25 August : Oxford United 0 Woking 0

In a less than entertaining game today, United secured a point against the bottom side in the Blue Square Premier, due largely to a stirring performance by Jake Cole in goal. Chances were few and far between for both sides, United going close with a first half free kick from Carruthers which rattled the crossbar, and Yemi Odubade putting in a late shot which was comfortably saved.

21 August: Pre-match members' meeting - what happened?

A report of last weekend's pre-match meeting is now on the Minutes page and is also here.

The meeting featured the first issues of the results of the members' survey conducted in late July/early August. 196 of 299 adult members responded to the survey, a response rate of 66%. The notes of the meeting contain some of the headline results. A fuller report of the survey will be placed here next week. The meeting was also enlivened by the attendance for part of the time of Barry Phillips of OUFC.

The notes of the August committee meeting, held on Monday 11th, are also on the Minutes page and may be read here.

21 August : Wrexham 2 Oxford United 0

The Us went down 2-0 to Wrexham tonight, a first half goal by Steve Evans and a final minute goal by Jefferson Louis condemning United to their second away defeat of the season and deflating the optimism generated by the 6-3 home defeat of Eastbourne Borough a few days before. Luke Foster was dismissed after 10 minutes for shirt tugging which made the Us' task an uphill struggle, and despite a spirited second half fightback the team went down to its third defeat in four games to mark a poor start to the season.

13 August: Meeting Announcement

12 August : Oxford United 0 Weymouth 1

United made it two defeats in four days as they went down 0-1 to Weymouth tonight, the visitors' goal coming after just 17 minutes and, almost inevitably, from ex-local player Stuart Beavon who turned and shot into the corner. We keep saying this, but we must hope for better things on Saturday against Eastbourne Borough, and at least for our first goal of the campaign, last night's results leaving us as the only side to fail to score in the opening two games.

8 August: Barrow blues

United produced a limp performance at Barrow this evening in the opening BSP match of the season and crashed 0-3 to the newcomers, collecting a red card for James Clarke and three yellow cards in the process. It was a nightmare evening for the Us' faithful especially for those who had made the long trip north. So one down, forty five to go, and everyone will be hoping for much better things during the two home games next week.

5 August: Fixture cards

You might have taken a new season's fixture card from the OxVox 'hit squad' handing them out around the stadium before the Man Utd XI friendly and again last night before the friendly against Portsmouth. In all we managed to hand out over 2500 cards on the two occasions.

If you didn't get one, the club has a supply in stock. We'll also be looking at new ways of helping the club to get them, and other match information, available around the city and county. It's a small example of the trust assisting commercial manager Barry Phillips and his team, and we hope a fair number of the cards will have found their way to less regular supporters.

5 August: New trust ezine despatched

The first issue of the new OxVox ezine was sent to members a few days ago by our newsletter editor Matt Derbyshire, following successful importing of the membership information to our new CRM system.

As we expected, there have been a small number of initial problems setting up the new system, as well as a learning curve in using it effectively. It's possible a few members may have had difficulties opening the links to features in the ezine. If so, please let us know. We can also monitor successful delivery and we will contact anyone whose copy appears to have failed to be delivered.

Meanwhile, comments are welcome on the ease of use of the ezine, whether you could open all the links, and of course not forgetting any comments you might have on the content.

We'll post an online version on here soon, once we've worked out how!

4 August: Survey update and timetable

We're enormously grateful to the large number of our adult members who have responded to our survey.  Work on the final results has been held over pending Trevor Lambert's return from holiday today.  Responses are still coming in in ones and twos.  We therefore issued a second reminder today to members who haven't yet responded, and extended the deadline for response by 24 hours, to ensure that the maximum possible number of members have the chance to participate. 

We'll discuss the results at the committee meeting next Monday and announce them to members on Tuesday.  Meanwhile the response rate at present stands at 62% (184 of 299 adult members having replied).

24 July: News this week

We are putting the finishing touches to our new format ezine, and transferring our membership database over to our new online system. When both tasks have been completed the ezine will be sent out - we hope during the next few days.

Meanwhile, survey responses have been coming in thick and fast and we will be issuing a report very soon. We have to merge the postal returns with the internet replies, which takes a little time. The numbers replying have been excellent and well over half the members have replied, a fantastic response given we are in a holiday period outside the season and many people will be away. We are not aware of anyone having failed to receive the questionnaire, either by email or by post, so please contact us and let us know if you are a member and haven't received it.

This Saturday a small team from the trust will be handing out fixture cards for the coming season to fans at the pre-season friendly against a Manchester United XI. If you are able to help please contact us, there is always room for one or two more on the team. We are planning to repeat the exercise for the Portsmouth friendly.

14 July: Trust Members' Survey issued

An online survey has been distributed to members today. We hope this will prove to be a useful way for the Trust committee to consult members on current issues affecting the trust and its activities, and its approach to matters affecting the club.

The survey covers five areas: members' response to the trust committee's views on certain issues, a snapshot view of members' opinions about the state of the club, a vote on player sponsorship, a vote on the trust's plans to introduce a corporate partnership scheme to raise additional funds, and members' opinions on trust membership benefits.

In the first of these areas (responses to the trust committee's views), the wording of the questions makes clear the trust committee's views, and asks the members whether they agree. We're conscious that we could be accused of asking leading questions; however, we think it's important to be clear about our views. Feel free to disagree!

We intend to distribute more surveys in future months, and we will publish the results of this one as soon as they are available.

If you are a member with internet access and have not received an email, it could be because the email address we have for you is bouncing. If you think this may be the case, please email enquiries@oxvox.org.uk to let us know.

Members who have not given us an email address will receive a copy of the survey questionnaire in the post shortly.

11 July: Trust membership tops 350!

With a flurry of new members joining the trust on Fun Day, and several more fans joining online during the week, we are pleased to announce that membership has passed through 350 this week and now stands at 351.

We would like to see many more fans join up as our Membership 500 initiative continues. We are aiming to reach 500 members as quickly as we can, so please continue to encourage your friends and family members to join the trust.

From time to time we have been told that cost is a factor in discouraging some fans from joining the trust. If you are wavering, remember our £15 for 3 years offer to adult members remains open through the summer, and at just £5 a year trust membership represents excellent value.

Joining the trust is very easy and can be done instantly online through the Join OxVox link on this site, or you can print off the form you will find there for postal applications and send it in.

Thanks to all who joined recently. We are catching up with memberships and you should receive your membership information in the post very soon.

11 July: Shirt Prize Draw

It was a successful day for the trust last Saturday as many young people came to the OxVox stand and played the football Aunt Sally game (if you missed it, you missed it) and the other activities on offer, and we signed up new members and spoke to many fans about the club.

