Oxford United are left with only the long-shot of trying to reach the play-offs to play for this season after crashing out of the FA Trophy last night.

York striker Richard Brodie snatched a winner seven minutes from time to earn the Minstermen a third-round trip to Kidderminster or Ilkeston.

The U's had dug themselves out of a hole, after falling behind early in the second half, when James Constable equalised on 61 minutes, the team's leading scorer continuing his amazing goalscoring run at the Kassam Stadium.

But Brodie fired a long-range angled shot beyond Billy Turley and just inside the keeper's far post to settle it without the need for a replay.

Constable's strike was his seventh goal in his last nine home games but overall, United didn't play very well, certainly not with the fluiency of their previous two games over the Christmas period.

Before kick-off there was an impeccably observed minute's silence for former manager Ian Greaves.

Luke Foster had the captain's armband with boss Chris Wilder having indicated that he wanted to look at a number of different skippers before deciding who should be given the role on a permanent basis.

Ricky Sappleton doesn't stand on ceremony when he gets the ball, and after the ball rebounded off James Constable in virtually United's first attack, Sappleton drilled a first-time shot just past the far post.

Yemi Odubade, operating on the right flank, produced his normal mix of sublime and ridiculous. One overhit pass out to his left for Lewis Haldane was poor, as was a cross from a good position which went straight into the car park fence.

But the winger also showed good skill in dribbling past two opponents following a right-wing corner taken short.

York had to make an early change when centre back Dave McGurk went off injured on six minutes, with Darren Kelly his replacement.

And Kelly had only been on the pitch six minutes when he was booked for dissent.

Referee Whitton clearly didn't take to any back-chat or questioning of decisions, and when Billy Turley collected a back pass from Matt Day, conceding a free-kick in the process, Brodie appeared to ask the ref to book the keeper, and was promptly yellow-carded.

The visitors' attempt from the resulting free-kick wasn't pretty, the shot so off target it went for a throw-in!

Costable was looking a danger, and he rifled a left-footed drive over the bar after a sharp turn just outside the box.

In the closing minutes of the first half, the Minstermen twice got through United's defence.

First Ben Wilkinson, son of ex-Leeds boss Howard, cut outside James Clarke and hit a fierce shot which Turley did well to stop, before Eddie Hutchinson completed the clearance.

Turley also made a good save to tip over a header from Brodie, and he wasn't to know that the York striker was offside.

In first-time stoppage time, Oxford came within a whisker of breaking the deadlock following a free-kick on the left after Shane Killock was fouled. Adam Chapman delivered it beautifully, and after one shot was blocked, the ball fell to Foster, but he just couldn't force the ball past keeper Michael Ingham and over the line, and it bounced away for a goal kick.

York had looked the more menacing side going forward, though, in the closing 15 minutes of the first half, so it was not as though the U's hadn't been warned when they took the lead three minutes after the break.

A long ball down the middle found Daniel McBreen, who got between Clarke and Day and then unleashed a shot from 16 yards that was too powerful for Turley, and went in off the inside of the post.

Wilder soon made a change, bringing on Joe Burnell to add more experience into central midfield, with Adam Chapman, having shown some neat touches in the centre of the park, dropping back to right back.

And just after the hour mark, after some good U's pressure, they drew level.

Haldane's far-post header was superbly turned aside by Ingham, after it looked to be heading into the top corner, and when Sappleton picked up the loose ball and crossed low from the right, Constable fired it home.

But Brodie had the final say.

Oxford Utd: Turley, Clarke (Burnell 56), Foster, Day, Killock, Odubade, Chapman (Carruthers 79), Hutchinson, Haldane, Constable, Sappleton. Subs not used: Hinchliffe, Trainer, Taylor.

Booked: Clarke, Hutchinson, Carruthers.

Att: 1,958 (82 from York).