Christmas albums (part 1)

When is Christmas coming? Is it the Coca-Cola Lorry convoy advert?  or the Supermarkets and shops putting up their Christmas aisles in November?

At the start of the '90s at the University of Birmingham (upstairs in the Guild at the Mermaid Bar) it was when they changed the cds in the jukebox .  As soon as John Lennon starts warbling in his thickest scouse accent "So this is Christmas...and what have you done?", joined in by three mates from Liverpool, that was it for the next month:  Shaking Stevens, Cliff, Wizzard, Slade, Jona Lewie, Paul McCartney, Greg Lake, all the classics.

Move forward twenty years to 2010, and what is there to look forward to?  Bands or popstars don't really do Christmas songs anymore, not like the ones we used to know.  X-Factor have basically wrapped up the Christmas No. 1 by having three months of free promotion on primetime Saturday night tv.  This year the winner has covered a Biffy Clyro song, which may encourage the download generation to venture outside of their spoon-fed existence and look for the original.  

So this afternoon I've got the Christmas albums out... 

A Christmas Gift for You - Phil Spector (1963)

Some of the best know Christmas radio hits are on here.  Frosty the Snowman (The Ronettes); Santa Claus is Coming To Town (The Crystals); Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer (The Crystals);  

Unfortunately, the Wall of Sound was designed for a tinny transistor radio with a mono speaker, and whereas there are some real classics, they all sound a bit samey on the hifi.  

The Christmas Collection - Johnny Cash (mostly l 963, a few from 1980)

What seems to be a 'Best Of' his several Christmas albums.  The 60's songs are the purest:- simple orchestration, June on backing vocals, harmonies, and Cash's lead - long spoken introductions and that deep voice.  There are a few covers, but it is the originals from the heart that stand out - Christmas as I Knew It, which tells of his own deprived childhood Christmases; and Ringing The Bells for Jim.  It is difficult to imagine this as the country artist of the classic 1968 and 1969 Prison albums from Folsome and San Quentin, or his last American Recordings such as Hurt. 

Christmas Present from Motown (mostly l 963-1970)

Again a fairly recent compilation album featuring classic Motown artists; Stevie Wonder, Jackson 5, Smokey Robinson, Diana Ross and the Supremes, The Four Tops, the Temptations.  A single track each from the Funk Brothers and the Temptations. 

No stand-outs in here, but good to hear some of your favourite groups wishing you a Merry Christmas, and an obviously funky Motown theme to it all, with sleigh bells and coconuts to Christmassify it a bit.  My favourites are Christmas Here With You - the Four Tops and Aretha Franklin; and Frosty the Snowman - Jackson 5: Michael at his early best.  

More to follow ...

Les Taylor and the Football League Paper

Is it compulsory to have Les Taylor in each Where Are They Now feature in the Football League Paper?

Last week (12 December) he was in  the Watford squad for the 1983-84 FACup finalists.  A fortnight before he was also featured in the Reading squad for the 1988 Full Members Cup final (the competition when English clubs were banned from Europe).

What's more, the Oxford-Barnet programme from 4th December featured an article on his playing career as he was  celebrating his birthday, together with his usual page on the Centre of Excellence in his current role as Youth Development Officer.

This week, we have the consolation  of the Milk Cup Final squad from '86 (no Les Taylor)

Lincoln - Oxford. 11 December 2010 - postponed

I don't mind the game being postponed, but have lost out on £40 of train fares.  Some three months ago I booked my advance ticket from Guildford to Lincoln and back on the East Coast site.  At the time I even got the booking wrong, as I could have done a 1 day travelcard for £10,  and the London-Lincoln return for two £11 singles. 

Because it is an advance ticket, it is non-refundable.  Apparently I could amend my booking (with a fee of £10 per ticket), but as the rearranged date is unknown, when would I amend it for? 

