After the fillip of a first victory of the season against Droylsden on Bank Holiday Monday, the Shaymen will be looking to continue their good form on the long away trip to Oxford United, who currently lie 9th in the League Table, having won 3 and drawn 1 of their opening 5 matches.

The equivalent fixture last season was the opening game of 2006/07 and resulted in a comfortable 2-0 victory for United. The return at The Shay finished 1-1 with a stunning turn and finish from Danny Forrest, canceling out an earlier strike by Marvin Robinson. The sides also met twice in the FA Trophy, drawing 2-2 at the Kassam Stadium, with Town's goals coming from a Martin Foster penalty and a late equaliser from Darryn Stamp on his debut. The replay at the Shay was a classic cup tie, played on a windswept, rainy January evening, with Town running out 2-1 winners, with goals from Shane Smeltz and loanee, Nathan Joynes in what turned out to be his final game in our colours.

Chris Wilder's men will be looking for a repeat of the excellent performance on Monday as they seek their first away points of the season, with in-form striker Andy Campbell hoping to follow up Monday's hattrick with his first away goal in a Town shirt.

A Bit About Our Opponents

Our opponents were hot tips for immediate promotion following their relegation in 2005/06 from League Two and started the campaign in fine form, not losing a match until 18th November against Gravesend - their 19th match of the league season. However, their form became increasingly erratic after that, as they won just 1 of their next 13 league matches. After that, their form returned in patches and they stumbled through to a play-off berth, facing Exeter City in the semi-finals. It looked like 'job done' for United as they beat Exeter 1-0 at St James' Park and had only to grind out a draw in the home leg. But the Grecians surprised everyone with a battling 2-1 victory at the Kassam, winning the tie in a thrilling penalty shoot-out and leaving Jim Smith's side facing another season in the Conference.

Although formed in 1893, Oxford did not become a professional outfit until their ascent into the old Southern League in 1949. They were elected to the Football League in 1962 when Accrington Stanley folded, winning promotion in only their second season. By 1982 however, the club was on the verge of financial ruin and was rescued by multi-millionaire publisher, Robert Maxwell. Under Maxwell, Oxford achieved successive championships of the old third and then second divisions (this remains a unique achievement) and in 1985-86 reached the top flight for the first time in their history. In their first season they narrowly avoided relegation but enjoyed the triumph of lifting the League Cup, beating QPR 3-0 in the final.

Two years later, though and they were relegated and, as Maxwell's business empire collapsed, the club's finances were once again severely challenged. Despite takeovers, the club gradually slid down the ranks during the 1990s before eventually suffering the ignominy of relegation to the Conference in 2005/06.


Stats of the Day

Our overall record against Oxford United reads:

P-10, W-2, D-3, L-5, F-12, A-21

Wed 21 Mar 2007 H League D 1-1 Forrest
Tues 16 Jan 2007 H F.A.T. W 2-1 Smeltz, Joynes
Sat 13 Jan 2007 A F.A.T. D 2-2 Foster (pen), Stamp
Sat 12 Aug 2006 A League L 0-2
Mon 27 Aug 2001 H League L 0-2
Sat 29 Dec 2001 A League L 1-6 Harsley
Sat 20 Feb 1965 H League L 1-3 Wooler
Sat 10 Oct 1964 A League L 0-1
Sat 22 Feb 1964 H League W 3-1 Fidler, Twist, Westlake
Sat 12 Oct 1963 A League D 2-2 Twist, Carlin

Town Opening Matches:

Weymouth (a) 1-2
Altrincham (h) 2-2
Histon (h) 0-0
Ebbsfleet (a) 0-1
Droylsden (h) 3-0

Oxford United Opening Matches

Forest Green (h) 1-0
Cambridge Utd (a) 1-2
Burton A (a) 2-1
Stafford R (h) 2-1
Stevenage (a) 0-0

All the odds for Saturday's game can be found at Shaymenbet

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Listen to commentary on Match Live whilst keeping a check on all the latest scores


Next Match

Town face a slightly shorter away trip to Stafford Rangers on Thursday 6th September. Kick Off 7.45pm.

By Jez Serlin