Amid the showers, new trust member Dominic Shingleton won the shirt prize draw at the Fun Day. Dominic has already pre-ordered his new shirt.

4 July: Fun Day tomorrow, and Prize Draw

Tomorrow sees the club run its annual Fun Day, and OxVox will be there running a stand on the pitch side. Come and talk to us and join in.

We'll be signing up new members to the trust, and we're running a PRIZE DRAW for a new home first team shirt for all adults who join the trust on the day, plus those who have joined since the last home match of last season.

To enter the draw you just need to join tomorrow - the draw will be held at the end of the day's events. If you are an OxVox member already and you introduce a new member tomorrow you will also qualify for the draw.

Alternatively you can still join online today and we will include anyone who joins prior to tomorrow morning, at which point it will be too late because we'll have left for the stadium.

We'll also have a number of activities going on on the stand, under the general heading of 'Fun' as befits the day, and we hope you'll come along and join in!

Here's hoping for a sunny day...

24 June: Notes notes notes

Notes of the May meeting with OUFC and the June meeting of the trust committee are now available on the minutes page.

23 June: MEMBERSHIP 500

The following message was sent out yesterday to our members. We'd like to encourage anyone thinking of joining the trust, whether or not you have previously been a member, to join during the next couple of weeks as we begin to gear up for the new season. If you join now you can do so at a low price, and stand a chance of winning a new first team shirt on Fun Day !

MEMBERSHIP 500 and the PRIZE DRAW on Saturday July 5th (Fun Day)

The Trust Committee would like the Trust to represent a larger proportion of the supporters of the football club. We have set an initial target of growing the membership from its current 336 to 500 as soon as possible. We are calling this project MEMBERSHIP 500.

We would like your help over the next two weeks to July 5th.

Please take the time to encourage your friends and relatives who support the Us to join their supporters trust.

There are two things we would like you to tell them.

1. WE HAVE A SPECIAL SUMMER OFFER WHICH LASTS UNTIL AUGUST 31ST - ADULTS CAN JOIN FOR THREE YEARS FOR ONLY £15, RATHER THAN THE NORMAL PRICE OF £20. (Our concessionary prices of £10 for three years for students and over 60s, our £5 fee for additional members at the same address as an existing member, and our junior fee of £1 to age 16 remain unchanged).

2. ON THE CLUB FUN DAY ON SATURDAY JULY 5TH THERE WILL BE A FREE PRIZE DRAW FOR AN ADULT HOME FIRST TEAM SHIRT. All new adult members signed up since the last home match of last season will be in the draw, up to and including those who join by 2pm on Fun Day.

Also, if you are already a member and you introduce a new adult member between now and the closing time, please ask the new member to mention you to us by name and we will be pleased to include you in the prize draw.

** HOW TO JOIN **

Please tell your friends and relatives that they can join the trust online in a few moments by visiting http://www.oxvox.org.uk/joinonline.htm

To join by post they can visit http://www.oxvox.org.uk/joinbypost.htm and print off an application form, and send it to us with the membership fee to the address on the form.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Regards

The OxVox Committee

10 June: Renewing members - Special Offer

September 30th is still some time away, but in introducing the offer described below we haven't forgotten the group of trust members whose memberships expire on that date this year. Please note the following, if this applies to you.

Last year we made a special offer for renewals, based on a three-year membership option, and it proved very successful.

This year we will be extending the £15 three-year offer given below, for new members, to our renewing existing members as well.

If you are one of those members, we will be contacting you individually shortly to confirm the details.

5 June: Membership special offer announced

As part of our Membership 500 drive, in which we are aiming to hit 500 members over the next few months, we are announcing a special offer of £15 for three years' membership of OxVox for all new adult members joining before the end of August.

Join now for three years and pay only £5 a year for your membership!

The offer is available online and on the postal applications form which can be downloaded from the 'Join OxVox' link on this site.

13 May: News update

With no football we've been doing our housekeeping; the notes of recent meetings we have held have been uploaded to the minutes page. This includes the minutes of the recent trust AGM, which are not easy to spot on the minutes page as it's currently formatted!

We are putting together a newsletter over the next couple of weeks which will be distributed to members around the end of the month.

Meanwhile we will be aiming to boost further the trust's membership over the summer in various ways, with a target to achieve 500 members as soon as possible.

If you are not a member but have considered joining the trust, or you would like to re-join, do so here in a matter of minutes and a membership pack will be put in the post to you within days. We need every possible supporter to join us.

We are working on a number of ways to develop the trust for next season, and thinking about our short term and medium term aims and priorities. The new committee held its first meeting on April 28th at which various ideas were discussed. We'll be following things up and consulting members very soon.

2 May: Trust's reaction to ticket price announcement

At lunchtime today OxVox issued a statement welcoming the ticket prices announced by Oxford United earlier today. The full text of the statement is available on the Press releases page accessible on the main menu.

We hope that all fans will find something attractive about the new pricing structure, particularly renewing season ticket holders who will see a reduction, families with young children, and North Standers where there are new initiatives.

The Club has enaged with the Trust throughout the process of setting the prices for next season, and we welcome this greater level of mutual communication, which has meant that the Trust's proposals have been given careful consideration and in several cases have been implemented.

The outcome in our view is a good deal for fans which we hope will translate into an excellent takeup of tickets for what we hope will be an exciting season.

1 May: Trust update

Eight new members took advantage of the trust's membership offer at the Rushden and Diamonds match, and together with another new member added this week, trust membership now stands at 332 as we go into the close season.

We continue to welcome new members. The new committee got down to business with its first meeting on Monday as we plan the next stages in the trust's growth.

Notes of Monday's meeting will be circulated to members shortly.

19 April: Membership offer on Tuesday!

The first 10 new members to join next Tuesday before the Rushden and Diamonds match will receive £5 off their membership fee.

To apply come to the Exhibition Bar ( the ground floor bar to the left of the Ticket Office) from 6.45pm on Tuesday and look out for the OxVox committee members who will sign you up.

Full details of the offer are given in our latest press release issued yesterday which is on the Press Releases page of this site.

13 April: Results of the Trust election at the AGM

The election held at yesterday's trust AGM resulted in three members being elected to the committee for the first time: Matt Derbyshire, Graham Cripps, and Simon Bradbury, and a fourth, Tim Rosser, being re-elected. Congratulations to each of them.

Six members whose membership term has yet to expire remain on the committee: Chris Davis, Neil Carter, Trevor Lambert, Jenny Cuff, Graham Hilsdon and Bob Scholes, and the committee strength rises to ten.