Oxford - Barnet 4 December 2010

At minus 5 in the night, car snowed in at the office car-park, and the trains from Guildford to Reading cancelled, I was about to miss my first game of the season.  Luckily I posted a facebook rant and a friendly fan picked me up all the way from Grove.  By 12 when Ian arrived the snow was nearly all gone, and my car had barely an inch of snow -  I felt a bit stupid then. 

Pre-match I think I have worked out where our team is letting us down.  I was asked how we won at Chesterfield, tactics, formation and so on.  All I could come up with was "we passed the ball".  No players had stood out. 

We had a week of fans blaming the club for not having pitch covers in time, and even an appearance on Newsnight as Jim White reported from the Kasstad about England's failure to get the 2018 World Cup.

As for the game, we were one down at half-time, but came back to win 2-1 mostly thanks to the physical James Constable.  Ryan Clarke saved us with an amazing one handed save which was as near to giving away a penalty as it gets.

What's more, I won the OM left side rows W and Z predict the attendance (£7!) and also a prize in the Youth team lottery - a visit to the training ground to meet the players and manager, and lunch too!

Chesterfield - Oxford. 23 November 2010

A cold Tuesday night in November watching your team away on an open terrace - that's what football's all about isn't it?

Now that we are back in the Football League, the fixture list computer has only thrown up three of these. midweek aways, and this one is even under cover.  Compare this to the vagaries of Dennis Strudwick and the Conference in 2008/09 when we amazingly had 14 [*1] league away games which didn't kick-off at the traditional 3pm Saturday.

Anyway, this game was all set for a Tuesday night at Chesterfield in their first season in a new ground, so new that my SatNav didn't even know about it.  I left work at 2pm, collected the Londoners from Hammersmith at 3pm, before the 120 mile trek through North London and up the M1.  We arrived in the darkening gloom at 6pm, with a large (and bad) full-moon rising, and the crooked spire visible from the ring road around the town.  As the ground's parking was all pre-allocated, we found a free car park  down a backstreet a few hundred yards round the corner, with a convenient, but unlit, route through to the ground. There was a hefty wooden car-park post to avoid (or not) as we found out, as well as a very muddy patch of grass between car-park and the main road.

For a brand new stadium, the B2Net has moved away from the identikit box-set design [*2] .  This has four complete stands, all one tier each, but with an elegant arched roof over three of them. 

After buying programmes, badges and a pennant, we headed off for nourishment.  The first Chinese chip shop on the Sheffield Road looked most unappetising, so we continued on up past a pizza takeaway and an Indian, before finding the North Sea fish and chip shop. (Voted Chesterfield's No1 fish and chip shop 2007 by the local radio breakfast team.).  This was much more promising, with people eating outside, a queue inside, and a wait for fish to be fried to meet demand.  

Front room bar?

Once stuffed with fish and chips, we headed back down the run-down version of the Cowley Road, boasting 'The Beer Parlour' beer and cider shop.  This was the size of a front room, with bottles, cans and home brew kits on the shelves, but also a metre long bar, with two stools, a table and a couple of chairs for customers to sample the wares, and a few Chesterfield fans.  This could be worth investigating if we play there on a Saturday.

There wasn't any obvious overpolicing or zealous stewarding, and inside the ground the concourses were bright and clean with the concrete and breezeblocks all painted, two flat screen tvs showing sky-sports news, and even a couple of beer pumps on the catering stall.  They even sold bottles of soft drinks with the top so you could take these into the ground.

345 of us we were in the North stand behind the goal, together with ex-skipper and current Mansfield town player Adam Murray and two friends along to see their local rivals and his ex-teammates.  The 5,700 Chesterfield fans were fairly evenly spread from the middle of each of their stands, although yet again they resorted to a drummer to get things going.   The stands were just a few yards from the pitch, with a small astro-turf run off area from the playing area so there was a good view even from the back of the stand.  

