The win came after the earlier Championship results confirmed Oxford’s relegation to League One, Charlton Athletic’s win over Hull City and West Bromwich Albion’s draw with Ipswich Town condemning The U’s to third-tier football next season.

Tottenham Hotspur loanee Will Lankshear bagged a wonderful first-half brace to lift spirits inside the Kassam before Will Vaulks and Myles Peart-Harris sealed the win in the final home game of the season.

Oxford began positively and it took only five minutes for Lankshear to find the opener.

Oxford United’s Brodie Spencer wrestles at a set piece (Image: Oxford United)

Stan Mills’ low ball into the box found the striker who improvised neatly to flick the ball past Pierce Charles and into the net.

The hosts continued the pressure and almost found a second when Michal Helik and Brodie Spencer were both denied with blocks from close range.

Lankshear saw another effort blocked as he arrived late into the box before finding his second goal.

Receiving the ball from Peart-Harris, the 21-year-old took a neat touch inside and another to set himself before curling a peach of a shot into the top-right corner from range.

Wednesday started to find a bit of threat after Lankshear’s brace, forcing a save out of Jamie Cumming through Tayo Adaramola before former Manchester United man Charlie McNeill struck the post.

The second period began lively with chances for both sides, The Owls thinking they had scored not long into play as Cumming’s punch somehow looped into the air and across the line, but the referee halted the away celebrations by giving a foul against Wednesday on The U’s goalkeeper.

Oxford found their third in the 67th minute when Vaulks volleyed impressively past Charles with his left foot after one touch to set himself in the box, the midfielder’s first goal of the season.

Wednesday thought they had got back into the game five minutes later when substitute Will Grainger struck into the top right corner after the ball was played back to him in the box, but The U’s had other ideas.

Hitting back in only a minute, Peart-Harris added a fourth, receiving a low ball across from Lankshear and sliding it past the goalkeeper.

The Owls saw a couple of efforts blocked late on, but Oxford were able to calmly see out the victory.

Oxford: Cumming, ter Avest (Long 63), Helik, Brown, Spencer, Brannagan (Peart-Harris 19), Vaulks, Mills (Romeny 77), Donley (Konak 63), Emakhu (Harris 77), Lankshear

Wednesday: Charles, Palmer, Iorfa, Lowe, Fusire (Maltby 46), Heskey, Chalobah (Thornton 77), Adaramola, Lowe (Moses 90+1), Yates (Kobacki 77), McNeill (Grainger 66)

Bookings: Spencer