Oxford United

Oxford United is a football (soccer) club from England.

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Oxford United Football Club is an English association football team who play in the Conference National. Oxford United has been a Non-League football side since relegation from Football League Two in 2005–06.

The club's chairman is Kelvin Thomas and the first team is currently managed by Chris Wilder. Its home ground is the Kassam Stadium in Oxford with a capacity of 12,500. Oxford United moved to the stadium in 2001 after leaving the Manor Ground, Oxford, which was its home for 76 years.

Oxford United joined the The Football League in 1962 after winning the Southern Football League, reaching the Football League Second Division in 1968. After relegation in 1976, between 1984 and 1986 Oxford United earned successive promotions into the Football League First Division, and also won the Football League Cup. Oxford was unable to enter the 1987 UEFA Cup because of the UEFA ban on English clubs in European competitions. Promotion and relegation from the top flight in 1988 began an 18-year decline which saw Oxford United relegated to the Football Conference in 2006. This was the first time in the history of English football a team that had won a major trophy was relegated from the Football League.

History

Headington United

Oxford United was formed as Amateur sports club Headington in 1893, A football team was a way for the cricketers of Headington Cricket Club to maintain their fitness during the winter break. The first season included a 9–0 victory, with 8 goals coming from P. Drewitt. This remains a record for the highest number of goals scored by an Oxford player in a first-team match. At this time a small rivalry existed with Cowley F.C., who were based a few miles south of Headington. During a league game on May Day, the referee gave two penalties to Cowley; supporters broke past security and players, resulting in the referee being "freely baited". The first FA Cup tie played was in 1931, against Hounslow F.C. in the Preliminary Round, ending in an 8–2 defeat for Headington. The team spent two seasons in the Spartan League in the late 1940s, finishing fifth and fourth respectively.

A move into professional football was first considered during the second season. Vic Couling, the president at the time, had applied for Headington to become a member of a new Second Division in the Southern Football League. Other teams that applied included Weymouth F.C., Kettering Town F.C. and future league side Cambridge United F.C.. Despite the plans being postponed, the First Division was going to be expanded by two clubs; Weymouth and Headington were elected. It was later discovered that Llanelli A.F.C. had just one fewer vote than Headington. and the first floodlit game was held on 18 December against Banbury Spencer F.C.. Headington United initially played in orange and blue shirts, but changed to yellow home shirts for the 1957–58 season. occupying the vacant place left by bankrupt Accrington Stanley F.C. (1891). Two successive eighteenth place finishes followed, before promotion to the Football League Third Division was achieved in 1965. A year before the promotion, Oxford became the first Fourth Division club to reach the sixth round of the FA Cup, their sixth season as a league club, but after eight years of relative stability Oxford United was relegated from the Football League Second Division in 1975–76.

In 1982, as a Third Division side, Oxford United faced closure because of Oxford United's inability to service the debts owed to Barclays Bank, but were rescued when businessman Robert Maxwell took over the club. to play at Didcot. Jim Smith (footballer) would have managed Oxford United with Reading boss Maurice Evans becoming his assistant. The merger was called off as a result of fans of both clubs protesting against the decision and the Reading chairman stepping down to be replaced by an opponent of the merger. Maxwell also threatened to fold Oxford United if the merger did not go through.

Oxford won the Third Division title in 1984 under the management of Jim Smith, who also guided them to the Second Division title the following year. This meant that Oxford United would be playing Football League First Division football in the 1985–86 season, 23 years after joining the Football League. Smith moved to Queens Park Rangers F.C. shortly after the promotion success, and made way for chief scout Maurice Evans (footballer), who, several seasons earlier, had won the Fourth Division title with Reading. avoiding relegation on the last day of the season. They also won the Football League Cup, known at the time as the Milk Cup under a sponsorship deal, beating Queens Park Rangers F.C. 3–0 in the final at Wembley Stadium (1923). They would have qualified for the UEFA Cup the following season, had it not been for the ban on English teams that had resulted from the previous year's Heysel Stadium disaster.

After beating fellow First Division side Aston Villa F.C. in the semi-final 4–3 on aggregate, Oxford faced Queens Park Rangers F.C. in the final, which was held at Wembley Stadium (1923) on 20 April 1986. The final result was 3–0 with goals from Trevor Hebberd, Jeremy Charles and Ray Houghton. After the match, manager Maurice Evans (footballer) asked long-serving physiotherapist, 72-year-old Ken Fish, to collect a winner's medal instead of himself. It was the last time the League Cup was played under the name "Milk Cup".

