 73), Emakhu (Dembele 66), Goodrham (O’Donkor 73), Spencer (Elliott-Wheeler 73), Mills (Kioso 73), McDonnell (Bradney 73), Currie (Golding 77). Unused: Eastwood, Missanga.

Town: Van Oevelen (Button 61), Ogbene, Mthunzi, Kipre, Johnson, Compton, Walle Egeli, Burns (c) (Barbrook 74), J Clarke, McAteer, Akpom. Unused: Runham, Fletcher. Referee: John Busby (Oxfordshire).

Photo: Matchday Images