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180-461: The Thames Valley Royals proposal was a controversial and ultimately unsuccessful 1983 proposal to merge the Oxford United and Reading football clubs. Shortly before the end of the 1982–83 Football League season , Robert Maxwell , the then-owner and chairman of Oxford United Football Club, announced that he had made a deal with the owners of nearby Reading to amalgamate the two teams to create

360-724: A "sit-in" on the pitch before a game against Wigan in protest. Despite being the second team in the city, there is less rivalry with Oxford City because of their lower position in the pyramid system (there have been no competitive league matches between the two since 1959). Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules . Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules . Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules . Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. The first manager appointed

540-418: A 21st-place finish at the end of the 1991–92 season . A 2–1 win over Tranmere Rovers , and a win for Blackburn Rovers over Plymouth Argyle , meant United survived relegation by two points. Oxford, now in the renamed Football League Division One , briefly restored Maurice Evans as manager, before turning to Bristol City manager Denis Smith . Despite Smith's efforts, Oxford were relegated to Division Two at

720-489: A Creditor's Voluntary Agreement and pays in full any other footballing creditors. Failure to do either of these will result in a second, potentially unlimited (though in practice usually between fifteen and twenty) points deduction. The other main situation in which is a club may lose points is by fielding an improperly registered or otherwise ineligible player. If a club is found to have done this, then any points earned from any match that player participated in will be deducted;

900-476: A League club we've got to unite Reading and Oxford," he explained. "Everything in the world that cannot pay its way must go the way of merger to combine into stronger units." Maxwell made this announcement on a Saturday when most Football League clubs, including Oxford and Reading, were playing League fixtures. Oxford were playing away at Doncaster Rovers . Jim Smith learned of the announcement shortly before kick-off at Doncaster's Belle Vue ground from John Ley,

1080-515: A Third Division side, Oxford United faced closure because of the club's inability to service the debts owed to Barclays Bank , but were rescued when businessman Robert Maxwell took over the club. In April 1983, Maxwell proposed merging United with neighbours Reading , to form a new club called the Thames Valley Royals , to play at Didcot . Jim Smith would have managed the club and been assisted by Reading boss Maurice Evans . The merger

1260-573: A board meeting held on 20 April 1983. Their only reservation was regarding the name; they preferred "Thames Valley United". The chairman of the Football League, Jack Dunnett , described Maxwell's proposal as "a bold and imaginative move which I'll be watching with interest". Meanwhile, Maxwell re-entered talks with Oxford City Council over local stadium sites, repeating his preference for the Marston location. The council again refused. The mayor of Didcot ,

1440-408: A club plays each of the others in the same division twice, once at their home stadium and once at that of their opponents. This makes for a total of 46 games played each season. Clubs gain three points for a win, one for a draw, and none for a defeat. At the end of the season, clubs at the top of their division may win promotion to the next higher division, while those at the bottom may be relegated to

1620-547: A controlling interest in the club in 1982 and that a large number of Reading shares had then been noted as unissued . His interest was therefore piqued when the Thames Valley Royals deal was declared "irrevocable" on the basis that Waller's faction controlled the majority of the shares in Reading. "A year ago they didn't have a majority," Smee later said, "so how on earth have they issued these shares to themselves while Reading

1800-540: A current membership of over 400, and the Oxford United Exiles. OxVox was formed in 2002, to replace the disbanded FOUL group, which broke up after the immediate future of the club was secured. It was the fiftieth supporters trust created under the Supporters' trust banner. The club itself also runs a Juniors club, aimed at younger fans and offering a number of bonuses to the club's members such as birthday cards and

1980-478: A free T-shirt. The official matchday programme for home games costs £4 and was voted best Conference Premier Programme of the Year for the 2007–08 season. A number of songs are sung during home games, such as " Yellow Submarine " (with adapted lyrics) and songs relating to the old Manor Ground. The club have a number of celebrity supporters, including Timmy Mallett , Tim Henman and Jim Rosenthal . The club's mascot

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2160-442: A group of Reading board directors, holding a majority of the shares in Reading F.C., had "irrevocably accepted" this offer. The two clubs would continue separately for the last few weeks of the 1982–83 campaign, and Thames Valley Royals would begin play at the start of the 1983–84 League season . Maxwell claimed to have support in principle for this from the Football League. He said that the amalgamated team would ultimately be based at

2340-483: A home defeat to bottom club Bury . In February 2018, the club was bought by Thai businessman Sumrith "Tiger" Thanakarnjanasuth, who replaced Darryl Eales as chairman; Thanakarnjanasuth had previously been part of the consortium that owned Reading F.C. After a lengthy period under caretaker-manager Derek Fazackerley during which the team slipped to within 4 points of the relegation zone, Karl Robinson , former manager of Milton Keynes Dons and Charlton Athletic ,

2520-524: A journalist with the Oxford Mail , who had heard the news from another newsman by telephone. Smith immediately called Maxwell to ask whether or not he would be retained to manage Thames Valley Royals, and was told that he would be. Maxwell issued a statement announcing that Oxford United were poised to acquire Reading by purchasing all of that club's issued share capital , comprising 73,000 shares, at £3 per share (a total cost of £219,000), and that Waller and

2700-571: A lacklustre season which included defeats to Droylsden and Tonbridge Angels , camouflaged by a belated run of eight wins in the last eleven games, Oxford finished ninth in the Conference National in 2007–08 , 10 points off the last play-off place. On 2 October 2008, Nick Merry stepped down as chairman to be replaced by Kelvin Thomas, who had been part of the management team at the time of Merry's takeover. Just under two months later, Patterson

2880-439: A large increase in goals, and numbers on shirts were introduced in 1939. Between 1923 and 1926, Huddersfield Town were the first team to win three consecutive league titles (and never won another one, though they finished as runners-up for the following two years). This was equalled by Arsenal between 1932 and 1935, during a period from 1930 to 1938 in which they won five titles out of eight. Manchester City (1936–37) became

3060-464: A league club in a single season. Oxford began the next season with a new manager and a new stadium, with the relocation to the Kassam Stadium completed after six years of speculation. Former Liverpool and England defender Mark Wright was given the manager's job, but resigned in late November, after being accused of making racist remarks to referee Joe Ross . Wright's successor, Ian Atkins ,