1986–87 saw Oxford United survive another relegation battle and stay in the First Division. Robert Maxwell resigned as chairman in May 1987 to take over at Derby County F.C., handing Oxford United to his son Kevin Maxwell. Maurice Evans was sacked in March 1988 with Oxford bottom of the First Division and destined for relegation after three years in the top flight.

Life in the second tier

Before relegation was confirmed, former Liverpool F.C. defender Mark Lawrenson was named as Oxford's new manager. However, he was sacked three months into the 1988–89 Second Division campaign after a dispute with the chairman over the £1 million sale of striker Dean Saunders to Derby County; Derby were owned by Robert Maxwell, father of the then Oxford United chairman, Kevin Maxwell. Following Robert Maxwell's death in 1991, his personal estate including the club, became insolvent.

Promotion success in Division Two

Denis Smith set about restoring Oxford United to the First Division, and brought in two strikers who were experienced in the top divisionSouthampton F.C.'s Paul Moody (footballer) and Nottingham Forest F.C.'s Nigel Jemson. Oxford finished mid-table in 1994–95, after heading the table at Christmas, but finished runners-up to near neighbours Swindon Town F.C. in 1995–96 and regained their place in Division One. In June 1995, Oxford United's board of directors had unveiled plans for a new 16,000-seat stadium at Minchery Farm to replace the dilapidated Manor Ground, Oxford. Oxford United had hoped to move into the new stadium near the Blackbird Leys housing estate by the start of the 1998–99 season, but construction was suspended during the 1997–98 season because of £13 million debts, which almost bankrupted the club. which began to publicise Oxford United's plight through a series of meetings and events. Chairman Robin Herd had effectively given up on the club, and in April 1999 Firoz Kassam bought Herd's 89.9% controlling interest in Oxford United for £1, with which he also inherited Oxford United's estimated £15 million debt. Kassam reduced £9 million of the debt to £900,000 by virtue of a Administration (insolvency), by which unsecured creditors who were owed over £1,000 were reimbursed with 10p for every pound they were owed. Secured creditors were paid off when Kassam sold the Manor to another of his Firoka companies for £6 million. Kassam set about completing the unfinished stadium, gaining planning permission for a bowling alley, a multiplex cinema, and a hotel, among other things, following a series of legal battles which were eventually all settled.

Oxford's poor form continued into the 1999–2000 season, forcing Shotton to resign in late October with Oxford United deep in relegation trouble. However the team's form improved and they finished twentieth in the Division Two final table, one place clear of relegation. After the 2000–01 campaign, Oxford was relegated back to the basement division of the league after a 35-year absence, with 100 goals conceded. They suffered 33 league defeats, the second-highest number of league defeats ever endured by a league club in a single season.

Division Three years

Oxford began the 2001–02 season with a new stadium and a new manager. They finally completed their relocation to the Kassam Stadium after six years of speculation. Former Liverpool and England national football team defender Mark Wright (footballer born 1963) was given the manager's job, but resigned in late November after being accused of making racist remarks to referee Joe Ross (referee). Wright's successor Ian Atkins was unable to make much of a difference and Oxford finished the Division Three campaign in 21st place, their lowest-ever league position, although there was never any real threat of them losing their league status.

Oxford had a more successful season in 2002–03, spending most of the year in either the automatic promotion or playoff places. But defeat in their final game of the season meant an eighth-place finish, not even enough for a playoff place.

A good start to the 2003–04 season saw Oxford top of the table at the end of November. However, manager Ian Atkins was sacked in March after agreeing to take charge at rivals Bristol Rovers F.C., and under his successor Graham Rix, Oxford United fell to ninth place in the final table.

Relegation to the Conference

Rix was sacked the following November, with Oxford in the bottom half of Football League Two, known as the Coca-Cola League Two for sponsorship reasons. Oxford replaced him with the Argentina national football team Ramón Díaz, who was unable to secure anything higher than a mid-table finish. Diaz and his team of assistants left Oxford United at the beginning of May 2005, with England national football team midfielder and former West Bromwich Albion F.C, Rushden & Diamonds F.C. and Oldham Athletic A.F.C. manager Brian Talbot (footballer) immediately signed on a two-year contract as the replacement. Apart from a brief winning streak in September which saw United reach eighth in the table, Talbot found little success and was sacked in March 2006 with Oxford United in 22nd place. He was replaced by youth team coach Darren Patterson.

