Michael O’Neill’s men stormed to a comfortable victory in Group F of the UEFA Nations League thanks to two goals from the Yellows centre back and a strike from West Bromwich Albion midfielder Isaac Price.

The result saw a second win and third clean sheet in three matches for Brown’s nation with Northern Ireland sitting top of their group on seven points ahead of Ukraine and Hungary on four and Georgia rock bottom with one.

Brown picked up the Player of the Match award for a stellar performance at both ends of the pitch, scoring his first after just nine minutes.

The 28-year-old tapped in from close range in the opening stages to put his nation into the lead.

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Price added a second in the 22nd minute before Brown bagged his team’s third just after the hour mark with a bizarre goal after goalkeeper Dmytro Riznyk fumbled the defender’s header.

U’s teammate Brodie Spencer also played the full 90 minutes at the Štadión Antona Malatinského.

Northern Ireland’s Ciaron Brown, center, celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the Nations League soccer match between Ukraine and Northern Ireland (Image: Denes Erdos/PA Wire)

Brown was bemused but bouncing after the match, telling the media: “If I’m going to talk you through the second (goal), I don’t have a clue.

“We’ve worked on set-pieces a lot and I’ve gone to flick it on.

“To be fair, big Ruairi [McConville] has done me a massive favour and left it. He’s a better guy than I am and I can only thank him.

“I thought Ruairi tapped it in, but I was just buzzing for the fact that we got another goal.”

Aldridge played for Oxford for three years after joining from Newport County in 1984, scoring 52 goals for the club before leaving for boyhood side Liverpool.

The 67-year-old spent two seasons with the Reds before moving abroad to Spanish outfit Real Sociedad.

He then saw out his career with Tranmere Rovers as a player-manager.

Speaking exclusively to the Oxford Mail, on behalf of betTom, Aldridge recalled his time playing in La Liga.

“Anfield’s my number one [favourite stadium. My number two would be the Camp Nou,” the former Republic of Ireland international disclosed.

“I played there three times.

John Aldridge after scoring four against Gillingham (Image: Oxford Mail Archive)

“The first game, it was just amazing. We drew 2-2 and I scored two.

“Then we went again in the cup. After losing 1-0 at home, we won 3-2.

“We got to extra time and I scored another two.

“Then the last away game of my Spanish career in Sociedad was at Barcelona.

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“A week before I’d scored the winner against Atletico Madrid, 1-0, which won Barcelona the league.

“We went there in front of 110,000. We clapped them on the pitch.

“We beat them 3-1 and I scored another two. I scored six goals in three games.

“At the Bernabeu [against Real Madrid], I scored one when we won 3-2. That was amazing.

“It just didn’t have what the Camp Nou had.

“The Camp Nou was more natural to me.”

The U’s saw a judicial review request from campaign group ‘Friends of Stratfield Brake’ refused by the High Court last week with the Judge concluding that the ground of challenge were unarguable.

Oxford were granted planning permission by Cherwell District Council earlier this year, with a new stadium dubbed crucial for the future of the club.

The new ground is set to be located on The Triangle in Kidlington, with the £130 million investment providing almost 1,000 jobs and hoping to boost the economy by £32 million a year.

Former Yellows striker and Milk Cup winner Aldridge has declared that the new stadium will make a ‘massive difference’ having played in stadiums from the old Manor Ground to Liverpool’s Anfield and Barcelona’s famous Camp Nou.

“Once they get there…it makes a massive difference,” the former U’s and Liverpool goal scorer announced.

Plans for Oxford United stadium (Image: Oxford United)

“It makes you feel a bit more proud that you’re not residing in someone else’s back garden.

“I think the fact that they don’t own the ground will make it easy to walk away from. And the fact that there’s only three sides.

“It didn’t look quite like a football stadium.

“It looked like a baseball stadium in many ways.

“I feel sorry for teams that have to move or have moved…for the fans, the die-hard fans.

“Liverpool are lucky. We’ve built on what we’ve always had. Obviously, Anfield’s noted all over the world, one of the best stadiums in the world.

“We’re lucky to have that.”

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In a career that took him from Oxford to Liverpool to Spain, Aldridge played in a number of world-renowned grounds.

After making a name for himself with Newport County, the former Republic or Ireland international arrived at the famous Manor Ground where he went on to make a number of memories.

“There was a mini Kop…right behind us, you know, they made a difference and I’ll never forget that.

“I scored a worldie against Oxford for Newport from about, I must remember, 40 yards out; I think that might have just captured Jim Smith’s mind.

“But as memories go, I had so many.

“The hat-trick against Ipswich, three goals in, I think it was about six, seven minutes or something.

John Aldridge playing for the U’s (Image: Photo: Oxford Mail)

“We were getting beat 3-0, we scored just before half-time, went on to 3-3 and Neil Slatter scored the winner.

“When we knocked Arsenal out of the cup, beating Villa to go to Wembley over the two legs.

“It was brilliant to play there because of the atmosphere.

“It was a little bit intimidating to teams. We beat Chelsea 4-0, I think.

“Teams hated coming there, honestly.

“I think the Manor Ground kept us up over the years.”