3240-493: A match on 23 April. Maxwell pressed on with his plan regardless, insisting that "nothing short of the end of the Earth" would prevent its fruition. The proposed amalgamation was stopped by the actions of one of Reading's board directors, Roy Tranter, and Roger Smee , a businessman and former Reading player. Smee disputed the legitimacy of the controlling interest in Reading held by the faction of three Reading board members that backed

3420-483: A minority. One angry fan wrote to the Oxford Mail that "I will not follow Thames Valley Royals or whatever their name is if they played at the end of my street". Players at both clubs received the news with apprehension. As Ley put it, "When you merge two clubs into one, you cannot have a squad of 45." The Oxford team learned of the impending merger and the new name from Smith in the dressing room at Belle Vue just before

3600-673: A new "£6 million sports complex" in the western suburb of Botley . Maxwell said that he was still pursuing the merger with Reading, but would look into the Botley proposal. Reading supporters marched from the town centre to Elm Park in protest against the merger before the team's match against Millwall on 30 April. Two days later, Oxford and Reading met at the Manor Ground in what the Glasgow Herald commented might be "the last Thames Valley derby". Oxford fans held another protest march before

3780-457: A new club he proposed to name "Thames Valley Royals". This appellation combined a loose term for the geographical region, " Thames Valley ", with the Reading team's nickname, "the Royals". With each team having financial problems, Maxwell claimed that both were on the verge of going out of business and that uniting them was necessary for the region to retain a Football League club. Maxwell envisioned

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3960-453: A new stadium for Oxford United; he had negotiated with the council over potential locations since the time of his takeover, favouring a site in the northern suburb of Marston , but had yet to win council permission to buy the land. On 16 April 1983, about a month before the end of the 1982–83 season, Maxwell told the BBC that he was close to acquiring a controlling interest in Reading, and that he

4140-523: A new stadium to be built somewhere between Oxford and Reading , and that in the meantime home games would alternate between the two old grounds, Elm Park in Reading and the Manor Ground in Oxford, both of which would eventually be sold. The general public learned of the proposed merger in the late afternoon on 16 April, when it was announced by David Coleman on the television show Grandstand following

4320-557: A ninth-place finish at the end of the season, and was sacked the following November. Oxford replaced him with Argentine Ramón Díaz , who managed the team to a mid-table finish. Diaz and his team of assistants left the club at the beginning of May 2005, after being banned from the ground by the chairman following failed negotiations. During his time at the club, Diaz brought in a number of South American players including his own sons, and Juan Pablo Raponi . Ex-England midfielder and former West Bromwich Albion manager Brian Talbot signed

4500-477: A number of guaranteed fixtures for its member clubs each season. His idea might have been based upon a description of a proposal for an early American college football league, publicised in the English media in 1887 which stated: "measures would be taken to form a new football league ... [consisting of] a schedule containing two championship games between every two colleges composing the league". The first meeting

4680-563: A result of the Heysel disaster , where crowd trouble involving Liverpool fans at the European Cup final in Belgium resulted in 39 spectator deaths during a crush in a Juventus fan section. The loss of life occurred when a surge in the crowd (moving away from clashes between rival supporters) caused a wall to collapse. Inadequate segregation, stewarding and policing as well the generally poor condition of

4860-553: A rival offer from Smee, supported by Tranter. The latter proposition narrowly won, and Smee took over as chairman of Reading, putting an end to the planned merger. Maxwell reluctantly dropped his amalgamation plans, but retained his 19% stake in Reading. Under Smee's chairmanship, the team won promotion back from the Fourth Division at the end of the 1983–84 season, and won the Third Division title two years later , taking it into

5040-558: A rivalry between Oxford and Reading . In addition, Wycombe Wanderers , Luton Town and Northampton Town are also seen as rivals. The rivalry with Swindon stems from the clubs' close proximity, as well as the fact they have played each other 55 times since 1962. Oxford and Swindon met a few times in non-competitive fixtures before 1962. The earliest match on record was a friendly in the 1950–51 season at Headington. They also played each other in 1954–55 both home and away, and at Headington during 1958–59. All programmes are fairly scarce, with

5220-423: A series of demonstrations against Maxwell's proposed merger. The Reading Evening Post set up a campaign called "Save Our Soccer", while Oxford fans launched a similar initiative called "Save Oxford Soccer". Before Oxford's match against Wigan Athletic at the Manor Ground on 23 April 1983, about 2,000 fans conducted a sit-in in the centre of the pitch, delaying the start of the game by half an hour. Maxwell, in

5400-609: A series of meetings and events, including a 'Scarf of Unity', which was a collection of scarves from various clubs which was long enough to stretch around the perimeter of the pitch. Chairman Robin Herd stepped down to concentrate on his engineering projects, and in April 1999 Firoz Kassam bought Herd's 89.9% controlling interest in Oxford United for £1, with which he also inherited the club's estimated £15 million debt. Kassam reduced £9 million of

5580-529: A significant decline in league attendances as a result of the recession and the ongoing problem of hooliganism . This did no favours for the financial position and league standing of numerous clubs, and several – including Wolverhampton Wanderers, Swansea City and Middlesbrough – were almost forced out of business as a result. The fortunes of the First Division clubs suffered a fresh blow in 1985 when all English clubs were banned from European competitions as

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5760-503: A small town about halfway between Oxford and Reading, suggested that Thames Valley Royals could build a ground there, on a site that had already been picked out for non-League amateurs Didcot Town . Wallingford , a similar proposition just east of Didcot, was also proposed. The residents of neither Didcot nor Wallingford showed much interest in hosting Thames Valley Royals home matches, partly because they were concerned about football hooliganism . Oxford and Reading supporters embarked on

5940-409: A twentieth-place finish, one place clear of relegation. Smith's second spell didn't last long, and he was replaced by David Kemp a few weeks into the following campaign. At the end of the 2000–01 season , Oxford were relegated back to the Third Division for the first time in 35 years, with 100 goals conceded. They suffered 33 league defeats, the second-highest number of league defeats ever endured by

6120-461: A two-year contract to replace Rix. Talbot found little success and was sacked in March 2006, with the club in 22nd place. He was replaced by youth team coach Darren Patterson . On 21 March 2006, Firoz Kassam sold the club, including its debts, for approximately £2 million to Florida-based businessman Nick Merry , who had played for United's youth team in the mid-1970s. Merry immediately made changes to