The Trust wishes to offer our warm thanks to Ray Whittaker for his service on the committee and his work as membership secretary, and to Martin Brodetsky (who did not seek re-relection) for his work on the committee and as trust vice-chair.

The new committee plans to meet for the first time on April 28th.

A fuller report of the AGM will be available shortly.

10 April: Preview of the Trust AGM this Saturday

The Trust's AGM is on Saturday at 1.00pm before the Farsley match.

Previous AGMs have been held away from the ground on a weekday evening, and we really hope that by moving to pre-match we will get a higher turnout of members this time. So do please come along - as well as being a formal meeting which the Trust must hold, it provides another chance for feedback and discussion about the Trust's role and for views to be expressed about the football club.

Some buffet type food will be provided so if you arrive early you will be able to enjoy a bite to eat while the meeting goes on.

We will cover the usual business of an AGM: a short review of the Trust's year, accounts will be issued, questions will be taken, and we'll hold a committee election. The five candidates for the committee will introduce themselves and four of them will be elected by secret ballot.

All members, including juniors, can attend though junior members cannot vote. The meeting will be held in the Landmark room in the stadium conference centre, entry via the spiral staircase inside the downstairs bar at the front of the South Stand.

Non-members can join the Trust on the door, attend the meeting and vote. If you've been thinking of joining but haven't yet got round to it, Saturday is a good day to choose, come along and help strengthen the Trust.

After the formal business we will talk about recent discussions we have had with the football club and take questions and comments.

3 April: Committee election

Five candidates have put themselves forward for the committee election at the Trust AGM on Saturday 12 April at 1.00pm, and with four places on the committee available there will therefore be an election at the meeting.

Members attending the meeting, other than junior members, will be issued with voting papers on arrival and will be able to vote for up to four candidates.

The five candidates are Tim Rosser, Ray Whittaker, Simon Bradbury, Matthew Derbyshire and Graham Cripps.

27 March: Reminder about closing date for committee applications

A reminder that the closing date for candidates for election to the OxVox committee is midnight next Monday, March 31st.

Applicants must be full members of the trust (i.e. not junior members) and nominations must be on the completed application form which has been sent to each member. If you have lost the form then a copy can be downloaded here. (The form is on the last page of the file).

Members of the committee will be around the ground before Saturday's match and if you wish to stand please email enquiries@oxvox.org.uk and we will arrange to meet to collect your application form and if necessary to arrange a proposer or seconder.

Please note that time is now very short to submit forms to the Abingdon address by post before the deadline.

22 March: Oxford Mail interview with Nick Merry

The Mail today carries an interview with Oxford United chairman Nick Merry on his first two years at the club. The feature includes a Q&A session using questions posed by the trust committee on behalf of our members and fans in general.

There were originally 10 questions in the list we supplied to the Mail; the full list of questions we asked is as follows:

1. What has improved in the 2 years you have been chairman and what single improvement do you expect to see in the next 12 months?
2. What does the club need to do differently to produce a promotion-winning side next season?
3. Why does the club seem to have difficulty attracting the best non-league players ?
4. What is your analysis of why Oxford United, the club with the highest level of resources in non-league football, lies fifteenth in the table?
5. What would you say to supporters to avoid a season ticket sales meltdown next season?
6. Why are you unwilling to seek the help of the supporters trust?
7. Has there been any real progress with the acquisition of the stadium and conference centre?
8. What is the club doing to improve its marketing effort to supporters and the business community ?
9. The club is making enormous losses. How long are you able or willing to continue supporting these losses, and do you have a plan to reduce them and make the club more self-sustaining?
10. Will you hold a fans forum before the end of the season?

The article reports answers to the majority of the above questions. However a few are omitted and we would like to confirm the list as supplied. We don't know whether some are omitted because they weren't asked, or there was a lack of space, or no answers were given.

20 March: Meeting held with OUFC

The OxVox committee met yesterday evening with OUFC.

The meeting was attended by Nick Merry, Simon Lenagan and Mick Brown from the football club, and by Trevor Lambert, Tim Rosser, Chris Davis and Ray Whittaker from the trust. Notes of the meeting have been written and are with the club for comment prior to distribution to members. We believe the meeting was frank, positive and constructive; more news will be distributed shortly.

16 March: Meeting arranged with OUFC

We're pleased to confirm that a meeting has now been arranged between the trust committee and OUFC and will be held late on Wednesday 19 March.

Simon Lenagan and Mick Brown will be representing the football club at the meeting.

15 March: AGM information - please let us know if you haven't received it

AGM information has now been sent by email or post to all adult members. In the email we asked members to reply to confirm receipt of the information. Thanks to the many members who have already done so.

We have to make all reasonable efforts to ensure that members receive the AGM notices, and for those members with email where we do not receive confirmation, we will be posting copies shortly. If you have not replied yet, please email, to avoid us wasting postage.

Two members have also emailed having difficulty opening the attached pdf file. If this applies to you as well, please let us know and we will send an alternative format.

12 March: More members added to the trust

There is something good to say about Saturday, in that the leafletting and membership drive in the East Stand and South Stand Upper resulted in some new members coming on board, lifting the trust membership to 334.

We will be sending joining packs to all new members later this week and full information about the trust AGM will be circulated in the next couple of days.

Meanwhile we are still pursuing a meeting with the club...

6 March: Membership drive planned for Saturday 8th

Look out on Saturday for members of the trust and trust committee, who will be out and about around the ground on Saturday before the match handing out leaflets about the trust, and signing up new members.

Please take this opportunity to help to give the membership of the trust a further boost.

If you are not already a member of the trust this is a good opportunity to join and meet one or two of the other members.

If you are a member, encourage your friends and relatives attending the match to come and join the trust.

29 February: News update

Despite our best efforts it hasn't been possible as yet to arrange a new meeting between trust and club, or to secure a fans' forum. We have been in contact with the club on this over the last two weeks, though many of their staff have been away, and we will continue to do so, and hope to have some news next week.

The trust committee meets next Monday evening, 3 March. Apart from discussing relations with the club, we will plan a membership leafletting operation for next Saturday, and finalise arrangements for the trust AGM.

During the last two weeks we have also been putting together some positive ideas for marketing the club, both with a view to next season and the remainder of this season, and we are seeking an opportunity to present those ideas to the club. We want to involve our members and fans who are not members too in the process, and we'll be finding ways of doing that e.g. by fourms, in the next week or so. Meanwhile specific suggestions are welcome to enquiries@oxvox.org.uk .

The date of the trust's AGM will be Saturday April 12th at 1.00pm before the Farsley Celtic home game. Details and nomination forms for the committee election will be sent to all members soon. We hope there will be a high attendance and that some new faces will put themselves forward for the committee.