On 21 March 2006, Firoz Kassam sold Oxford United for approximately £2 million (including Oxford United's debts) to Florida-based businessman Nick Merry, who had played for United's youth team in the mid-1970s. Merry immediately initiated changes to the upper hierarchy of the club. Jim Smith (footballer), one of Oxford United's most successful managers, returned to the helm bringing in five new players on his first day in charge.

Smith was unable to prevent relegation in the 2005-06 in English football season. After 44 successive years in English league football, Oxford was relegated to the Conference National from League Two after finishing in 23rd place, becoming the first former winners of a major trophy to be relegated from the league. Coincidentally, Accrington Stanley F.C., the side who went bankrupt in 1962 allowing United to be elected to the League, were one of the two teams promoted into League Two. However, this was followed by a run of eleven league games without a win from November, which saw them drop into second place just after Christmas, a position in which they remained until the end of the season. On Boxing Day 2006 a crowd of 11,065 watched United draw 0–0 with Woking F.C. at the Kassam Stadium, the largest-ever attendance for a Football Conference match (excluding playoffs). They qualified for the Conference National Play-off results by coming second, facing Exeter City F.C. in the playoff semi-finals. After winning 1–0 in the first leg at Exeter, Oxford lost the second leg 2–1 and after extra time lost 4–3 on penalties, thus failing in their attempt to return to the Football League at the first attempt.

On 9 November 2007, Jim Smith resigned as manager and first team coach Darren Patterson was named as the new manager. Oxford spent most of the 2007–08 season in mid-table, though a run of 9 wins in their last 11 games saw them finish in 9th place, 10 points outside the playoff places.

On 2 October 2008, Nick Merry stepped down as chairman to be replaced by Kelvin Thomas. Thomas had been part of the management team at the time of the takeover, but moved to be with his family in Florida soon afterwards.

Chris Wilder's Oxford

After a poor run of form, Patterson was sacked on 30 November 2008, just over a year after he had become manager, and was replaced by former Halifax Town F.C. manager Chris Wilder. Wilder's arrival prompted a remarkable improvement in results, with 15 wins from his first 21 league matches in charge. As the end of the season approached, Oxford United could even contemplate an unlikely playoff place, although the task was made more difficult by a 5-point deduction for fielding an unregistered player. However, results didn't go their way on the last day of the season and Oxford United finished 7th in the table, 4 points off the last playoff place.

Stadiums

Oxford United had no regular home until 1913, when they were able to purchase Wootten's Field on London Road. However, this was redeveloped in 1920 before a stadium could be built. Having purchused a new site, Oxford United played at the Manor Ground, Oxford between 1926 and 2001, before moving to the Kassam Stadium. The ground hosted United's record crowd of 22,750 against Preston North End F.C. in an FA Cup sixth round match on 29 February 1964. Construction work began in the early part of 1997, but was suspended later that year due to Oxford United's financial problems. The all-seater stadium has a capacity of 12,500 and is unique in the Conference National in having only three stands; when first planned in 1995 it was originally going to have a 16,000-seat capacity, but by the time the stadium opened Oxford was playing in a lower division, so the smaller capacity was deemed adequate. Construction of the fourth stand is not expected to take place for several years, although foundations have already been put in place.

The record attendance is 12,243, which was achieved in the final game of the 2005–06 season, when a defeat against Leyton Orient F.C. condemned them to relegation from the Football League. The stadium has also hosted Rugby Union matches, an Under-17 international football tournament and a music concert.

Crest and colours

The crest reflects the name and history of the city. Oxford was originally a market town situated near to a ford (crossing) on the River Isis, which was used by cattle. Oxford United crest depicts an ox above a representation of a ford to symbolise the location.

The shape and design of the crest has changed numerous times since it was first produced. When playing as Headington and during the early years of Oxford United, the crest included a full ox crossing the ford, as well as the initials H.U.F.C. (pre-1962) or the name Oxford United (post name-change). Between 1972 and 1980, In 1996, the crest had a shield (heraldry) shape and contained the ox's head over the ford, on a yellow background. This version was retained until the move to the Kassam Stadium in 2001, when club steward Rob Alderman designed the current version. The yellow kit was first worn during the 1957–58 in English football, with black shorts and yellow socks. During the late 1970s and early 1980s, the black shorts were first replaced with yellow ones, and then with light blue shorts. Since the early 1990s, the strip has been composed of the yellow shirt and navy coloured shorts and socks. A large variety of away kits has been used over the years, ranging from red and black stripes on the shirts, to a fully white kit.