6300-616: A woman's international football match (England v Sweden), an Under-17 international football tournament and music concerts. In 2021, the club approached Oxfordshire County Council (OCC) and requested that it transfer c.  18 hectares (44.48 acres) of land for the development of a new 18,000-capacity football stadium with ancillary leisure and commercial facilities to include, hotel, retail, conference, and training/community grounds on Green Belt land at Stratfield Brake near Kidlington . On 18 January 2022, OCC recommended an engagement exercise be carried out first to gather feedback from

6480-444: Is Ollie the Ox. United were the best-supported club in the Conference National before Luton Town joined the division, and the home match between Oxford and Luton, which drew a crowd of 10,600, was used to highlight the passion for English football during the 2018 World Cup bid . In 2009, a "12th man fund" was set up by a group of supporters in order to provide additional transfer funds to

6660-619: Is the oldest football league in the world , and was the top-level football league in England from its foundation until 1992, when the top 22 clubs split from it to form the Premier League . The Football League was rebranded as the "English Football League" (EFL) from the 2016–17 season. The EFL is divided into the Championship , League One and League Two , with 24 clubs in each division, 72 in total, with promotion and relegation between them;

6840-712: The 1987 UEFA Cup because of the UEFA ban on English clubs in European competitions. Relegation from the top flight in 1988 began an 18-year decline which saw the club relegated to the Conference in 2006, becoming the first winners of a major trophy to be relegated from the Football League. After four seasons, Oxford returned to League Two in 2010 via the play-offs, and six seasons later achieved promotion to League One , after finishing second in League Two in 2016. In 2024 they were promoted to

7020-542: The 2015–16 season, the first such during the Premier League era. Another important change was made at the start of the 1981-82 season when it was decided to award three points for a win instead of two, a further effort to increase attacking football. (This scoring rule was not added by FIFA to the World Cups until the 1994 cup after the perceived dominance of defensive play at Italia 90 ). The early 1980s also saw

7200-421: The 2021–22 season , United were the league's joint top scorers and finished in 8th place. During the season, the club's ownership changed hands again, with Indonesian businessmen and minority shareholders Erick Thohir and Anindya Bakrie taking control after a series of transactions. Thanakarnjanasuth's investment with the club remained, but he was replaced as chairman by Grant Ferguson. Oxford were promoted to

7380-578: The A420 derby . Oxford United was founded on 27 October 1893 as Headington Football Club at the Britannia Inn, Headington in a meeting called by a local doctor, Robert Hitchings, as a way for the cricketers of Headington Cricket Club to maintain their fitness during the winter break. The fellow founder was the Revd John Scott-Tucker, vicar at St. Andrew's Church , who was appointed first president of

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7560-632: The Canary Islands . Oxford United F.C. Oxford United Football Club ( / ˈ ɒ k s f ər d / ) is a professional football club based in Oxford , England. The club compete in the EFL Championship , the second tier of English football , after achieving promotion in the 2024 EFL League One play-off final . Founded as Headington Football Club in 1893, the club adopted its current name in 1960. Nicknamed The U's, it has played its home games at

7740-430: The EFL Championship via the play-offs . Some of the club's notable players, such as Ron Atkinson who holds the record for the most overall appearances (560); John Shuker who holds the record for the most appearances in the Football League (478); and Ron's late brother Graham Atkinson holds the record for the most goals scored (107). In total, nineteen players have made international appearances while playing for

7920-578: The Football League . The average attendance in the previous season was 7,415, which was the second highest in League Two and the thirty-fourth highest in the whole Football League. The average attendance was highest in the Conference in two out of the four years the team spent in the division, with the average in the other two years placing second, behind Exeter City and Cambridge United respectively. The stadium has also hosted rugby union matches,

8100-597: The Football League Third Division , then the third tier of English football—equivalent to today's League One . Managed by Jim Smith , Oxford challenged for promotion throughout the season, while Maurice Evans ' Reading team languished near the relegation zone for much of the year, despite possessing one of the division's top-scoring forwards in Kerry Dixon . The colourful media mogul and former MP Robert Maxwell owned and chaired Oxford, having prevented

8280-635: The Kassam Stadium , replacing its former home of Manor Ground in 2001. The club joined the Football League in 1962 after winning the Southern Football League , reaching the Second Division in 1968. After relegation in 1976, between 1984 and 1986 the club earned successive promotions into the First Division , and won the League Cup in 1986 . However, Oxford were unable thereby to enter

8460-406: The League Cup , in April 1986. Despite Maxwell's reservations about the Manor Ground, the club remained there throughout this time. Maxwell ended his chairmanship of Oxford in 1987, when he took control of Derby County and became that club's chairman; still owning Oxford as well, he installed his son Kevin as chairman there. In late 1987 he attempted to buy Watford from Elton John , prompting

8640-614: The Northern League ), plus Darwen. The bottom clubs of the lower division were subsequently required to apply for re-election to the League at the end of each season. In 1893 two clubs were relegated from the First Division and two promoted from the Second, but one of those relegated, Accrington, chose to resign from the Football League rather than play in the Second Division. Meanwhile Bootle

8820-519: The Oxon Senior League . The first season included a 9–0 victory, with eight of those goals coming from P. Drewitt. This remains a record for the highest number of goals scored by an Oxford player in a first-team match. At this time a small rivalry existed with Cowley F.C., who were based a few miles south of Headington. During a league game on May Day , the referee gave two penalties to Cowley; supporters broke past security and players, resulting in

9000-423: The Second Division . Smee remained at the helm until 1990, when amid a financial crisis at the club he sold it to John Madejski . Meanwhile, Maxwell made Oxford United profitable, and oversaw two successive promotions for the club during the 1983–84 and 1984–85 seasons. The team played in the First Division , then the top level of English football, for the first time during 1985–86, and won its first major trophy,

9180-549: The Southern League joined the League to form a new Third Division, which in 1921 was renamed the Third Division South upon the further addition of more clubs in a new Third Division North . One club from each of these divisions would gain promotion to the Second Division, with the two relegated clubs being assigned to the more appropriate Third Division. To accommodate potential difficulties in this arrangement, clubs in