As for the match, we went back to the 3rd kit variant of blue shorts, white shirts and white socks last seen at Macclesfield.  We started with 4-5-1 and MacLean up front.  The first half hour Craddock was again marooned on the left and seemed out of place, but the big midfield was necessary to try and stop Chesterfield.  They scored before half time, so at the interval we switched the formation, with Craddock partnering MacLean in a 4-4-2.  We got one back, then scored another to go ahead, then hung on for dear life with a shot from inside the box yards pinging off our bar to give us, the players and manager a much relieved first win in six. 

Back in the car for the long drive back, we cheered the sports new every half hour as they announced that top-placed Chesterfield had been beaten by Oxford, getting back to London gone midnight, Cookham around 1am, and for me eventually around 1:30 - exhausted, but happy!

[*1]  Barrow on a Friday night, Wrexham on a Thursday, Northwich Tuesday, Torquay Thursday, Altrincham Sunday afternoon, Mansfield Thursday night, Weymouth Tuesday, Cambridge Thursday, Eastbourne Tuesday, Kettering Thursday, Rushden Tuesday, York Tuesday, plus two bank holiday games. 

[*2] Millwall got the A kit, with 4 big double tiered stands,  the Kassam got the B kit with 3 sides and 1 double tiered stand with executive boxes and facilities, and Mansfield the C kit with a smaller 3 sided stadium and space for exec boxes. 

Oxford - Gillingham. 20 November 2010

Highlight of the day 

Adebayo Akinfenwa trotting into the box at the Oxford Mail end of the ground, the fans all shouting "You Fat Bastard" at him, which made him turn and grin and completely miss seeing the ball coming to him when clear and in space.
 

He's no slimmer since leaving Northampton

We lost the game 1-0, our 5th consecutive defeat in league and cup.  The Gills won their first away game in the league in over a year.

For more info on Akinfenwa, his twitter is @daRealAkinfenwa

"They say I'm too big to play football ha!ha! CEO of The Ha! Ha! Brand"

www.thehahabrand.co.uk

Rotherham-Oxford 13 Nov 2010

East Coast trains again this time. £34.30 Guildford to Sheffield via Doncaster and back, but oddly I had only booked from Doncaster for the return - possibly because the website wanted me to return on the slower and more expensive Sheffield-Birmingham-Reading route. On my table were two female Leeds fans from Brighton in ginger wigs to welcome a newcomer with ginger hair to their supporters group, and Bristol City fans on their way up too. The Doncaster-Sheffield train is the one that stops at the Meadowhall shopping centre, so why they only sent one carriage I don't know as it was jam packed.  I wasn't sure whether to get off at Rotherham, or Meadowhall where the few Rotherham fans departed, so continued all the way to Sheffield to meet my group who had got an earlier train. Arriving in Sheffield, I exited the station past a magnificent stainless steel fountain in front of the station to meet up at the Howard pub which was a bit empty and dismal, a poor choice of ale too with Stones or Hobgoblin. One fellow in there was proudly showing off an alsation bite wound on his leg and was on a 10 year football ban, which I guess was not for an end of season run on the pitch so we left before he had the chance to flip. Several Rochdale fans around too for their game. Caught the Supertram (£3.50 return), which went up and down hills like a rollercoaster to the stop before Don Valley, wandered down the hill to the high street, full of boarded up pubs, a bright pink Hanky Panky private shop with directions to a sauna round the back, but passed that by and went in the first pub we could find. Full of a mixture of Rotherham and neutrals watching the Manchester United Villa game. Another boarded up shop had the sloping brickwork optical illusion - was this deliberate?  The Yorkshire brickies were drunk again The stadium itself was 'Home to Sheffield Eagles', even though they don't play there anymore, with a smaller sign for Rotherham. Both set of fans were seated under cover alongside the pitch, with the Oxford faithful in a separate stand at the far right. Across was a large bowl of uncovered seats, and a strange few sections of terracing with crash barriers going up the slope instead of across. Rotherham had cheerleaders to liven up proceedings. With the running track and the long jump pit in front, we were so far from the action it was difficult to tell who was even playing unless they came right to the corner, so apart from Alfie Potter and Ryan Clarke the team was unknown to me. Where's the pitch? First half Rotherham got into our half twice and ALF scored twice, this time with Chelsea Dagger as the unwelcome goal music and a small group of children jumping and pumping their arms in the air in delight. The giant scoreboard screen went unused, so it was just a big analogue clock to the left of it. At least the ball boys were even handed in throwing back a new ball to either team as soon as one went out of play. We got one back, but that was it as far as football went. Yet again it seemed like a game that for much of it we had more possession, but we cannot control and forge ahead. I counted 10 uniformed officers inside the ground, there were lots of hi-viz stewards too, including three who were looking after a section of empty seats for no good reason. Match day food was disappointing with standard factory pies so I gave that a miss. Afterwards, we had to exit the ground on the opposite side, before marching all the way back round to the tram stops. Being a bit confused by my trains, I caught the tram back to Sheffield, before getting a train back to Doncaster (£3.90), when I could have gone 2 stops further on to Meadowhall and picked the train up there. An hour to kill in Doncaster was a mistake, the shopping centre was shutting up, and the pub nearest the station was dead too. The 19:14 train back to London had the same ginger-wigged Leeds fans (happy), and a table of John Smiths drinking middle aged Bristol City fans (sad) almost breaking into a fight over whether signing David James was a good move.

