Aldershot 0 - Oxford 3

An enjoyable afternoon in Aldershot, which makes a change from Tuesday night cup games.  Oxford  winning 3-0 with first half goals from JPP, Duberry and Leven.  Pre-match pub predictions from me were a 4-0 victory and also for Duberry to score, so I put £2.50 on the first at 66/1, and £5 on the second at 16/1.  Good old Dubes didn't let me down, but second half we were all urging on  the 4th goal, and Deane Smalley's late ricochet off the bar was costly. 

£17 for the terrace seems fairly steep compared to say Hereford, Macclesfield prices. In the Aldershot programme they talk about that FA Cup 3rd round game in 1987, when Oxford were top flight visitors to Division 4 Aldershot (we lost 3-0).  The Shots raised the price to £9 instead of the normal £3, and these days that would be like paying £50 or £60 if a Premier League side came to our ground - but the Shots did keep prices sensible for Man United in the Carling Cup this season. Apparently that FA Cup game holds the record for the lowest ever FA Cup 3rd round attendance.

It was sad to see a few fans kicked out before even getting in for drink, and several others having an impromptu picnic with cans of lager on the grass banks outside the turnstiles before the game.

JPP seems revitalised and showed why he was signed in the first place. I'm not convinced that Wilder wants him back long term and first thought he was given game time to put him in the shop window. However he deserved his start and goal. Also rewarded with his own song - not original, as Celtic and Liverpool use it too, but "I Just Can't Get Enough" by Depeche Mode / The Saturdays (depending on your age).

Also a fairly new Duberry song ["In our defensive foursome, he's absolutely awesome, we signed him from St Johnstone, he's Michael Duberry", to the Adams Family theme],  and of course the Marvin Morgan song too [MM had tweeted a year ago that he wished Aldershot fans who had booed him off the pitch were dead, so everytime we play Aldershot (or Shrewsbury now), we sing "He wants you all dead, He wants you all dead, Marvin Morgan, He wants you all dead"]. I wonder if any other clubs picked up on this, the Shots fans must find it bizarre over a year later to still be reminded of it.

Towards the end of the game, their fans had obviously given up caring, cheering every touch their players made, and of course cheering pretend goals.  United fans replied back in song after each pretend goal "3-1 to the Oxford Boys", then "3-2 to the Oxford Boys", but the Shots fans didn't even sing enough pretend goals to get back into the match

The ground has a posh new £17K full colour LED scoreboard too. Funded by the Shots Trust. I didn't think these were supposed to keep counting after the 90 minutes though, as we got to see all 4 minutes of added time counted on.  Hopefully the LEDs are high quality, as it seems that Aldershot 0 may become burned in otherwise. 

Kassam attendance records - the highest

In order, 

12,243: 06 May 2006 - vs Leyton Orient FL2.   away 4,603 = home 7,640

The day we were relegated from the football league.  Orient were given the whole of the North Stand some weeks before when Oxford were seemingly safe. An early goal for United from Eric Sabin was equalised by Craig Easton.  Gary Alexander put Orient 2-1 ahead, before Chris Willmott levelled the score.  Late on, ex United player Lee Steele scored a third to win promotion for Orient, and relegation for United along with Rushden & Diamonds.  United finished with 49 points, Bury, Torquay, Notts County and Stockport were all on 52 points, and a victory for United would have seen them safe. 

12,177: 06 Nov 2002 - vs Aston Villa LCP.  away ???
 
11,963: 03 May 2010 - vs Rushden & Diamonds BSP POS2. away 1,109 = home 10,854

This has the record for the highest number of home fans = 10,854.  The match was the Conference play-off semi-final 2nd leg.  We had drawn the first leg away, but won the second leg, and went on to win the Wembley Play-off 3-1 against York and return to the football league.

11,825: 03 Mar 2012 - vs S***don Town FL2.  away 1,266 = home 10,559
The home tickets had sold out back in November, and the S***don tickets went on sale on the coldest night of the year.  United were down to 10 men early on after James Constable was sent off for an elbow on 10 minutes, but two quick goals from Asa Hall and Oli Johnson put the Yellows 2-0 up after 16 minutes.  With two banks of four, and Scott Rendell up front on his own, United defended resolutely on to claim victory, doing the double over S***don Town, and ending their 10 match winning streak.  

11,673 10 Jan 2016 - vs Swansea City, FAC 3rd round.  away 1,429 = home 10,244
United won 3-2 after going one nil down early on to Jefferson Montero, before a Liam Sercombe penalty on half time drew us level, and two second half goals from Kemar Roofe took us 3-1 up, before Swansea pulled one back to leave a nervy last 25 minutes.

11,647 30 Jan 2016 - vs Blackburn Rovers, FAC 4th round.  away 1,485 = home 10,162
United won 3-2 after going one nil down early on to Jefferson Montero, before a Liam Sercombe penalty on half time drew us level, and two second half goals from Kemar Roofe took us 3-1 up, before Swansea pulled one back to leave a nervy last 25 minutes.

11,645: 08 Dec 2002 - vs S***don Town FAC. away ???

11,121: 26 Dec 2001 - vs Luton Town FL2. away 2,646 = home 8,475

11,065: 26 Dec 2006 - vs Woking BSP. away 306 = home 10,759

10,691: 08 May 2007 - vs Exeter City BSP POS2. away 1,000 (Exeter's estimate) = home Est 9,691 
This was the second leg of the Conference play-off semi-finals.  United had won the first leg 1-0, and were 1-0 up after 27 minutes in the second leg, before Exeter drew one back before half time.  Rob Duffy missed a one-on-one with the goalkeeper, Exeter took the scores level over the fixture, and the game went to extra time and penalties.  The match report says differently, but I think we hit the post on three of our spot kicks, and we were left to rot with another three years in the Conference.  Exeter went on to win the play-offs, and indeed were also promoted to League One whilst United remained in the BSP.