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9360-537: The Third Division was achieved in 1965 . A year before the promotion, Oxford became the first Fourth Division club to reach the sixth round of the FA Cup , but have not progressed that far in the competition since. Oxford won the Third Division title in 1967–68 , their sixth season as a league club, but after eight years of relative stability the club was relegated from the Second Division in 1975–76 . In 1982, as

9540-589: The UEFA Europa Conference League . The EFL Trophy, established in 1983, is for clubs belonging to EFL League One and EFL League Two. The organisation celebrated its 100th anniversary in 1988 with a Centenary Tournament at Wembley between sixteen of its member clubs. After four years of debate, the Football Association finally permitted professionalism on 20 July 1885. Before that date many clubs made payments to "professional" players to boost

9720-564: The final of the League Trophy at Wembley Stadium , only the club's third appearance at the national stadium, but were defeated 3–2 by their League One opponents Barnsley . In 2016–17 , having sold Kemar Roofe during the close season for a record £3m and signed Marvin Johnson for an undisclosed fee also thought to be a club record, Oxford finished eighth in League One, four points short of

9900-407: The play-off places after a poor run, finishing third. They beat Rushden & Diamonds over two legs to advance to the play-off final against York City on 16 May 2010. Oxford won the final 3–1, to return to the Football League for the 2010–11 season . The attendance was 42,669, a new record for the final, with around 33,000 being United fans. Oxford's first game back in the Football League

10080-521: The 1957–58 season. The reason for the change is unknown. In 1960, Headington United was renamed Oxford United, to give the club a higher profile. Two years later, in 1962, the club won the Southern League title for the second successive season and was elected to the Football League Fourth Division , occupying the vacant place left by bankrupt Accrington Stanley . Two successive eighteenth-place finishes followed, before promotion to

10260-408: The 1968–69 season. Gerry Summers was manager for six years, before being replaced by Mick Brown . During Brown's four-year run, United were relegated back to the Third Division after spending eight years in the Second. The Football League The English Football League ( EFL ) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League , it

10440-524: The 1970s: founder members of the League Derby County (1971–72 and 1974–75) and Nottingham Forest (1977–78), both clubs managed by Brian Clough and Peter Taylor . Nottingham Forest's title in 1977–78 turned out to be the last occasion that a first-time champion won the First Division title during The Football League era, before the First Division clubs formed the Premier League in 1992. The next first-time League champion club would be Leicester City in

10620-409: The 1991–92 season and planned to raise the number again to 94 clubs for 1992–93, but after Aldershot and Maidstone United both went out of business within a few months of each other in mid-1992, this plan was abandoned. The issues creating the uncertainty in the game all centered on money. The increasing influence of money in English football was evident with such events as the first £1m transfer in

10800-416: The 2012–13 season. After another bright start, Oxford led the table several times in the first half of the 2013–14 season . On 25 January 2014, with the club faltering though still in the play-off places, Wilder resigned as manager to take up the reins at relegation-threatened Northampton. Mickey Lewis subsequently became the caretaker manager for a second time for the club. On 22 March 2014, Gary Waddock

10980-521: The Championship in the 2023–24 season , after beating Bolton Wanderers 2–0 in the play-off final , marking their return to the division after a 25-year absence. Oxford United crest depicts an ox to symbolise the location. It reflects the name and history of the city, as Oxford was originally a market town situated near to a ford on the River Isis , which was used by cattle. The shape and design of

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11160-644: The First Division. Perryman left to become player-manager of Brentford , while Aldridge scored 15 times in 25 league games but was sold to Liverpool mid-season for £750,000 while Dean Saunders joined from Brighton for £60,000 and Martin Foyle was signed from Aldershot for £140,000. Robert Maxwell resigned as chairman in May 1987, to take over at Derby County , handing the club to his son Kevin . The cup-winning team continued to break up however, as captain Malcolm Shotton

11340-575: The Football League to institute new regulations preventing the major shareholder of any member club from owning more than 2% of another League team. While Maxwell was able to keep his stakes in Derby, Oxford and Reading under a grandfather clause , the new rules prevented him from adding Watford to his football empire. He grudgingly accepted this. He retained his football club shares until his mysterious death in November 1991, when he apparently fell off his yacht near

11520-581: The League. There would be a further wait until 1931 before a southern club, Arsenal would win the League for the first time. Unlike in most other Leagues in Europe, no single English club managed to remain ever-present in the division during the 104 years of its existence as the top division in the country. Everton comes closest, missing just four seasons through relegation, and remains one of only three clubs in England to have played over 100 top-flight seasons, along with Aston Villa and Arsenal . Arsenal are also

11700-635: The Midland League, and New Brighton Tower from the Lancashire League to the Second Division. After a few years, other northern clubs began to catch up, with the likes of Newcastle United and Manchester United having success. From 1900, Aston Villa ( 1899–1900 , 1909–10 ), Liverpool (1900–01, 1905–06), Sunderland (1901–02, 1912–13), The Wednesday (1902–03, 1903–04), Newcastle United (1904–05, 1908–09), Manchester United (1907–08, 1910–11) and Blackburn Rovers (1911–12, 1913–14) all won two titles prior to

11880-488: The Midlands such as Mansfield Town or Walsall would sometimes be moved from one-Third Division to the other. Following this burst of post-war growth, the League entered a prolonged period of relative stability with few changes in the membership, although there were changes on the pitch. In 1925, a new offside law reduced the number of defending opponents between the attacking player and the goal from three to two, leading to

12060-526: The Premier League, since clubs must pass through the Football League before reaching the former). The EFL's 72 member clubs are grouped into three divisions: the EFL Championship , EFL League One , and EFL League Two (previously the Football League First Division , Football League Second Division and Football League Third Division respectively; they were renamed for sponsorship reasons). Each division has 24 clubs, and in any given season

12240-506: The Reading goalkeeper, reported his team reacting in a similar way—indeed, he described the Reading players as even more worried as Oxford had far outperformed them in the League that season. Ley, who accompanied the Oxford team on the bus ride home after the game, recalled that the players were almost silent, their victory over Doncaster overshadowed by "a feeling of incredulity, confusion, worry and fear". Oxford United's board of directors unanimously supported Maxwell's proposed amalgamation at