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Burton - Oxford. FA Cup. 6 November 2010

Well yet another trip to Burton, this time by car up the M1. Now I know why I get the train whenever possible. Miles of 50mph roadworks, watching the West Coast Virgin train racing past us.

This time I got to the ground in time for faggots and luke warm mushy peas. After asking for a spoon, was directed round the corner to the condiments counter, only to find tiny plastic chip-forks. This was about as good as the day got.

The starting line-up was bizarre; Constable nowhere to be seen even with his nemesis from the league game Darren Moore out; and Wilder was suited and booted.

I thought Burton looked to have replicated our first half formation against Torquay with players out wide creating lots of chances, and we were struggling with a very strange defenders in midfield and Green and Craddock up front. Within half an hour Kinni had been subbed, the players were changing formation and I lost track of what was going on.

Burton got the ball in the back of the net, the stadium PA started blaring out Tom Hark, before realising the linesman had flagged for offside and the music was switched off again.

Second half I thought Green did his best up front, ran down every ball, and will wait to see how he missed the open goal from a yard out. Green got a harsh booking for hustling the Burton goalkeeper Legzdins. The keeper then deservedly got stick for his play-acting, but disappointingly also got abuse from sections of the crowd who mistakenly took the Staffordshire born player with two Latvian grandparents for an economic migrant only here on a visa.

We had several chances but failed to capitalise, and yet again concede from a header. This time the PA system seemed to crackle in silence with no music, and the home crowd were bewildered at having to celebrate without the comfort of the Piranhas. We haven't scored for three games now. At least we actually fired a few tame shots in the vague direction of goal this time (Payne, Craddock).

An even slower journey home down the M1, listening to the usual premiership biased 606 phone in on radio 5, then delays on the M4 after dropping off the Londoners.

Bradford City - Oxford 30 October 2010

Well another joyful trip up North. This time on the bargain East Coast line from King's Cross via Leeds. £10.50 travelcard to London, £20 for singles to Leeds and back, and £3.60 return to Bradford, although I later found I could have added Bradford onto the East Coast tickets for an extra £1.

Another train, another bizarre set of instructions to operate the lock in the loos. <Press close, wait for the lock button to flash for three seconds, press lock> As I was waiting in the queue, cue the door opening unexpectedly to one occupant, and on my visit, trying to lock the door resulting in it opening again as I pressed the lock/unlock button too early, before finally sussing it out.

