Sam Deering kept Oxford United's automatic promotion hopes alive with a crucial equaliser only three minutes after coming off the bench at Rushden & Diamonds on Wednesday night.

Chris Wilder's team were trailing to a goal just before the hour, and looking in danger of seeing their poor run continue.

But after great persistence by Simon Clist, midfielder Deering chipped home for an exquisite finish to bring them a precious away point.

They could have done with a win to really kick-start their push for automatic promotion, but Rushden are one of the strongest outfits in the Blue Square Premier at their own Nene Park stadium, so this wasn't a bad result.

United's run is now three points from the last 15 but, considering the form Rushden have been in, with just one defeat in 12 games, this at least keeps them in the title race.

Indeed, Oxford moved back into second place in the table, above Luton once again.

The main change from the team that drew at Tamworth was the return of John Grant up front, with Deering dropping to the bench.

Chris Hargreaves was also back in the middle of the park, Lewis Chalmers making way.

There was once again an outsstanding travelling support for the U's, some 1300 fans packed behind one goal and giving plenty of vocal support.

Those visiting fans reading the matchday programme before the game would have been depressed, for the league table in it, from the original match on New Year's Day, showed Rushden 17 points adriftof barnstorming leaders Oxford.

With the match eventually taking place three months later, Diamonds had cut the gaps to just six points.

It was Rushden who threatened first, Lee Tomlin racing past rRys Day as though he were standing before Jake Wright, very alert to the danger, quickly halted his run.

Two former U's players then combined when Anthony Tonkin lost possession. Craig Farrell slipped the ball to Michael Corcoran, but he 25-yard drive arced well over the bar.

Grant and James constable were battling hard for scraps up front, and the first real scoring opportunity for the visitors came the way of Franny Green, who forced Dale Roberts to save low to his left.

Constable, so impressive in the first half on Sunday, fell into his old failing of getting caught offside, while Dannie Bulman was two or three times guilty of losing the ball in dangerous positions.

But defensively, United were coping well. It's just that, playing narrow, they weren't creating much either.

When United did win a free-kick in a useful position early in the second half, Damian Batt wasted it horribly.

Batt was booked for bringing down Tomlin on the very edge of the area in the 59th minute, and the free-kick brought the goal.

Farrell curled the angled free-kick in with pace from the left and although it seemed to go in off someone on the line at the far post, it was credited to Farrell.

A few minutes later, Oxford thought they would have a way back into the match when Constable seemed to have his feet taken away in a crowded box, but the referee waved away their penalty appeals.

Yet on 66 minutes, Simon Clists's sheer persistence helped bring United level.

He flicked the ball forward and then, when keeper Roberts got in a mess, unable to gather as Clist twice swiped at the loose ball, Deering weedled it into space and then cleverly chipped it into the empty goal.

The visitors did most of the pressing for a winning goal in the closing minutes, without a really clear shooting opportunity, apart from one free-kick that Batt fired well wide.

Rushden & Diamonds: Roberts 6, Corcoran 6, Osano 6, Stuart 6, Robinson 6, Porter 6, Terry 7, Byrne 6, Tomlin 7, Farrell 7 (Akurang 90), Louis 5 (O'Connor 6, 60). Subs not used: Day, Downer, Pattison. Booked: Corcoran.

Oxford Utd: Clarke 6, Batt 5, Day 6, Wright 7, Tonkin 6, F Green 6 (Deering 7, 63), Bulman 6, Hargreaves 7, Clist 8*, Constable 6, Grant 6. Subs not used: Turley, Creighton, Chalmers, M Green. Booked: Batt.

Referee: M Naylor (Sheffield) 7.

Attendance: 2,970 (1,353 from Oxford).