12420-733: The Royal Hotel is long gone, the site is marked with a commemorative red plaque on the Royal Buildings in Market Street . The first season of the Football League began a few months later on 8 September with twelve member clubs from the Midlands and north of England : Accrington , Aston Villa, Blackburn Rovers, Bolton Wanderers, Burnley , Derby County , Everton , Notts County , Preston North End, Stoke (renamed Stoke City in 1926), West Bromwich Albion and Wolverhampton Wanderers . Each club played

12600-408: The Second Division expanded to sixteen (net increase one) with the addition of Bury from the Lancashire League, Leicester Fosse (later Leicester City) and Burton Wanderers (who later joined with existing Second Division club Burton Swifts to form Burton United ) from the Midland League, while Northwich resigned and Middlesbrough Ironopolis disbanded. Both Liverpool and Bury won the division at

12780-449: The Thames Valley Royals' future home as an unspecified location somewhere between Oxford and Reading where a new stadium would be built, perhaps in Didcot ; home matches would alternate between Oxford and Reading in the meantime. Both sets of supporters promptly embarked on mass demonstrations against the merger, including protest marches and a 2,000-man sit-in on the pitch at Oxford before

12960-425: The ageing stadium were attributed as contributory factors. In a similar vein, playoffs to determine promotion places were introduced for the 1986–87 season so that more clubs remained eligible for promotion closer to the end of the season, and at the same time to aid in the reduction over two years of the number of clubs in the First Division from 22 to 20. For the first two seasons, the playoffs were contested between

13140-468: The blue stripes were lost for good and a lighter shade of orange was used for the shirt. The yellow kit was first worn during the 1957–58 season , with black shorts and yellow socks. During the late 1970s and early 1980s, the black shorts were first replaced with yellow ones, and then with royal blue shorts. Since the early 1990s, the strip has been composed of the yellow shirt and navy coloured shorts and socks. A large variety of away kits has been used over

13320-453: The bottom two clubs of the First Division and the top two clubs of the Second Division was brought into disrepute when Stoke and Burnley colluded in the final match to ensure they were both in the First Division the next season. At this point both divisions of the League expanded to eighteen, with the addition of Barnsley from the Midland and Yorkshire Leagues, Burslem Port Vale, Glossop from

13500-589: The club the previous year, most perceived merging with another club as tantamount to killing both Oxford United and professional football in the city. A spokesman for the Oxford United Supporters Club called the idea "crazy and unworkable". Most Reading fans likewise reacted to the scheme with revulsion; Mike Habbits, chairman of the Reading Supporters Club, said "Our fans can't stand Oxford fans and I can't see them travelling to Oxford to watch

13680-401: The club's bankruptcy by buying it in 1982. One of the world's oldest football teams (established in 1871), Reading were a public limited company , chaired by Frank Waller, a prominent local businessman; while owning Oxford, Maxwell also held 19% of Reading's shares. The two clubs share a local rivalry. At the time, both were in financial difficulties, particularly Reading. Maxwell sought to build

13860-414: The club, including the hiring of former manager Jim Smith in his second spell. Despite signing five new players on his first day in charge, Smith was unable to prevent relegation at the end of the 2005–06 season . After 44 years in English league football, Oxford were relegated to the Conference National after finishing in 23rd place, becoming the first former winners of a major trophy to be relegated from

14040-406: The club. The team's traditional kit colours are yellow shirts, along with navy coloured shorts and socks. Their crest showcases an ox , symbolizing both the name and historical background of the city, which was initially established as a market town for cattle located adjacent to a ford on the River Isis . Oxford have a long-standing and fierce rivalry with Swindon Town , with whom they contest

14220-431: The club. The suffix United was added in 1911 after merging with Headington Quarry. The club's first football match played was against Cowley Barracks. Headington had no regular home until 1913, when they were able to purchase Wootten's Field on London Road, but this was redeveloped in 1920, forcing the club to move. A permanent home was found in 1925, when they purchased the Manor Ground site on London Road. The facility

14400-474: The club. As a result, the number 12 shirt was retired at the start of the 2009–10 season (though it was reintroduced in 2018–19 ). The fund raised over £40,000 and resulted in the signings of Mehdi Kerrouche (on loan) and Jamie Cook , amongst others. Oxford United's fiercest rivalry is with Swindon Town ; matches between the two are referred to as the A420 derby , a primary road between both cities, which are only 30 miles (48 km) apart. There also exists

14580-443: The competition became firmly established in the footballing calendar. It was not until the dawn of the 1970s, though, that all 92 Football League clubs regularly participated in the competition season after season. Substitutes (one per team per match) were first allowed for injured players in 1965 and for any reason the following year. The first ever League game to be held on a Sunday took place on 20 January 1974 (11:30 kick-off) and

14760-460: The competitiveness of their teams, breaking FA rules and arousing the contempt of those clubs abiding by the laws of the amateur Football Association code. As more and more clubs became professional the ad-hoc fixture list of FA Cup, inter-county, and ordinary matches was seen by many as an unreliable stream of revenue, and ways were considered of ensuring a consistent income. A Scottish director of Birmingham-based Aston Villa , William McGregor,

14940-425: The crest being coloured blue. This was used until 2016 when the club reverted to the ox head with no shield and no wording. In 2018 the crest was redesigned again to mark the club's 125th anniversary. This saw the return of the shield around the ox head with the name of the club above it. This is the version which remains in use currently. In 2008, a bronze statue of an ox was unveiled outside of what would have been

15120-427: The crest has changed numerous times since it was first produced. When playing as Headington and during the early years of Oxford United, the crest included a full ox crossing the ford, as well as the initials H.U.F.C. (pre-1962) or the name Oxford United (post name-change). In 1972, the crest became circular. In 1979, zoologist Desmond Morris , who at the time was a club director, designed the current ox-head logo which

15300-401: The deal does not go through, both Reading and Oxford will be dead before the beginning of next season. Nothing short of the end of the Earth will prevent this from going through." Steve Daniels, an Oxford fan opposed to a merger, called in and claimed that Maxwell's amalgamation proposal was a ploy intended to alter the council's line regarding a new stadium in Oxford. Meanwhile, efforts to stop

15480-475: The debt to just £900,000, by virtue of a Company Voluntary Arrangement , by which unsecured creditors who were owed over £1,000 were reimbursed with 10p for every pound they were owed. Secured creditors were paid off when Kassam sold the Manor to another of his companies, for £6 million. Kassam set about completing the unfinished stadium, gaining planning permission for a bowling alley, multiplex cinema and hotel next to