Next Tuesday, 4 March, members of the Trust committee are meeting Rachel Horwood and Roger Bailey of the stadium company. If anyone would like us to raise issues about the stadium facilities please let us know by email to enquiries@oxvox.org.uk .

17 February: Membership increase continues

The growth in trust membership continues, with a welcome eight new members joining the trust over the weekend, lifting the total membership to 320. If you aren't yet a member, please join us. You can join online here.

On the field, having beaten Droylsden 1-0 yesterday, United now have a 2 week break until the match away to Forest Green Rovers on 1 March.

The trust committee will be using the break as a chance to plan new ways of boosting the membership, developing proposals to assist the club's marketing, and seeking a new meeting with the club to communicate our concerns, and proposals, for the future. We also have our annual general meeting and elections to the trust committee to plan, and we'll shortly be confirming the arrangements. We'll be in touch with members shortly on these issues.

9 February: Members' meeting

The members' meeting this afternoon before the Histon game discussed the trust's recent meeting with Nick Merry and the issues raised, the club's financial position, trust membership issues including ways of building up the membership to include much greater numbers of fans, ways in which the trust members could assist the club commercially, and the trust's AGM and committee elections planned for next month. There will be a report after the weekend.

There was again a good attendance and some positive suggestions from members which the committee will aim to take forward.

Meanwhile, new members continue to join the trust and we warmly welcome the increasing number of fans who are coming forward to support us.

9 February : Oxford United 3 Histon 0

A lively United side recorded one of their best wins of the season this afternoon over Histon to avenge the defeat there in early October. An eventful game saw Billy Turley save two first half penalties, the first after just 14 minutes and the second two minutes after Matt Green's excellent opening goal. A second goal came shortly before the break when Howard was left with a clear sight of goal from the corner of the box and fired a fierce shot into the top left corner of the goal. The second half was not so eventful as the first, but the Us kept their shape and determination and were rewarded with a third goal, and Matt Green's second, seven mintes from the end. An entertaining game in the sun for a good crowd of 4,851 swelled by many junior fans.

7 February: Further membership boost for the trust

Another mini-surge of new members this week has seen the total number of members displayed on the page banner pass 300 for the first time.

This is a small staging post along the way to seeing the trust grow into a much larger and more effective independent supporters organisation.

If you haven't joined yet, please do so. If you have friends who may join, please encourage them to do so too.

There is no better time than now to join the trust and add your input and support; there are fundamental concerns about the club's status and future and a strong fans' organisation is vital.

The small print: we own up to there being, as the banner details, 14 members included in the total whose renewal fees are overdue, who have not declared whether they wish to retain their memberships. We will be in touch with them once again very shortly.

Pre-match meeting this Saturday, 9 February, 1.30-2.15

Come to OUR NEXT PRE-MATCH MEETING

WHERE:The Landmark Room (above the Exhibition Bar)

WHEN: Saturday 9 February 2008 at 1.30pm (before the Histon match)

We plan this time to have an open discussion of two main topics:

1. Meeting of the trust committee and Nick Merry

2. Commercial focus

We'll also mention arrangements for the trust's AGM and committee elections, which we aim to hold in late March.

Members' meeting: non-members can join on the door.

29 January: New members added, and meetings

Welcome to the trust to a number of new members who joined over the weekend. We are delighted to have you aboard. We have some catching up to do with our post and email contacts to new members, which we will process over the next few days. So don't be too concerned if you don't hear from us for a few days after you join, please bear with us.

28 January: New members boost the trust

Membership numbers are rising and OxVox is within sight of 300 members for the first time.

Last Friday we updated the membership tally on our heading banner, which had remained unchanged since the end of our financial year on 30 September.

We'll now aim to update it much more frequently.

This is an excellent time to join the supporters trust. We warmly welcome all supporters who want to help us to build an effective representative and independent fans' organisation.

It takes only a few minutes to join here.

25 January : Oxford United 0 Grays Athletic 0

United and Grays fought out a goalless draw today in front of a crowd boosted by initiatives both by the club and the fans: free tickets for accompanied children, a scarves promotion and a supporter's campaign to encourage fans to attend. Fans were rewarded with a combative and committed performance by a new-look United side boosted by three new signings. Goal chances however were few in number, and former Us player Standing's shot from distance against the woodwork was the nearest either side came to breaking the deadlock.

23 January: Press release issued

The trust today released a statement which can be read on the press releases page.

The theme of the statement is communication, and following the trust committee's meeting last week with club chairman Nick Merry, and co-investor Ian Lenagan's radio interview earlier this week, we look for further steps from the club to open up a dialogue with the trust and with supporters in general, including a fans forum.

We also take the view that the club needs to be looking outwards, and towards next season, in terms of strengthening its commercial sales and marketing operation, as another aspect of its communication with its local community, and we offer the trust's help.

20 January : Exeter City 2 Oxford United 0

United renewed their acquaintance with Exeter City tonight at St James' Park and were undone by two well-taken first half goals by Adam Stansfield. It was a young side fielded by Darren Patterson in the absence of four suspended players, and a back line of Weedon, Day, Foster and Clarke found it hard going against the experienced Exeter front pair of Stansfield and Steve Basham. In midfield Pettefer, Trainer, and the returning Anaclet and Rose similarly had a hard time of it, with the latter two tiring in their first games back after long lay-offs, and they struggled to provide service to Duffy and Fisher up front. Once the two goals went in there was an air of inevitability about proceedings, and although the Us' competed rather better in the second half they showed little goal threat and Exeter were rarely extended.

12 January : Salisbury City 3 Oxford United 1

United were well beaten today by a lively Salisbury side as they produced the latest in a series of weak away performances. Clarke, Pettefer and Corcoran returned to the starting line-up, allowing Corcoran and Foster to resume their partnership in central defence, Clarke and Jeannin as full backs, with Quinn stepping up into central midfield alongside Adam Murray. Pettefer started wide right with Trainer wide left, leaving Duffy and Odubade as the striking pair.  Both sides started brightly in the winter sunshine, but Salisbury were winning the midfield battle and were more effective with long throw-ins and set pieces and collecting the all-important ‘second ball’. Duffy was winning balls in the air which he flicked on to no-one in particular, rather than being held to bring others into the play. United paid the price after 30 minutes when Turley came for and misjudged a long ball pumped back into the box following a clearance, and it glanced off Barnes’ head to bounce apologetically into the net. Two minutes from the break the game was effectively surrendered when a weak clearance to the edge of the box was pounced upon by Brown who angled a shot home as the away defence watched. There had been little for the huge away following to applaud, but the game being more or less lost, the second half was something of an improvement. Jeannin and Trainer were withdrawn at half time to be replaced by Fisher and Weedon, and the home-grown youth pair offered a glimpse of the future for the football club and helped revitalise the team.  However Salisbury continued to have the edge in midfield and attack, and United collected a string of bookings attempting to contain them. On 53 minutes Duffy suffered the ultimate indignity of being replaced up front by Eddie Hutchinson, giving the Us surely their strangest ever 3-man attack. But to his credit Hutchinson won the ball and fed Odubade, who for once did not panic in front of goal and finished tidily on 77 minutes to give the fans hope. Sadly, it was all in vain as Salisbury immediately broke forward from the restart and scored a third via a looping shot from Brown which appeared to take a deflection from Foster. The result confirmed that there will be no late surge towards the playoffs for this squad, and underlined the importance for the football club and its Chairman and Board of preparing for a third season in the Conference, and communicating its plans to the ever-patient Us’ supporters, who surely deserve better than the fare currently on offer.