I'd always thought of Leeds and Bradford as one big conurbation, but the short journey showed a green and pleasant land, with green fields, streams and stone walls. The nearer we got to Bradford, I was reminded of Gravesend and Northfleet, with housing estates built on the top of hills. As we approached Bradford itself were views of grassed over ex-pit workings on the hills, but nearer the city was the depressing identikit out-of-town warehouse shopping centre of Halfords, JJBs, Comet and Tescos.

crooked steps

We arrived at Bradford Forster Square and weren't sure where to go for pre-match refreshments. Tried walking towards the ground, found a pub but it was generic lager and John Smiths and Yeovil. Remembering the advice to try the Corn Dolly, we asked a few locals who pointed us in the wrong direction, but amazingly I found the Maps app on the i-phone does actually work and not only did it find the pub, but was able to show us the walking route and time of 12 minutes for 1/2 a mile. We got to the Corn Dolly up some very croooked steps to avoid a hairpin road route, and was pleasantly surprised to find several friendly faces in there already who had caught the earlier train, and predictably it was only a short walk from the station too. 

Corn Dolly

They had a decent range of real ales, although London Pride and Black Sheep are already familiar so gave them a miss. Also they sold the City Gent fanzine, which is nice to see that paper fanzines are still around. The landlord was most apologetic about my 30 second wait to get served, blaming a bar-man who had called in sick.

Valley Parade was an odd view approaching from the station. It seems to be hanging off the side of the hill like the villains lair from a James Bond film, with 2 huge stands sweeping in a boxed in curve round the side of the pitch and behind one goal.

Valley Parade

Once navigated through the maze of stairways and entrances to the stadium, we were in half of a relatively small stand (although it is probably as big as our North Stand). It was a decent seated view too.

The home support was spread across their 3 1/2 stands, with a mix of their singing fans behind both goals, but the liveliest seemed to be in the top tier of the smallest stand to our left.

A number of big flags were displayed in areas of empty seating to remember the victims of 1985. It was very strange imagining the wooden stand in what is now a big capacity all-seater ground and took me back to watching the tragedy unfold live on was it World of Sport on that Saturday afternoon, initial reports coming in of a small fire amongst half-time match-day reports from around the country, followed by the horrific scenes broadcast.

As for the game, the first half was about even I thought. "Sacked in the morning", we sang to Peter Taylor, and I'm not sure the Bradford fans didn't join in too. Taylor jovially waved back at us - presumably using this as his inspiration for the half-time team talk.

Wilder seemed to have used the bromine soaked tea-bags for halftime, as yet again we capitulated. Two nil down and we had a chance, but the retaken Penalty, followed by the sendings off finished the game as a contest.

A few idiots apparently tried to cross the netting, which always seems a waste of time as they never reach the opposition, yet can afterwards claim to have had a go.

Macclesfield - Oxford, 16 October 2010

Another easy day out. After preparing lunch (Ciabatta with coppa, smoked mozarella and cherry tomatoes), I left home at 9 am, arrived at Euston at 10 with an hour to wait so sat outside to eat my food. Strangely there were lots of police and transport police observing protestors with pea-cane flags and hard-hats outside, and eventually I worked out it was an anti-Oil company protest.

The 11 am train raced to Macclesfield, stopping once at Stoke, arriving just before 1pm.

After a stopoff in the Railway View (helpfully signed all the way from the station), I got to the ground about an hour before kick-off. A nice imitation cloisonne badge in the club shop for only £1, but the programme was a bit lightweight for £2.50 compared to ours, but better than many.

I exited back down the stairs to hunt out "Keith's bar", which was hidden behind a metal exit barrier door, and was actually in the same level of the stand as the club shop was which I'd left several minutes and flights of stairs earlier, and would have been just a quick walk past Bobs and co enjoying their meals. A very long wait for a pint of smoothflow Worthingtons was a bit disappointing.

At least it was only £14 to stand on the terrace, and it was a good steep one so no real problems viewing the action. It kept threatening to rain, but never did with any force, and a nice view to the hills beyond.

