Oxford United's April showed little sign of an improvement on their heartbreaking March when they had striker Matt Green sent off after only 18 minutes at Church Road on Friday.

James Constable fired Oxford in front just before half-time with his 20th goal of the season, but Ram Marwa scored twice in the second half to give Hayes & Yeading a famous double.

Green received his marching orders after two rash decisions in a mad three minutes.

He first picked up a stupid booking for sticking out a hand against the ball when goalkeeper Clark Masters collected safely in front of him.

That was such an unnecessary yellow card.

And the game had barely moved on from that when he made a late challenge on Hayes captain Matt Ruby, and referee Ian Cooper, standing just a few yards away, wasted no time in bringing out another yellow, and then the red card.

Green looked stunned by the decision, but he had brought it on himself with his own recklessness for the first booking.

It meant United had to play for nearly and hour and a quarter with ten men.

Chris Wilder tried a totally new midfield, trying out Adam Chapman and Lewis Chalmers for some extra creativity where before there had been Dannie Bulman and Chris Hargreaves.

And with Alfie Potter on the right, but often taking up a central starting position, it was a much more attack-minded midfield for the U's.

Despite a lot of rain during the morning, the pitch was in an excellent condition, and it was Hayes who made the better start, James Mulley twice finding himself free on the right wing, which Anthony Tonkin won't have been happy with.

When Steve Basham won a free-kick in the fourth minute, it brought the first test for Ryan Clarke, who saved Adam Green's shot over the wall above his head.

Potter reacted quickly to a slip by left back Green to fire over a cross which was just too far in front of Constable.

Constable shot past the right post from the edge of the box after jinking inside and outside his marker.

The sending-off seemed to galvanise the visitors, if anything.

And when Potter got past his man on the left to send over a useful cross, Chalmers just failed to meet it with his head. It was encouraging, however, that he had at least made a run into the box.

Chalmers was very unlucky when he climbed well at Chapman's well-flighted free-kick, and headed against the foot of the post with the keeper completely beaten.

Constable was booked for dissent after the ref failed to punish Danny llen-Page for an elbow into the back of Simon Clist's head, which left the U's midfielder with blood pouring from his wound.

Franny Green replaced Clist, and from Franny Green's first touch, he laid on a through ball for Constable, that the striker converted.

As keeper Masters came out, and fouled him, Constable lifted it over his head and into the goal.

The linesman was flagging frantically for the foul by Masters, and the ref then booked the keeper.

Some fans maybe felt he too should have been sent off, but since he hadn't "denied" a goalscoring opportunity, because Constable had neverthless scored, the official was technically correct.

What probably angered Wilder and Andy Melville, who strode onto the pitch to confront the ref at the half-time whistle, just as much, was the challenge on Clist.

Ryan Clarke made a super save from Ram Marwa, at full stretch to his right, before the half-time whistle sounded.

But United were caught napping at the start of the second half when Ram Marwa was poorly marked at the far post and headed home a free-kick.

Allen-Page was allowed all the time in the world to line up a shot from 22 yards, which he arrowed narrowly over the bar.

After that, despite being a man short, United forced the play well and Mark Creighton went close with a header at a corner.

But Potter, playing now just behind Constable, was too often muscled off the ball, and it was from one break after this had happened, that Marwa got his second goal of the game.

It was a simple goal and a simple finish as Marwa, with his back to goal, turned quickly in front of Creighton, and shot low past Clarke.

Sam Deering replaced Potter within minutes, and fed-up Oxford fans soon began chanting for Jack Midson to come on.

He did, with 15 minutes to go, and provided more aerial threat at the top of the pitch, which paid off from a Chalmers long throw when he flicked a header back and Deering struck a close-range shot on the turn that Masters saved with some difficulty.

As Hayes used the space that opened up with Oxford pressing, Dale Binns was a threat down the left, and he forced a good save from Clarke with a 15-yard drive.

Frustratingly, when United did exert good pressure, their corners were poor.

The attendance of 1,655, of which two-thirds were from Oxford, was Hayes & Yeading's third biggest gate this season, behind the visits of Luton and Wimbledon.

Oxford Utd: Clarke, Batt, Creighton (Midson), Wright, Tonkin, Potter (Deering), Chalmers, Chapman, Clist (F Green), M Green, Constable. Subs not used: Turley, Day.

Sent off: Matt Green 18.

Booked: Constable, Batt, Chalmers.