Pre-match meeting this Saturday, 1.30-2.15

Come to OUR NEXT PRE-MATCH MEETING

WHERE:The Landmark Room (above the Exhibition Bar)

WHEN: Saturday 5 January 2008 at 1.30pm (before the Altrincham match)

A chance to share your views on recent events at the club and to hear from the Trust committee. We hope to have a visitor from Supporters Direct.

There will be food !

We want to use the meeting above to discuss the club's situation on and off the field and look at a positive and proactive stance by the trust. Maybe we'll approach it be reviewing some of the pieces in the newsletter just issued and discussing your comments. Or maybe you'd like to discuss other things.

As well as inviting trust members, this time if you are not a member but may have thought of joining we invite you to come along too. At one level, our view at this point is that the club needs all the constructive help it can get! We hope to have someone along from Supporters Direct, the umbrella organisation for supporters trusts, who can say something about the role of a trust and why it is helpful to have a strong trust membership.

1 January : Crawley 2 Oxford United 0

Click on the image to download the pdf file

The trust's latest Newsletter, Issue 14, was sent to all members by email or post over the holiday period. If you are a member and have not received the newsletter please let us know. The Newsletter is now available for general downloading by clicking on the front page image to the left or via the newletters page via the link on the left hand menu. In the editorial we voice our deep concern about the financial and on-field situations at the club and the continued uncertainty about the stadium sale. The trust restates its willingness to meet with Nick Merry and Ian Lenagan, to discuss the future and positive ways in which the trust and supporters can assist the club at this difficult time. In an article on the club finances we attempt to project forward the potential financial out-turn for the club in the current season. We also review the situation on the field and the need to improve the squad in the transfer window and beyond. The trust committee very much welcomes input from United fans, whether or not you are a member of the trust, and we urge as many fans as possible to join the trust and lend your support, opinions and ideas.

1 January : Crawley 2 Oxford United 0

United produced an indifferent performance in the return match against Crawley this afternoon and again fired blanks in front of goal. Ex-United player Jamie Cook scored from distance catching Billy Turley off his line just after the hour, and three minutes later scored his second from the penalty spot when Barry Quinn brought down a home player. Quinn received his marching orders and will miss Saturday's game at home to Altrincham. The Us' disappointing form means that most fans will see the remaining hopes of a surge towards the playoffs in the second half of the season receding into the distance.

31 December: Happy New Year!

We wish all Us supporters a very happy 2008 and second half of the season, starting tomorrow, we hope, with the return match at Crawley. United's Christmas programme so far has been successful from a defensive point of view, but chances have continued to be few and far between. The hard-fought 1-0 home win against Crawley on Boxing Day saw an end to the goalless run, but there was little to enthuse the crowd and it was clear that some creativity in midfield and a goalscorer are priorities for Darren Patterson during the transfer window, if the season is not to peter out into mid-table obscurity. Phil Trainer took his goal well, but it was one of the few moments of entertainment of the afternoon and the win was secured with some determined defending in the latter stages and a number of fine saves by Billy Turley. The Kidderminster match on Saturday was if anything rather more dour with the visitors looking the more measured side and the Us perhaps suffering from a reshuffle necessitated by Foster's suspension. A second clean sheet gives Patterson something to build on, and it is often said that a successful side has to be built from the back. Gary Twigg's departure may create a bit of headroom in the budget and fans will be looking for a good replacement.

22 December: Aldershot 1 Oxford United 0

The Us' goalless run continued at Aldershot today as they went out of the Setanta Shield by a single goal and failed to bring any pre-Christmas cheer for United fans. The anticipated heavy defeat did not materialise against the league leaders, but the end result was familiar though chances were created particularly in a frantic last few minutes which included four minutes of injury time. A bright spot was the debut for Matt Taylor towards the end of the match.

18 December: Tonbridge Angels 1 Oxford United 0

Well, the chance was there to put things right but it was snubbed. Another disastrous match for Oxford United ended with victory for the home side, as they dumped United out of the FA Trophy to demonstrate that the draw on Saturday was no fluke. Despite producing a number of second half chances the side were unable to score and recover from a first half goal. Sam Worrall had a sound debut in the Oxford goal and had no chance with the goal. Again the midfield and forward deficiencies were apparent and it is now 420 minutes since a goal was scored.

17 December: Oxford United 0 Tonbridge Angels 0

It has taken us two days to recover from this latest embarrassment for the Us, which rounded off a week to forget. Following a poor 0-1 defeat at Northwich and a 0-3 drubbing at Southend, surely a home Trophy game against a part-time side from 2 divisions below would be a golden opportunity to get back to winning ways, or at least to score a goal? Alas, it was not to be as United produced a desperate performance devoid of goal threat in front of a tiny crowd in freezing conditions. Credit to the part-timers who defended stoutly when called upon, and broke forward when the opportunity presented, buoyed by their 220 travelling fans. But really this was a game which should have been won at a canter, and is further evidence that the squad as it stands is simply not good enough. Darren Patterson speaking afterwards could not disguise his anger and disappointment and he knows, after this week of shame, that he has a massive task of rebuilding to do. At least there is the chance to put things right in this tie on Tuesday with the replay.

15 December: Pete G's latest thoughts

Columnist Pete's latest article is here.

11 December: Southend United 3 Oxford United 0

The Us not unexpectedly went out of the FA Cup tonight at Roots Hall in front of a small crowd more reminiscent of the Conference than League 1. The first half goals came from McDonald whose shot was deflected past Billy Turley after just four minutes, and a penalty converted by Morgan during first half injury time. Turley had already saved a penalty minutes before from McDonald which he conceded by bringing down a home striker. The booking he was given will probably rule him out of the Setanta Shield game on Saturday week through suspension. United struggled to make headway as Southend missed a hatful of chances throughout the game as the difference in status and class between the two sides became apparent. Some of the Southend misses in the final minutes as United tired defied belief, the on-loan Luton striker Morgan being the chief culprit. Eventually McDonald headed into the net in the final minute to make the score more representative of the balance of play. Bright spots for United included the return to the side of Rob Duffy, the game was a good learning experience for the younger players in the squad, and Turley had a fine game. The Us best chance was a shot from distance by Yemi which skimmed the bar. Six United players were booked, earning the club a fine of £750.