The first sponsor to appear on the shirt was Sunday Journal, a local newspaper, in 1982.

Supporters and rivals

Oxford United is now the second best-supported club in the Conference National behind Luton Town and has had the largest average attendance every year since joining the league. Oxford has a number of independent supporters' clubs and groups such as OxVox (the Oxford United Supporters' Trust) with a current membership of over 400, and the Oxford United Exiles. Oxford United itself also runs a Juniors club, aimed at younger fans and offering a number of bonuses to its members such as birthday cards and a free T-shirt. The official matchday programme for home games costs £3 and was voted best Blue Square Premier Programme of the Year for the 2007–08 season. A fanzine is also available called Oxtales, priced £1. A number of songs are sung during home games, such as Yellow Submarine (song) (with adapted lyrics) and songs relating to the old Manor Ground. However, on occasions the chants became too abusive and a "cut it out campaign" was introduced to try and stop such chants.
Oxford United has a number of celebrity supporters, such as Richard Branson and Timmy Mallett. The club's mascot is Ollie the Ox.

In a 2003 survey of football fans, Oxford's main rivals were Swindon Town F.C., with Reading F.C. and Wycombe Wanderers F.C. seen as other rivals. The rivalry with Swindon stems from the clubs' close proximity, as well as the fact they have played each other 53 times since 1962. During the height of football hooliganism, trouble flared up between the sets of fans. In 1998, 19 Swindon supporters were arrested during a match at the County Ground, Swindon, while in 2002 there was an incident between supporters after Oxford fans returned from an away fixture. Oxford fans use nicknames when talking about Swindon such as Scumdon. The rivalry with Reading was heightened during the chairmanship of Robert Maxwell, due to his desire to merge the two clubs. This was met with strong opposition from both sets of fans, with United supporters staging a "sit-in" on the pitch before a game against Wigan Athletic F.C. in protest. Despite being the second team in the city, there is less rivalry with Oxford City due to their lower position in the English football league system (there have been no competitive matches between the two since 1959).Oxford United's firm is called the SMHS (South Midland Hit Squad) but have smaller youth firm called The Oxford Youth Outfit.

Players

Notable players

For more details on this topic, see List of Oxford United F.C. players.

Club officials

- Chairman: Kelvin Thomas
- Director: Nick Merry
- Advisor: Jim Smith (Manager)
- General Manager / Club Secretary: Mick Brown

Coaching and Medical Staff
- Manager: Chris Wilder
- First Team Coach: Mickey Lewis
- Coach: Andy Melville
- Goalkeeping Coach: Alan Hodgkinson
- Physios: Charlie Greig & Jon Brown
- Sports Massage Therapist: Lindsay Davis
- Youth Development Officer: Les Taylor (footballer)
- Community Officer: Peter Rhoades-Brown

Managerial history

Below is a list of Oxford United managers since Harry Thompson's appointment in 1949 to the present day.

Honours

- Southern Football League
- - Southern Football League Premier Division Champions: 1952-53 in English football, 1960-61 in English football, 1961-62 in English football
- Football League
- - Pre-advent of the Premier League
- - - Football League Championship: Champions 1984-85 in English football
- - - Football League One: Champions 1967-68 in English football, 1983-84 in English football
- Football League Cup
- - Winners: 1986 Football League Cup Final which exceeded the stadium's capacity, so scaffolding was needed to put up makeshift stands for the excess supporters. The largest attendance at the Kassam Stadium for a football match was 12,243 for the final match of the The Football League 2005-06 League Two season against Leyton Orient F.C..

Oxford's largest-ever scoreline was a 9–1 win in the FA Cup first round versus Dorchester Town F.C. on 11 November 1995. In the league, their largest win was 7–0 versus Barrow A.F.C. in Division Four. Their largest defeat was 7–0 away to Sunderland A.F.C. in 1998. The largest league unbeaten run was 20 matches in 1984.

John Shuker holds the record for the most league appearances with 478 between 1962 and 1977. John Aldridge holds the record for most league goals scored in a season in the 1984-85 in English football season, scoring 30. Graham Atkinson holds the record for the most league goals with 77.

The most Cap (sport) player in international appearances is Jim Magilton with 18 caps for Northern Ireland national football team. The largest amount of money Oxford has received by selling a player was £1,600,000 for Matt Elliott (footballer)'s transfer to Leicester City in January 1997. The largest transfer fee Oxford has paid was £475,000 for Dean Windass' transfer from Aberdeen F.C. in August 1998.

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