JACK Stevens saved a penalty from Matty Taylor as Oxford United and Headington United played out a goalless draw at the Kassam Stadium.

The hastily-arranged friendly, played over two halves of 25 minutes, gave the squad a chance to get through some work after their scheduled Sky Bet League One game with Crewe Alexandra was called off.

Stevens’ save was the highlight of a decent encounter, which salvaged something from what had threatened to be a wasted evening.

James Henry had a slight knee injury which saw him rested. Dylan Asonganyi replaced him in the Oxford United side which was otherwise the same XI which started the Gillingham defeat last Saturday.

The opposition, rebranded as Headington for the night, was full of players who need minutes after coming back from injury or had a point to prove.

And it was the ‘visitors’ who had the best of the opening exchanges in a game played with a high tempo.

Rob Hall’s stinging 25-yard effort was superbly tipped over by Simon Eastwood, while Sam Winnall saw his header cleared off the line.

Dan Agyei was the man in the right place – and he impressed again on the left flank.

On 20 minutes he latched on to Liam Kelly’s clever pass and charged forward, squaring a cross into the box which saw Asonganyi brought down by Michael Elechi.

Taylor stepped up, but Stevens made the save diving to his left.

Cameron Brannagan was then replaced by Fabio Lopes before the end of the 25-minute half.

Alex Gorrin, one of those for whom the game would have been useful to blow away the cobwebs, tested Eastwood with a shot on the turn early in the second half.

Headington threatened again midway through the half, when Elechi rattled Eastwood’s near post after getting the better of Asonganyi and Clare.

The latter came off in the final seconds after making an excellent block to deny Mark Sykes.

Oxford Utd: Eastwood, Clare, Moore, Long, Ruffels, Kelly, Brannagan (Lopes 21), Forde, Asonganyi, Taylor, Agyei.

Headington Utd: Stevens, Lofthouse, Hanson, Jones, Elechi, Gorrin, McGuane, Sykes, Hall, Winnall, Osei (Chambers-Parillon 42).