8 December: Northwich Victoria 1 Oxford United 0

A depleted United side produced a poor performance in driving wind and rain at Northwich, and lost the game through a goal from Lee Steele, whose turn and low shot in the 37th minute was a touch of class out of keeping with the rest of the match. This was Conference football in the raw - steeply banked, wet and slippery standing terrace, an almost complete lack of food, a tiny crowd with little atmosphere - and there would have been little to interest other than diehards fans of the two clubs. The overall entertainment factor was miniscule as both sides struggled to do teh basics - control the ball and keep it on the pitch. Some of the more abject performances in the United side will have confirmed to United boss Darren Patterson that he has a big job on his hands in producing a winning team from the current squad. The afternoon went from bad to worse for United as first on-loan striker Matt Green broke a collar bone in the early minutes, then the Us conceded, and the afternoon was capped 20 minutes from time when Anaclet suffered a dislocated shoulder and Alex Jeannin received a second yellow card in a scuffle which ensued. The Us' only chance of note came when Yemi was put clear by a flick from Barnes shortly after half time, but he scuffed his shot horribly and the home keeper made a comfortable block. Slightly more promising features were a generally solid back four, with Clarke and Foster continuing to impress, and a cameo from Ledgister which showed he has potential to beat players with the ball, though his crossing lacked accuracy.

7 December: Updates, updates, updates

Some information overload for you on this site today as we play catch up on the Minutes page, and put up accounts of recent meetings and events.

First there are notes of the October and November committee meetings. The next one is on Monday (10 December) so if you want to bring anything ot the committee's attention, please do so by email.

Then there is the report of the Members' meeting held on 17 November before the Southend match.

We also had a useful meeting with Rachel Harwood and Roger Bailey of the Stadium Company on 7 November.

At that meeting we gave them a copy of the report of our members survey on stadium catering in which 85 trust members took part. We've arranged a follow up meeting on 9 January 2008 at which we'll pick up on the main issues.

1 December: FA Cup Round 2: Oxford United 0 Southend 0

24 November: Kidderminster Harriers 0 Oxford United 2

Darren Patterson made it two victories out of three in his new spell as United manager, as the team secured a workmanlike win at Kidderminster in an incident-packed match. A new-look team included home-grown youth team player James Clarke and new loan player Matt Green making their debuts from the start. There were a number of heavy challenges in the midfield as both sides strove to take control. On 25 minutes home player Richards headed against the bar with Turley beaten. United took the lead on 32 minutes when a fine run by Clarke freed Anaclet who crossed to Green, whose scuffed shot turned into an assist as he gathered the ball, and second time made no mistake. Immediately afterwards there was controversy as referee Langford showed Kiddy top scorer Constable a red card for a challenge on Clarke which appeared to merit a booking at most. Tackles were flying in as players appeared to lose confidence in the referee's decision making, but Pettefer was astonishingly red-carded for a routine midfield challenge on the stroke of half-time. In the second half the match became a tense affair with the next goal likely to decide the outcome. The second loanee of the week, Ashley Barnes, replaced Yemi shortly after the restart to play as a lone forward, and Gary Twigg made a welcome return on 57 minutes replacing the tiring Green. United's second came on 69 minutes as a Jeannin free kick found the head of Barnes who glanced the ball home. The clean sheet was preserved in a battling performance through the final quarter hour, with Quinn and Foster in fine form.

22 November: Pete G's thoughts on Patto's appointment

Read our regular columnist Pete G's thoughts on Patto's appointment here.

21November: Meeting with club postponed

Yesterday's scheduled meeting with the club was postponed at short notice by the club owing to Ian Lenagan's involvement with the funeral arrangements for Mike Gregory, the former Wigan Warriors coach, who died on Monday from motor neurone disease.

We are seeking a new meeting date with the club at the earliest opportunity and we will inform members as soon as one is arranged.

17 November: Oxford United 0 Ebbsfleet United 0

The Us recorded their sixth home draw out of ten home matches this season in the Blue Square Premier league in a closely fought game against Ebbsfleet United. Chances were few in the first half as the away side were effective defensively, and the home front pair of Yemi and Kieran St Aimee struggled to make an impression without a great deal of support from midfield. The three centre backs formation was dropped for the second half (and perhaps, who knows, permanently?) and a rather makeshift 4-4-2 formation, featuring Collins at right back and Trainer wide on the left, offered a few more attacking possibilities. It was visiting keeper Cronin's turn to shine as he denied Trainer who headed strongly from an Anaclet cross. Quinn was lucky to escape a red card when he miscued a pass to Eribenne who bore down on goal and was held back denying, a clear goalscoring chance. United came within a whisker of scoring when Anaclet pivoted in the area and struck the foot of the post, only for Yemi to hit the reboubnd into the side netting. With ten minutes to go Duffy came only to be red-carded within seconds, perhaps for kicking an opponent. The final ten minutes were pulsating as the Us took the initiative despite having 10 men, and Pettefeer was denied the winner by Cronin. In the dying minutes Turley made an excellent save to preserve United's point and clean sheet.

14 November: Saturday's meeting for Trust members

A reminder that this Saturday before the match against Ebbsfleet United there will be a meeting for members of the trust from 1.30 to 2.15pm in the Landmark Room in the Conference Centre.

Details have been emailed today to members and local media have been notified. If you are aware of members who may not know of the meeting please inform them.

We look forward to seeing as many members of the trust as possible at the meeting, which is an opportunity for members to give feedback to the trust committee on the important issues affecting the club, ahead of the next meeting with the club.

Fans who are not members of the supporters trust are invited to come and join on the day and attend the meeting.

11 November: FA Cup Round 2 draw

United have today been drawn at home against Southend United in Round 2 of the FA Cup, the tie to be played on the weekend of 1/2 December.