There was of course the usual wierd steward, this time a Peter Stringfellow look-alike with a long blonde pony tail, but very graying roots was there to entertain us.

As for the game, we could and should have scored 4 by half time. I know that Batt and Creighton and Wright are all out injured, but we should have been able to do better and win the game well.

Unfortunately I'd booked the 7pm train home as I'd never been to Macclesfield before, and didn't want to risk the run for the 6pm. We got to the station at around 5:30, so waited with Holt's in the pub opposite.

The journey back to Surrey was predictably full of Manchester United fans on their way home on the Euston train and then the Guildford train. At least Fergie had thrown away a lead to draw, S***don lost, and even Hereford came back from 3 down to win.

Cheltenham - Oxford. 28 September 2010

Off the pitch, nice to have a decentish clubhouse with tables and chairs, not too fancy, not too shabby either.

Stewards and police didn't really get much right. I'm not too sure what they thought they were expecting, possibly a reenactment of the pub riot following the postponed Kettering game last season?

Anyway, no flags on poles, or banners were allowed in, even with empty pitch side advertising space and space at the back of the stands.

The "allocated" seats was also a bit of a cock-up. Knowing that to congregate behind the goal you have to get in early, and the section I was in at the back was well packed out. Some middle aged old fart then turned up with a full cup of coffee about 2 minutes before kick-off and insisted on being in his seat. I'd heard stewards were a bit jobsworth, but this time, perhaps due to the sell out, they didn't insist on everyone sitting down, or moving people out of the aisles. If they had wanted to do this they should have been on it from well before kick-off.

On the pitch -
outplayed first half hour, we kept slipping up. And as our Kassam pitch seems to be constantly watered, this surprised me. Ref seemed to mix up hard tackles with fouls.

On Clarkey's double save, how their player stayed on the pitch despite having a head high boot to our defender amazed me.

Potter was a bit disappointing constantly going to the corner - perhaps I am too used to rewatching his Wembley goal and expect the same every game.

Last half hour we battled well, but again a point won, and with a team who aren't that used to playing together. Clearly missing Batt, Wright, Constable etc.

Midson I think really appreciated the fans - to think he could have been at Wrexham with no fans at all.
---
I forgot to add another couple of Cheltenham memories ...

Them switching off the lights in the stand we were attacking in each half, whilst leaving the opposite lights on.

A strange sparkling UFO like light slowly floating over the pitch towards the opposite goal at the end of the game for a good five minutes, which turned out to be a helium filled silver star balloon.

Seeing a friend's son Theo come on for Cheltenham for the last few minutes - a Kennington lad. He went to the Chelsea youth set-up, and ended up at Chelts. I hope that in years to come, not only will Chelsea cast-offs come to us rather than Cheltenham, but that our own youth system attracts and develops players good enough to make our own first team.

Crewe - Oxford. 25 September 2010

That was my first visit to Gresty Road. It is good to have a ground 5 minutes walk from the station.

I had a quick look in the club shop to buy a badge and was impressed by some of their souvenirs - etched crystal glasses and tankards. A bit more classy than our shop with its garden gnomes.

Pre-match in the Corner Bar, I said hello to the group of Hibs fans who had ventured down and seemed to be having fun. The range of real ales confused me so I ended up getting a pint of Cunning Stunt re-spoonerised which was slightly embarrassing. I also met the lad who dressed as Superman at the Play-off final and is now featured in I think every non-league programme each week as part of a betting advert. He said he remembered the photo being taken as the photographers were in his face all match waiting for a good opportunity, and later scoured the internet for it, but it wasn't until a Wrexham fan at his work plonked a match-day programme on his desk that he saw it. His pleas for an appearance fee by way of some free bets were turned down.

At the ground I was pleasantly surprised to hear they really do play Dario G as part of the pre-match music (Sunchyme and Carneval de Paris) and now have Life in a Northern Town as an earworm.