10,613: 08 Sep 2009 - vs Luton Town BSP. away 2,331 = home 8,282
Luton Town had been relegated three years in succession, and were now in their first year in the Conference, having had 30 points deducted the season before.  Oxford were no longer the only 'big' team in non-league.  Shortly into the season, Luton were the visitors on a Tuesday night to the Kassam stadium, apparently with many of their supporters unable to get into the match.  Early on, United won a penalty, but it was parried away, however the ball was soon back in the Luton area for James Constable to knock in.  

Jamie Cook, resigned by United the week before, scored a cracker, but this was the highlight of his season.    

10,298: 26 Apr 2009 - vs Northwich Victoria BSP. away 119 = home 10,179
The last game of the season, and Oxford were hoping for a miracle to reach the BSP play-offs, having had a five point deduction earlier in the season.  United needed a win and for other results to go in their favour.  However, the game was lost 2-1, with a pitch invasion marring the game.  Visiting goalkeeper Ryan Clarke gave a thumbs up to the home crowd at the end of the game, and would soon be signing as United's first choice goalkeeper.    

10,049 26 December 2013 - vs Plymouth Argyle.  FL2.  away 699 = home 9,350
Promoted by the club as "The Big Match", it ended up as a big disappointment.  After an even but uneventful scoreless first half, the Us conceded within 45 seconds of the restart, with a shot that Ryan Clarke watched shoot into the far corner to his left.  Asa Hall briefly put us level with a long range shot into the goal in front of the Oxford Mail stand.  Another defensive mix-up saw us 2-1 down, and once Dave Kitson gave away a penalty and it was 3-1 it was very much game over.  A late own goal on 88 minutes gave United a spectre of hope, but there was not enought time to force the equaliser. 

10,138:  2 Feb 2016 vs Millwall, LCP area final 2nd leg.

9,559 16 Feb 2016 vs Northampton.  L2.   away 1943 = home7616

9,870: 24 Sep 2003 - vs Reading LCP.  away ???

9,683 26 Dec 2015 vs Exeter.  away 547 = home 9,136

9,477: 26 Dec 2003 - vs Leyton Orient FL2. away 635 = home 8,842

9,440: 28 Dec 2010 - vs Macclesfield Town FL2. away 86 = home 9,354

Promoted by Bridle Insurance.  

Highest number of home fans in a conference match (incc play-offs) = 10,854 vs Rushden 
Highest number of home fans in a conference match (excl play-offs) = 10,759 vs Woking, 26 Dec 2006
Highest number of home fans in a league match = 10,559 vs Swindon Town

Highest number of home fans in an FA Cup match = 10,244 vs Swansea

Highest number of home fans in a League Cup match = ???

Accrington - Oxford preview from 15 April 2011

Originally written for Rage-Online

Oxford United pay their first visit ever visit to Accrington Stanley's Crown Ground on Saturday.  This may or may not also be known as the Fraser Eagle stadium, however Fraser Eagle went bust in 2009, or prior to that the sponsored name was the Interlink Express Stadium.   Aerial pictures show the ground dropped in the middle of a 5 sided field, with house on 4 sides behind the ground, and open ground on the other side.  Strangely, none of the sides of the ground are parallel with any of the surrounding streets, and there appears to be wasteland behind all but the main stand and the back-gardens of the houses. 

The Accrington story is well known, the original Accrington FC being founder members of the league in 1888, leaving after 5 years, with Stanley Villa taking the name Accrington Stanley 1891 and their league status until the resignation from the league in March 1962, due to debts of £4,000 in transfer fees, £4,000 to the Inland Revenue, £40,000 to other creditors, and £458 of National Insurance, which seemed to be the tipping point.  Oxford took their place the following season, and a reborn Accrington Stanley FC were formed in 1968.  The Stanley swapped league status with United at the end of 2005/06, and the two teams had never played until the home fixture this season. This was a Nil-Nil draw. 

Last week saw United draw 2-2 with Wycombe Wanderers in front of 9,309, the second highest home crowd of the season after the Bridle-promoted Macclesfield game on the Tuesday bank holiday between Christmas and New Year.  The Wycombe game was entertaining, with United going ahead through Potter after 35 minutes, forcing an own goal on 54 minutes, before Wycombe pulled back two goals on 63 and 66 minutes, to leave the tie level. Wycombe will have been happy to take a point after being two down, and keep the third automatic promotion spot, two behind Bury. 

Accrington, whose squad contains many graduates of the Liverpool FC youth academy players, have won their last six home games, scoring 19 and conceding three, to leave them in eigth place on 64 points, although should Torquay's one point deduction for fielding an ineligible player stand, they would move up to seventh. 

United have one enforced change, with Harry Worley suspended after picking up 10 yellow cards, and Jimmy Sangare is likely to make his debut in defence.  With United now seven points outside of the play-offs and with inferior goal difference, the players will be fighting for their contracts.  Nonetheless,
Danny Shelley of Crewe, who are another two points back, is aiming for five straight wins and believes they have a chance. 

At the start of the month, Ilyas Khan took full control of Accrington, confirming he would settle all debts including arrears of players' wages.  Khan however announced his ownership to be temporary, with the aim of having a widely spread ownership with no controlling shareholder.