10 November: Oxford United 3 Northwich Victoria 1

The Us marked Darren Patterson's appointment as manager with a workmanlike victory in the first round proper of the FA Cup at home to Northwich Victoria today. Over 200 visiting fans made the trip, a good turnout given their team had lost all its away matches, and they added to the atmosphere in a small crod of just under 3000. United made an excellent start when Trainer crossed for Jeannin to head home from close range after 7 minutes. Despite having a measure of control for most of the first half, United conceded an equaliser on 39 minutes when their right side opened up for Horrocks to cross to the unmarked Williams who scored from close in. The home side recovered the initiative just before the break when a long ball found Yemi who advanced only to be fouled in the box as he shaped to shoot. He made no mistake with the penalty. The second half saw the Us much more in control of the game and a second equaliser never looked likely. Anaclet returned from injury just after the hour, with Fisher coming on with 15 minutes or so to go, and the two young local players combined for the third goal on 86 minutes as Fisher broke free on the left and crossed first time along the ground for Anaclet to convert at the far post.

9 November: Darren Patterson appointed as manager

Darren Patterson was today appointed as Us manager to succeed Jim Smith, who remains at the club as a Director. Darren takes charge of the team for tomorrow's FA Cup Round 1 tie at home to Northwich Victoria, and Us' fans will wish him well tomorrow and in the weeks to come as he attempts to restart the club's flagging season. It is unclear at this point whether other candidates were considered and interviewed for the post. Patterson steps up from assistant manager and broad hints were dropped at the last fans' forum, at which he spoke very clearly and intelligently in response to a range of questions, that he would eventually succeed to the post of manager. Jim Smith's legacy at Oxford United is assured, as our most successful manager in the 1980s, and despite the mid-season slump last season he was very nearly successful in taking the club back into the League at the first attempt, failing in the play-off semi-final on penalties against Exeter City. But this season things have not gone as well, and last week's 5-0 drubbing at Rushden proved to be the last straw. We hope there will be an occasion at which Jim's contribution to the club as manager is formally recognised.

2 November: Trust statement issued - A Time for Change

The trust has today made a statement calling on club chairman Nick Merry to consider the manager's position following last night's ludicrous performance against Rushden and Diamonds.

2 November: Pete G writes

The latest article by our regular columnist Pete G is published today and was written overnight in the wake of the Rushden debacle. This one and all previous articles in the series can be read via the menu link or here.

2 November: Rushden and Diamonds 5 Oxford United 0

It was an evening to forget for the Us at Rushden last night as the club recorded its worst Conference result with a dire televised performance which was witnessed in person by just over 400 visiting fans. Three goals were conceded in the first 14 minutes to bring back memories of the similarly hapless performance under Brian Talbot in the corresponding fixture a few years ago. Simeon Jackson opened the scoring on 4 minutes, his hopeful long shot beating Billy Turley who appeared slow to get down to a shot at his left-hand post. Things got worse a few minutes later as former United player Martin Foster scored via a deflection from Matt Day with Turley again apparently slow to react. On 14 minutes Craig McAllister, on loan from Grays Athletic, embarrassingly outpaced a struggling Chris Willmott to arrive in the box unattended and lob over Turley who remained rooted to the spot, though in truth he probably had little chance. Somehow the Us managed to avoid conceded a fourth in the first half. The second half began with Gilchrist and Jeannin, returning to the team after injury and suspension respectively, being substituted by Pettefer and Yemi. Normal service was resumed after six minutes of the second half with Burgess getting another cheap goal, this one an in-off courtesy of the unlucky St Aimee who was making his debut for the Us on loan from QPR. The final goal came after 65 minutes when Jackson embarked on a solo run, slaloming through the Us' 'defence' with ease and finishing with a fine strike which gave Turley no chance. To his credit, Jordan Rhodes continued running for the full 90 minutes and trying to make things happen. You have to wonder what this young man could achieve if surrounded by better players. Yemi also was lively when he was introduced. Alex Fisher was given a few minutes' run out at the end with St Aimee making way. Gallows humour relieved the United fans, some of whom were reduced to cheering imaginary goals and dancing the conga as a diversion from what was happening on the pitch. The club now has 10 days to recover from this shameful episode and the pressure inevitably will increase on manager Jim Smith.

28 October: FA Cup 4th qualifying round

The Us squeezed past Merthyr Tydfil 2-1 yesterday in the fourth qualifying round of the FA Cup yesterday courtesy of two fine goals from on-loan striker Jordan Rhodes. In the first round proper a week on Saturday United will play bottom BSP side Northwich Victoria at home, a golden opportunity to reach the second round if ever there was one. The home side was reduced to ten men shortly before the break and at times their play could be described as, er, robust. Rhodes scored his first ten minutes after the break with an angled shot from the edge of the area which dipped and curled to leave the home keeper stranded. The sort of goal which would have had Premiership commentators raving, it could conceivably have been intended as a cross, but frankly who cares? The lead did not stand for long, and the Us defence was breached (in fact, went oddly awol) allowing Harris to cross from the right for Watkins to tap home. The scope for total embarrassment was there, as long throws, the home side's most potent weapon, were repeatedly dealt with poorly and the chance of a lucky bounce in the area came again and again. Ten minutes from the end, however, Rhodes put an end to all the nonsense when he picked up a ball on the edge of the area in front of goal, turned, and fired sweetly home along the ground inside the keeper's left hand post.

26 October: Links...

The links page on the site has been updated and now includes links to the websites of all BSP clubs and, where they exist, links to supporters trust sites for BSP clubs.

We also list some of the main Us-related sites but we have no doubt missed a fair number. We're mainly interested in listing ones that are current and regularly updated. If your favourite Us-related site is not listed please let us know by email to webmaster@oxvox.org.uk.

25 October: Pete G writes

The latest article by our regular columnist Pete G is published today. This one and all previous articles in the series can be read via the menu link or here.

21 October: Oxford United 0 Woking 0

United and Woking fought out a goalless draw yesterday in the autumn sunshine. In a lively opening spell Woking could have easily taken the lead as they hit the woodwork on two occasions and were denied by two superb saves by Billy Turley from Tom Hutchinson, twin brother of Eddie, and Jay Gasson. The Us recovered rather after their poor opening period but lacked bite in attack. Although they were playing 4-4-2 the wide players Jeannin and Pettefer did very little to open up the Woking defence, and the inexperienced front pair of Yemi Odubade and Jordan Rhodes struggled to make an impression. At half time Hutchinson replaced Pettefer and Standing was give a rare 45 minutes with Willmott making way, as the formation changed to something resembling 4-3-3 (we think!). A bright spot for the future was that Alex Fisher was given a few minutes when he replaced Rhodes near the end as the game fizzled out to a disappointing stalemate.