I did get a bit confused that the entrance to the stand was from the top, as at half time I walked to the bottom expecting to find the exit, and then had to walk back to the top again. It reminded me slightly of Luton with a strange walk up the steps to get in.

On the pitch we were lucky to get a point, but this was a relatively poor showing from Oxford compared to most of the games this season, rather than being outclassed. Perhaps Bulman being shopped out to Crawley has hit dressing room morale a bit.

A quick stop at the fish and chip shop for £2.99 chips and stewed steak and gravy before catching the 5:30 train back to London, which raced back in an hour and a half, entertained by a group of Chelsea fans on their way back from Man City who couldn't believe we regularly take 800 fans to places like Crewe. I did of course remind them that we had won at Wembley more recently than them.

Mat Mitchel-King was on the train back as well, and kindly autographed my programme, and I wished them luck for the rest of the season. The programme was a good read and a definite improvement on Hereford's offering. I hadn't realised David Platt was a product of the legendary Crewe academy, and chuckled to read they had the chance of a sell-on fee when they sold him to Villa, but opted for a slightly higher transfer fee instead.

A quick journey across London on the tube, straight on a train back to Guildford and home by 8pm - quite a result being back 3 hours after the final whistle from a ground 200 miles away.

Wycombe - Oxford. West Ham Oxford. August 2010

Wycombe I found strange as it is the first "modern" proper ground I've been to in years. 4 sides, with even an upper and lower banked stand. I'd only been to Burton for night games before, so didn't realise how shallow all the stands were, and that it is not actually that big. Similarly Rushden, with the exception of the away stand we go in.

Once you got to Adams Park down the arse-end of a small industrial estate, it was in quite a picturesque setting, nestling in a valley amongst hills and forests (as shown in the picture).

The main drawback I had with West Ham was the queues on the way out for Upton Park station, which I saw were right down the road. Also slightly surprised by the temerity of the Hammers fans to be lording it up on the way down the road after their momentous win. Avoiding the queues I stopped for box of 1 piece of chicken and chips for a bargain £1.20, and then carried on by foot to Plaistow. There we watched 5 trains going the other way, then finally one emptyish train coming our direction, but which sailed straight through, with mainly police on board, presumably having hijacked the train so they could get back to base before the chippy shut.

Luton Oxford February 2010

This was the game fans had been looking forward to all season from the moment the fixture list was announced. After the home victory, the anticipation had been rising all year. The threats and intimidation on the Outlaws site. Scarfers and casuals, young and old : all equally at risk. The weeks before the game rumours and talk galore:- trains to Dunstable, what time at St Pancras?, reconnaisance trips, coaches and minibuses.

The day of the match, the Outlaws "spotters" updating from every pub, pizzahut and service station within a 10 mile radius. The "it's kicked off in town with a glassing" thread at around 3pm.

Getting off the train in Luton: police everywhere, horses, riot vans - from about 5 different forces. Kebab shops, gold shops, sari shops, Halal butchers, an old cinema converted into an evangelical church. Small groups of lads circling the shops and parades near to the ground, making frantic phone calls.

The walk down Beech Hill Path to the away entrance. Hoodies lurking in the shadows. Rows of dilapidated terraced houses, huge piles of rubbish and bin bags in the front gardens, more rubbish and an old toilet in the back garden could be seen through a broken down panel fence.

Getting stopped and checked for tickets before entering a police cordon just to get in the queue to get in the ground. A strange entrance, squeezed in between the houses on the Oak Road. Another half hour wait, everyone gets searched before getting into the ground. Climbing what seemed to be an old steel fire escape steps to get into the Oak Road stand.

Constable, Murray, Cook and 2 others who were not in the squad sat in the segregation netting at the top to sit right up close to where the wildest Luton fans would be in the Main Stand. Were they sure about this?