15660-459: The directors' box, was jeered by supporters, some of whom spat at him, and was confronted by a number of banners around the stadium reading "Judas". After the match (which Oxford won 2–0), Maxwell called the demonstration a "bloody disgrace". He reaffirmed his commitment to the Thames Valley Royals project a few days later through a phone-in on BBC Radio Oxford . "If they want to become supporters of someone else, they're entirely welcome," he said. "If

15840-516: The disputed stock. Three days later, the High Court imposed a further injunction preventing any dealing in Reading shares until a further hearing on 3 May. Maxwell insisted that there was no problem, calling the legal challenge a "side show"; he made a fresh bid to all of Reading's shareholders. On 1 May, the Oxford chairman told the press that he and his supporters at Reading controlled 40% of the shares. Meanwhile, Oxford City Council offered Oxford United

16020-534: The end of January. Robin Herd , co-owner of the March Racing Team , took control of the club in 1995. In June of that year, the board of directors unveiled plans for a new 16,000-seat stadium at Minchery Farm, to replace the dilapidated Manor Ground . The club had hoped to move into the new stadium near the Blackbird Leys housing estate by the start of the 1998–99 season, but construction was suspended during

16200-409: The end of the 1993–94 season , with just four wins in the last eleven games. Denis Smith brought in two strikers who were experienced in the top division: Southampton 's Paul Moody and Nottingham Forest 's Nigel Jemson . Oxford finished seventh in 1994–95 season , and in the following season gained promotion by finishing runners-up to rivals Swindon Town , despite not winning an away game till

16380-436: The end of the season. On Boxing Day 2006, a crowd of 11,065 watched United draw 0–0 with Woking at the Kassam Stadium , the largest-ever attendance for a Conference match (excluding play-offs). Oxford qualified for the play-offs by finishing second, but lost on penalties in the semi-final to Exeter City . On 9 November 2007, Jim Smith resigned as manager and first-team coach Darren Patterson returned as manager. In

16560-492: The first attempt. In 1895 Loughborough replaced Walsall Town Swifts . In 1896 Blackpool from the Lancashire League and Gainsborough Trinity from the Midland League replaced Burslem Port Vale and Crewe Alexandra . In 1897 Luton Town from the United League replaced Burton Wanderers. Automatic promotion and relegation for two clubs in each division were introduced in 1898. The previous system of test matches between

16740-470: The first club in the 20th century to win the League and FA Cup "double" in 1960–61, a season after Wolverhampton Wanderers had come within a whisker of achieving the feat themselves (Wolves won the 1959–60 FA Cup and were runners-up to Burnley in the League by a single point). Post-Second World War changes in league football included the use of white balls in 1951 and the first floodlight game (played between Portsmouth and Newcastle United) in 1956, opening up

16920-428: The first time since the 1973–74 season . However, they failed to win any of their last seven matches and finished the season in ninth place, two places and four points outside the play-offs. Chairman Kelvin Thomas stepped down during the 2012 close season, to be replaced by owner Ian Lenagan . The 2012–13 season was blighted by injuries and patchy form: after opening the season with three wins and briefly heading

17100-451: The following year . This meant that Oxford United would be playing First Division football in the 1985–86 season, 23 years after joining the Football League. Smith moved to Queens Park Rangers shortly after the promotion success, and made way for chief scout Maurice Evans, who, several seasons earlier, had won the Fourth Division title with Reading. Oxford United finished eighteenth in the 1985–86 First Division , avoiding relegation on

17280-477: The game overall. The Founder Members Agreement, signed on 17 July 1991 by the game's top-flight clubs, established the basic principles for setting up the FA Premier League. The newly formed top division would have commercial independence from the Football Association and the Football League, giving the FA Premier League license to negotiate its own broadcast and sponsorship agreements. The argument given at

17460-513: The game, that of Trevor Francis from Birmingham City to Nottingham Forest in February 1979. The first £2million player transferred between English clubs was Tony Cottee , who moved from West Ham United to Everton in July 1988 – although several players had already been sold by English clubs to foreign clubs for even higher fees. Before the formation of the FA Premier League, the highest transfer fee paid

17640-435: The game, which Reading won 2–1. At the High Court on 3 May, Mr Justice Harman sided with Tranter and Smee, and handed down a new injunction forbidding trading in Reading stock until 13 June 1983. Following a Reading board meeting on 12 May, Waller, Davies and Briggs resigned their positions, and returned the disputed unissued shares to the club. The Reading Evening Post saw this as the end of the episode, and jubilantly bannered

17820-399: The game. In the first ten seasons, the only other clubs to win (single) league titles were Everton and Sheffield United. A new Second Division was formed in 1892 with the absorption of the rival 12-club Football Alliance . Alliance clubs Nottingham Forest , The Wednesday (later renamed Sheffield Wednesday) and Newton Heath (later renamed Manchester United) joined thirteen League clubs in

18000-494: The initials STFC into the Kassam Stadium's pitch. Oxford fans use nicknames when talking about Swindon such as moonraker , in reference to the myth that they tried to rake the reflection of the moon out of a pond. The rivalry with Reading was heightened during the chairmanship of Robert Maxwell, because of his desire to merge the two clubs. This was met with strong opposition from both sets of fans, with United supporters staging

18180-526: The last day of the season after defeating Arsenal 3–0. They also won the Football League Cup , known at the time as the Milk Cup under a sponsorship deal. As winners, Oxford would have qualified for the following season's UEFA Cup , had it not been for the ban on English teams that had resulted from the previous year's Heysel Stadium disaster . After beating fellow First Division side Aston Villa in

18360-496: The leading members of the Football League broke away to form their own competition, the FA Premier League , which was renamed the Premier League in 2007. The Football League therefore no longer includes the top twenty clubs who belong to this group, although promotion and relegation between the Football League and the Premier League continues. In total, 145 teams have played in the Football League up to 2024 (including those in

18540-413: The league for the following year in a process called " re-election ". In 1890, Stoke were not re-elected to the league and was replaced for the 1890–91 season by Sunderland , who won it in their second, third, and fifth year. Stoke was re-elected for the 1891–92 season, along with Darwen , to take the league to fourteen clubs. Preston North End, Aston Villa, and Sunderland dominated the early years of