15 October: Farsley Celtic 0 Oxford United 1

United achieved a more positive outcome in Leeds yesterday as they produced a decent attacking display in the second half and emerged with three points courtesy of a Phil Trainer goal on 54 minutes. Trainer latched on to a loose ball after debutant Rhodes, who had a fine game, headed down a cross from Phil Gilchrist. Farsley Celtic were an energetic side with a shot from the lively Tuck hitting the bar just on half time, and the same player striking the post in the second half with 15 minutes to go, and again going close in the final minutes. With Willmott and Gilchrist growing in assurance as the game went on, this was an encouraging performance and result, though it needs to be repeated on Saturday against Woking if it is to mean anything.

12 October: Oxford United 3 Torquay 3

An astonishing second half collapse last night saw United concede a three goal halftime lead and end the match in disarray and hanging on to a scarcely deserved point, adding to the pressure on under-fire manager Jim Smith. Torquay began the match the more confident and could have scored, before on 15 minutes Eddie Hutchinson got his head to a Jeannin free kick to deflect the ball past Rayner in the visitors' goal. Better followed three minutes later as Yemi Odubade swept home following a defensive mix-up. On 45 minutes Yemi scored again when a hoofed Trainer clearance fell into his path and he made no mistake with the 1-on-1 on Rayner, to take the Us into an improbable and flattering three-goal lead against the weekend table-toppers. The half-time team talk would have been better omitted, whatever was said, as the Us emerged and proceeded to put on a collective horror show to match anything seen so far this season. Torquay to their credit took the game by the scruff of the neck, and with nothing to lose poured forward in wave after wave of attacks. But United offered little counter-play, and the inevitable first goal arrived on 57 minutes when Turley uncharacteristically failed to collect the ball cleanly under pressure from Chris Hargreaves, leaving Welsh with a tap-in. It got worse after that as the Us defence visibly ran out of steam, with the strange substitutions of Foster and Hutchinson adding to the problems in the midfield, and the obviously exhausted Trainer and Pettefer struggling to stem the tide while Stadning and Rose kicked their heels on the bench. The talk on the terraces at this stage was whether the Us could hold on to a point, surely the most unlikely discussion to be having with your side two goals up at home with less than 20 minutes to go? The Torquay goals duly arrived with dull inevitability. With a sense of resignation we note that former Us players Zebroski and Sills scored in the 79th and 89th minutes respectively, to cap an evening that few will forget but few wish to remember. Our regular columnist Pete G has written his own take on events, so if you can bear to read more, his contribution is here.

10 October: Meeting notes

Notes of the recent Members' Meeting, the September committee meeting (which includes notes of the discussion with Thames Valley Police), and the meeting held with the stadium company, are now on the minutes page.

6 October: Droylsden 3 Oxford United 1

United produced another poor performance in front of the Setanta cameras in Manchester this evening and slumped to a 3-0 deficit before a consolation goal from Yemi in the dying minutes. Droylsden attacked from the start and took the game to United. A routine cross from the lively Banim in the 15th minute eluded the reshuffled Us back line and Daly had the simplest of tasks to nod in unattended from four yards. The Us improved to some extent either side of half time and enjoyed a little spell of pressure in the first 15 minutes of the second half. However, the home side scored a second on the hour when Jeannin was adjudged to have fouled Denham just inside the box as he raced through on goal. Up stepped Banim to convert the penalty confidently to Turley's right. The points looked safe for Droylsden at that stage and were put beyond doubt when they took advantage of further weak defending to release McGuire, who rolled a soft shot under Turley's body with five minutes to go. To say it was disappointing is an understatement; given the host club's previous form it was an embarrassment. Droylsden had lost their previous eleven, and in this single game took their tally of home goals from four (in six games) to seven. The match against leaders Torquay looms on Thursday and it will take a massive turnround in another televised Setanta encounter if United are to avoid a similar outcome.

2 October: Press Release issued

The trust has issued a press release today asking club Chairman Nick Merry to make a statement about the future of the football club, the management, and the team.

The statement is on the press releases page of this site, which can be accessed here or via the link on the left hand menu.

30 September: Oxford United 1 York City 1

United needlessly dropped two home points today against an indifferent York City side. York began brightly and had the better of the opening exchanges as a Brayson header hit the bar with Turley stranded. On 30 minutes a Corcoran foul on the same York player conceded a penalty, but Turley rose to the occasion to push the spot kick from Elliott round his left hand post. The Us rallied and on 36 minutes Corcoran rose at the far post to head home from a Jeannin free kick after Odubade had been fouled on the right hand edge of the box. A few minutes later Duffy collided with the York keeper and sustained an arm injury which meant he had to leave the field to be replaced by fit-again Gary Twigg. Into the second half and on 55 minutes Barry Quinn had to depart with a leg injury, which signalled the welcome return after a year of Chris Willmott. Sadly it was a familiar story as the Us failed to build on a lead and were pegged back in the closing minutes. On 81 minutes Sodje was allowed to head in unchallenged due to a defensive mix-up, from a corner needlessly conceded by Matt Day. This result and the unconvincing performance will increase the pressure on manager Jim Smith, and on this showing it is hard to see the squad mounting a serious promotion bid this season.

28 September: Pete G's latest article

Read Pete G's thoughts on the last two weeks here.

25 September: Oxford United 2 Salisbury City 1

United began the process of recovery in the Blue Square Premier tonight with a hard-fought win over a very physical Salisbury City side. Yemi Odubade partnered Rob Duffy up front and the pair began brightly and showed signs of linking up well. The bright start bore fruit on 19 minutes as Duffy flicked on to find Yemi in space and with time to find the corner of the net with a well placed effort. Despite further pressure the second goal refused to come and Salisbury gradually came more into the game. Anaclet with a side footed shot and Duffy with a header went close, but it was Salisbury who scored on 50 minutes from a set piece. the Us defence failed to clear a long throw into the box and allowed visiting player Cook to turn in the box and place a hopeful effort into the net past a diving Billy Turley. This might have been the signal for capitulation by the Us, but spurred on by the home crowd they rallied, and on 78 minutes Duffy was felled in the box by keeper Clarke. Duffy was his usual reliable self with the penalty, converting with aplomb to give Us the lead. The final minutes were negotiated safely, five minutes of injury time were added, and Salisbury's Clay earned himself a straight red card for a two-footed challenge on Jeannin in the corner in the dying seconds. The Us face a similar task at home to York City on Sunday when another win is required to avoid slipping too far off the pace.

20 September: Histon 1 Oxford United 0

United's season plumbed new depths last night as they lost 1-0 to part-time Histon who had played Torquay 48 hours earlier. There was little fight from the United players and this will rank as one of the worst results in the club's history. Without a game this weekend, United could move even lower in the table than their current position of 11th, but will have another opportunity to begin the process of putting things right with 2 home games next week against modest opposition in Salisbury and York City.

20 September: OxVox and FB Contracts 'Car Leasing' Partnership

OxVox is ple