Remnants of the old plastic pitch still being used surrounding the pitch. The "Executive Stand" being ludicrously small with a few boxes and 2 rows of seats in front, netting high above the stand to stop balls from straying into the gardens behind. An old goalmouth stacked up in the remains of the terracing to one side in the Kenilworth Road End.

Long before kick-off, songs ringing around the Oak Road end, a traditional deep terrace with a low metal barrel shaped roof, although now all seater, not that anyone was bothering to sit down.

Adam Chapman taking out Happy Harry the Luton mascot with a slide tackle from behind to win the ball. Harry offering Chappers an opportunity to discuss matters further outside.

Players warming up and taking pot shots at the goal in front of us. A woman getting smacked in the mouth by a loose shot. The programme seller positioned right behind the goal net, with every shot into the goal threatening to burst the back of the net and whack him on the back or the head.

The players and managers and coaches emerging from the main stand, before crossing the whole pitch over to the dug-outs by the Executive Stand.

The first 20 minutes played at full pelt by both sides. Stevenage going behind at Mansfield to put Oxford back at the top of the league. Luton going close with a shot against the post, quickly followed by Clarke punching another away with one fist.

People still arriving into the ground half an hour in. The strange feeling in recent years of being at an away ground more than outnumbered by the 7,000 home fans, all squeezed into a ground where the stands are no more than a few yards from the pitch, three sides all with low rooves to echo the noise around. EIEIO; my garden shed; sh!t ground no fans; Chrissy Wilder's yellow army; Give me an O; We are top of the league; Chris Wilder My Lord; Oh Swindon Town; Small town in Watford.

Luton fans: Bounce in a minute; Pussi Pussi. They had lots more songs, but we didn’t hear any over the sound of our own. 

Half time entertainment as ex-United player Nelthorpe warms up in front of the Oxford fans, firing a few loose shots into the crowd.

Deering off for Matt Green, who was soon sending the U's fans into delirium with 15 minutes to go. Police immediately sent to the front of the Oak Road stand to watch for any trouble from the Oxford fans. The delight of shouting down the Luton fans: Top of the League; Staying Down.

The Luton fans then pushing and fighting amongst themselves. Were there Oxford fans in amongst them? Was the bloke with the white hat/hoodie leading it? Steward and police in riot gear trying to restore order. A riot helmet being removed and thown around the crowd by the Luton fans in the top corner.

Chapman on for Potter, then with 2 minutes of normal time, Fran Green on for Midson - surely the time for Creighton at the back?

And then 5 minutes of injury time at 9:33. A draw might be fair as Luton had deserved their chances. One goal down from a corner. The Luton fans go wild, checking our watches at 9:38, surely that must be it. The ref checks his watch three times, but there is time for one last corner.

Keane scores direct from the corner with the last kick of the game, the Luton fans roar and bounce. The Oxford are in stunned silence, looking at each other in amazement, as if a small child has just kicked us in the shins and stolen an ice cream and run off.

Was it as bad as relegation against Leyton Orient? Then it just seemed inevitable as a win was needed and we were only drawing as the end of the match approached.

As bad as the play-off semi final 2nd leg against Exeter? After Duffy had fluffed a one-on-one with the goalie, again it seemed it would never be our night.

As disappointing as the game against Northwich? It ended that the play-offs were out of our hands anyway, and the defeat was a disappointing end to a cracking 2nd half of the season.

So yes, it did seem worse than all three of those games. The worry that not only are Stevenage and York breathing down our necks, but Luton might be up for the challenge too.

Slowly waiting to file out in silence, not even looking over to see the ecstatic Luton fans, the players celebrating as if they had won the title in one match.

An Oxford beanie hat dropped in the seats, or had it been thrown their in despair? 

Alsations and dog handlers in every other front garden on the Oak Road. The slow walk back to the station through the stationary traffic and Luton scarfers. Car horns beeping from all around town. Throngs of people from both sets of fans walking alongside each other in the same direction so you were not sure who was from which side. The wail of police sirens as the police vans made their way to the station.

Overall, a memorable night.