HD

September Stats

Grimsby 0-2 Oxford United Harper, Partridge
Oxford United 2-0 Torquay Boto, Tejan-Sie
Oxford United 1-1 Aldershot Boto
Cheltenham 1-1 Oxford United Johnson
Peterbrough 2-1 Oxford United A.Williams
Oxford United 4-0 Wycombe Boto, Black(2), Meredith

No transfer activity.

HD

ALAS! A crash has cost me the last two results. I say a crash - IE was updating itself and restarted the machine without warning when I was 1-0 up at half time away to 2nd placed Rochdale in the first game of October. Will hols up to that game and post revised STATS in due course...

HD

September Stats

Grimsby 0-2 Oxford United Harper, Partridge
Oxford United 2-0 Torquay Boto, Tejan-Sie
Oxford United 1-1 Aldershot Boto
Cheltenham 1-1 Oxford United Johnson
Peterbrough 0-1 Oxford United Black
Oxford United 0-4 Wycombe

No transfer activity.

An eight goal swing...

HD

October 2008

Tony Boto's strike edged Oxford to a dramatic 1-0 win at high-flying Rochdale, but the exertions were clearly all too much as Barnet came to the Kassam and won easily on the subsequent Tuesday night. Struggling Halifax, even away, ought to have provided a tonic, but it was a struggle throughout, and only two moments of genius in an eleven minute spell from Tommy Tejan-Sie kept Oxford heads above water. First he swept home a stunning free kick to open the scoring on 58 minutes, and after Rúrik GÃ*slason levelled in 67 it was Tejan-Sie again, this time with a 69th minute free kick, who sealed the points.

Barnet visited again for a Johnstone's Paint Trophy South First Round cup tie, providing a chance for swift revenge. Tony Boto obliged, his first half effort seperating the sides at the end, though it was the performance of Janez Zavri - playing his first game at centre back for the Us - that made the difference. Another home tie, again against League Two opposition, awaited, with Brentford drawn as the Round Two opposition.

A trip to Stevenage was fraught with difficulties, despite the hosts having lost half of their sixteen games thus far. With Hector Mackle already at ten goals for the season, and Steve Morison supporting with almost half as many, it was a potent strike force, backed up with the likes of Chris McGrath and on-loan Sheffield Wednesday player Craig Tawton in defence. A disappointing first half saw little by way of creativity from either side, but it was the home team that scored in the second period, Morison finishing well in a 1-on-1 situation. His second, with ten minutes remaining, put the seal on a poor show from Baggins' side.

An on-form Rotherham was the last side Baggins would have picked for his team to play in current circumstances, particularly given injuries to Zavri and James Wilson. Even at home it posed problems, and with Kevin Harper still not fit to play, the Momo Sylla experiment ended, Andy Liddell taking his slot. Tony Boto opened the scoring in a nip-and-tuck encounter, late in the first half. It seemed to spark Rotherham, who pummelled the Oxford defence for the remaining seven-plus minutes, but didn't level. Ryan Flynn's strike on the hour looked to have doused Rotherham's flame, but within five minutes Ryan Taylor pulled a goal back, and the game was very much in the melting point. Late Rotherham pressure was inevitable, and the 91st minute leveller, though blatantly offside, ensured a drawn game. It had been a very poor month.

HD

October Stats

Rochdale 0-1 Oxford United Boto
Oxford United 0-2 Barnet
Halifax 1-2 Oxford United Tejan-Sie (2)
Oxford United 1-0 Barnet (Johnstone's Paint Sth R1) Boto
Stevenage 2-0 Oxford United
Oxford United 2-2 Rotherham Boto, Flynn

No transfer activity.

HD

November 2008

The penalty shoot-out defeat to Brentford that ended the Johnstone's Paint Trophy run was technically in October. That nobody noticed, probably said all there was to say about the 0-0 draw. Two of four penalties were unsuccessful and with 4 of 5 netted by the opponent, the tie was done.

November got properly underway with three straight wins, peaking optimism, and though there was a league defeat at Brentford, another win followed, at home to Hartlepool, completing a good solid month of football.

Two of the wins came in the FA Cup, at home to Newport County (2-1) and again in the month's final fixture (1-0 over Hartlepool) setting up a January trip to Norwich. It was a good time to be an Oxford fan, even the goal drought seemed over with nine over the five fixtures.

HD

November Stats

Oxford United 0-0 Brentford (Brentford wins 4-2 pens) (Johnstone's Paint Thingy)
Northampton 0-3 Oxford United McClements, Boto, Tejan-Sie
Oxford United 2-1 Newport Co. (FA Cup R1) A.Campbell, Johnson
Oxford United 2-1 S****horpe McClements, Toner pen
Brentford 2-1 Oxford United Boto
Oxford United 1-0 Hartlepool (FA Cup R2) Toner

No transfer activity.

HD

The Rest of the Season, part 1

The January transfer window saw a lot of free agent big names join, Mark Viduka, Franny Jeffers, Martin Jorgensen, Siyabonga Nomvethe, with Nwankwo Kanu making a £28,000 move from feeder club Portsmouth. More surprising was the addition on a 12-month loan of Hernan Crespo (who lists Baggins as amongst his favourite people in football) and the addition (for three months) of Wigan's Antonio Bryan. Other players of lesser renown were also added, Eduardo Sosa and Francisco Javier Castro coming from Mexico to shore up the defence, goalkeeper Roman Latal in from the Czech Republic and Saulo Asajile coming in from Spurs. South African Davide Valderrama and Norwegian Dag Alexander Olsen completing the haul.

It was Tony Boto, though, who scored a fine hat-trick on FA Cup duty, to eliminate Norwich and set up a tie at Baggins' former side, Newcastle.

With the new arrivals came a new formation, 4-4-2 replacing 4-5-1, and as Boto looked to forge a partnership with Crespo, the likes of Viduka, Jeffers, Nomvethe, Kanu and Bryan looked on. Perhaps a few too many strikers?

With Michael Owen's goal edging Newcastle in front there was double dismay for the travelling support as Tony Boto suffered a nasty looking injury, ending his game in the first half. Owen soon doubled the advantage and completed his hat-trick before the interval. Then he scored again in first half injury time. 4-0. Davide Valderrama replaced Janez Zavrl at half time, but it was to no avail, as a Newcastle side, featuring ten oufield starters held over from Baggins' reign, pounded the League 2 side into submission. Newcomer Ioannis Amanatidis netted the fifth late in the game, coming off the bench, and the cup dreams were over for Baggins and Oxford, humiliatingly so.

Still, sitting second in the league at January's end was far from disastrous, promotion surely now inevitable?