18720-404: The league would return to 22 for the 1991–92 season, which increased competitiveness in the 1990–91 season as four teams would be promoted from the Second and Third Divisions instead of the normal three (with the seventh-place being the minimum position for the playoffs), while in the Fourth Division an unprecedented five promotion places were up for grabs, with the eighth-place being high enough for

18900-444: The league. Coincidentally, Accrington Stanley , the club whose bankruptcy in 1962 allowed United to be elected into the League, was one of the two clubs promoted to replace them. Jim Smith was retained as manager for the following season, and it started positively for Oxford, with 14 wins and 8 draws from the opening 25 games. A run of eleven league games without a win followed, and saw United drop to second, where they remained until

19080-453: The length of the season, one promotion place from each division is decided according to a playoff among four clubs, which takes place at the end of the season. It is possible for a team finishing sixth in the Championship or League One, or seventh in League Two, to be promoted rather than the clubs finishing immediately above them in the standings. Since the 2004–05 season, penalties have existed for clubs entering financial administration during

19260-638: The local community. The survey was heavily publicised by Oxvox with respondents completing the survey from areas such as Orkney Islands. Among local residents, 38 per cent were in favour, while 58 per cent were against. In January 2023, the County Council Cabinet agreed to enter into negotiations on plans to build the stadium at a different site in Kidlington known as the Triangle, between Frieze Way and Oxford Road south of Kidlington roundabout and east of

19440-576: The longest serving member of the top division, present since 1919. The League was suspended for four seasons during the First World War and resumed in 1919 with the First and Second Divisions expanded to 22 clubs. On resumption West Bromwich Albion (1919–20) and Burnley (1920–21), both original twelve clubs, won their first-ever titles (in Albion's case their only title to date). In 1920, leading clubs from

19620-471: The lowest placed team to avoid automatic relegation and three highest-placed teams to miss out on automatic promotion in the division below before it was altered from the 1988–89 season to include just the four clubs who had missed out on automatic promotion in the Second, Third and Fourth Divisions. 1986–87 was the first season of the decade where Football League attendances increased, helped by improved economic conditions and falling unemployment nationally. At

19800-449: The match against Doncaster on 16 April. Mark Jones, one of the Oxford midfielders, recalled that the room "went totally quiet", and that his first thought was that it might be hard to him to keep his place in the first team with Reading's players also on the books. According to Jones, Smith attempted to assuage the Oxford players' fears by telling them that "we're only doing it so we can buy Kerry Dixon. All your places are safe". Alan Judge ,

19980-516: The medal for his service to the club, and so gave him his, in what was seen as an "unprecedented gesture". It was the last time the League Cup was played under the name "Milk Cup", sponsors Littlewoods taking over the following season. John Aldridge scored 23 goals across the season, while their survival was helped by the arrival of veteran Steve Perryman from Tottenham . The 1986–87 season saw Oxford United narrowly avoid relegation and stay in

20160-446: The merger plan, including the chairman Frank Waller, and Tranter launched a legal challenge to the sale of certain shares on 22 April 1983. Waller and his boardroom allies resigned under pressure from the rest of the Reading board on 12 May 1983, and at an extraordinary shareholders' meeting in July, Smee took over the club, ending the amalgamation plans. During the 1982–83 Football League season, both Oxford United and Reading competed in

20340-405: The merger were stepped up at Reading by Roger Smee , a former Reading player, born and raised in the town, who had become a millionaire in the construction industry. Smee, who strongly opposed the merger plan, had read the club's accounts the previous year, and so was aware of how the team's stock was allocated. He knew that Waller and his boardroom allies, Leslie Davies and John Briggs, had not held

20520-414: The most dramatic nights in League history, when Arsenal beat Liverpool 2–0 at Anfield in the last game of the season to win the League on this tiebreaker – by a single Michael Thomas goal in the final minute of the final game of the season. Both teams would finish with the same amount of goal difference, but Arsenal had scored more goals during the season. Two clubs won their first League titles during

20700-434: The move to the Kassam Stadium in 2001 to 2010). Following the return to the Football League , Bridle Insurance became new shirt sponsors. The Bridle deal ended after the conclusion of the 2012–13 season. The home sponsor for the 2013–14 season was announced as Animalates, with the away kit being sponsored by Isinglass Consulting for that same season after winning an innovative prize draw. That one-year deal with Isinglass

20880-479: The new First Division, giving it sixteen members. Darwen from the League was allocated to the new Second, and Alliance club Birmingham St George's disbanded at that point. The Second Division started with twelve clubs, eight remaining Alliance clubs with the addition of Northwich Victoria (from The Combination ), Burslem Port Vale (later renamed Port Vale, from the Midland League ), and Sheffield United (from

21060-559: The new Third Division, and those in the bottom half made up the Fourth Division. An earlier suggestion that the Third Division South should become the Third Division and the Third Division North become the Fourth Division on the basis of better attendances and that they tended to fare better when promoted was rejected. Four clubs were promoted and relegated between these two lower divisions, while two clubs exchanged places in

21240-555: The new ground likely to cost up to £150 million. In June 2024, a decision on the application was postponed to early 2025 to allow further work on the proposals to "provide further clarity" for the planning committee. As a result, the club may need to find a temporary home after their lease at the Kassam expires. Oxford have a number of independent supporters' clubs and groups such as OxVox (the Oxford United Supporters' Trust) with

21420-673: The new shirt sponsors, as part of a principle partnership agreement, in August 2020, using the brand name " Amazing Thailand ". Oxford United had no regular home until 1913, switching between the Quarry Recreation Ground, Wootten's Field (now Stephen Road), Sandy Lane (now Osler Road) and the Britannia Field (now the top end of Lime Walk), all in Headington. In 1913 they were able to purchase Wootten's Field on London Road, however, this

21600-496: The new team". Supporters and pressmen alike ridiculed the "Thames Valley Royals" name, which the sports historian John Bale later described as "mid-Atlantic"; observers at the time variously perceived it as sounding more like an American football , ice hockey or speedway team than a football club. Some Oxford fans supported Maxwell's proposal, saying that with a new stadium and the pooled financial resources of Oxford and Reading, an amalgamated team might be successful, but these were

21780-438: The news across its front page on 13 May: "We've won! Merger off". The next day, Reading played Wrexham at home on the last day of the League season, needing to win to have any chance of avoiding relegation to the Fourth Division ; they won 1–0, but still went down because of results elsewhere. The club held an extraordinary meeting of shareholders in July 1983, at which a vote was taken to decide between Maxwell's takeover bid and

21960-657: The next lower one. At the top end of the competition, three Championship clubs win promotion from the Football League to the Premier League, with the bottom three Premier League clubs taking their places. At the lower end, two League Two clubs lose their Football League status with relegation to the National division of the National League , while two teams from that division join League Two of The Football League in their stead. Promotion and relegation are determined by final league positions, but to sustain interest for more clubs over

22140-510: The only other club to be added to the list of Football League winners prior to the outbreak of the Second World War , the fourteenth club to achieve the feat since 1888–89. In the 1938–39 season Everton won the title for the fifth time but suffered the same fate as in 1915 , being champions when football was suspended due to the World War. The League was suspended once more in 1939 with

22320-651: The opposing club(s) do not earn any points from this, however. The EFL organises two knock-out cup competitions: the EFL Cup (officially known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons) and the EFL Trophy (officially known as the Bristol Street Motors Trophy also for sponsorship reasons). The EFL Cup was established in 1960 and is open to all EFL and Premier League clubs, with the winner eligible to participate in

22500-409: The original Stratfield Brake site. OCC's cabinet consented to lease the proposed site to the club and, in February 2024, Oxford United unveiled plans to build a new 'all-electric', 16,000-seat stadium on the site, with proposed pedestrian access from Oxford Parkway railway station , to open in 2026. The club's architect, AFL, submitted its full planning application for the scheme on 1 March 2024, with

22680-453: The others twice, once at home and once away, and two points were awarded for a win and one for a draw. This points system was not agreed upon until after the season had started; the alternative proposal was one point for a win only. Preston won the first league title without losing a game and completed the first league–cup double by also taking the FA Cup . Teams finishing at the bottom of the table were required to reapply for their position in

22860-417: The outbreak of the First World War , while Everton added a second title to their much earlier success in the last season, 1914–15. It was not until the early years of the 20th century, and the expansion of both Leagues to 20 clubs (in 1905), that further southern clubs such as Chelsea and Clapton Orient (later Leyton Orient ) (1905), Fulham (1907) and Tottenham Hotspur (1908) established themselves in

23040-637: The outbreak of the Second World War, this time for seven seasons. The Third Divisions were expanded to 24 clubs each in 1950, bringing the total number of League clubs to 92, and in 1958 the decision was made to end the regionalisation of the Third Divisions and reorganise the clubs into a new nationwide Third Division and Fourth Division . To accomplish this, the clubs in the top half of both the Third Division North and South joined together to form

23220-399: The outskirts of the city, costing in the region of £15 million. Construction work began in the early part of 1997, but was suspended later that year due to the club's financial problems. Construction of the new stadium resumed in 1999 following a takeover deal and the last league match at the Manor on 1 May 2001 saw a 1–1 draw with Port Vale . The site was sold for £12 million and the stadium

23400-414: The playoff places, and again lost in the final of the League Trophy at Wembley, this time to relegation-bound Coventry City . In June 2017, Appleton left the club to become assistant manager at Leicester City of the Premier League, and was replaced by Pep Clotet , formerly assistant manager at Leeds United . On 22 January 2018, Clotet was sacked, with the club in tenth place in League One after

23580-583: The playoffs. The end of the ban on English clubs in Europe also helped boost interest in English football. However, the economy was now in another recession and added to that the clubs in the top two English divisions were faced with the requirement of having all-seater stadiums by 1994–95 to comply with the Taylor Report that followed the death of 97 Liverpool fans as a result of the Hillsborough disaster in April 1989. The League also expanded to 93 clubs for

23760-416: The possibility of midweek evening matches. By far the biggest change for league clubs during this era was a new cup competition open to all the members of the League, the Football League Cup . The League Cup was held for the first time in 1960–61 to provide clubs with a new source of income with Aston Villa winning that inaugural year. Despite an initial lack of enthusiasm on the part of some other big clubs,

23940-500: The preceding season, because construction company Taylor Woodrow had not been paid for the work already undertaken. The 1996–97 season saw Oxford finish seventeenth, and included the sale of Scottish international defender Matt Elliott to Leicester City . Despite Smith's departure to West Bromwich Albion in December 1997, United finished twelfth the following season under his successor, and former captain, Malcolm Shotton . Shotton

24120-540: The referee being "freely baited". The first FA Cup tie played was in 1931, against Hounslow F.C. in the Preliminary Round, ending in an 8–2 defeat for Headington. United spent two seasons in the Spartan League in 1947 and 1948, finishing fifth and fourth respectively. It was around this time that the cricket team left the Manor and moved to new premises near Cowley Barracks . A move into professional football

24300-508: The relegation zone. An improved fourth-place finished followed in the shortened 2019–20 season , which was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic . When the season was suspended, Oxford were third in the table, but following an agreement from clubs to end the season early, the U's dropped one place to fourth after the final table was decided under an unweighted points per game system. The play-offs continued as normal, where United faced Portsmouth in

24480-458: The report of the day's football results. Mr Maxwell obviously believes that if you add 6,000 United fans to 6,000 Reading fans you'll get 12,000 supporters for the new club. You won't. Ron Atkinson , a former Oxford United captain The majority of both teams' supporters reacted negatively to the merger proposal. While many Oxford supporters acknowledged that Maxwell had been instrumental in saving

24660-416: The roads they were positioned on: The North, East, South and West stands were called Cuckoo Lane, Osler Road, London Road and Beech Road respectively. In the 1990s, the Taylor Report was published calling for the improvement of football stadiums. The Manor Ground's terracing was becoming redundant and redeveloping the ground was too costly, so the club decided to move to a purpose-built all-seater stadium on

24840-465: The same time, automatic promotion and relegation between the Fourth Division and the Football Conference were introduced for one club, replacing the annual application for re-election to the League of the bottom four clubs and linking the League to the developing National League System pyramid. Emblematic of the confusion that was beginning to envelop the game, the number of clubs at the top of

25020-435: The season. If a club enters administration before 31 March of any given season, they will immediately be deducted twelve points; entering administration from 1 April onward will see the points deduction either held over until the end of the season (if the club finishes outside the relegation places) or applied the following season (if the club was relegated anyway). Also, it is required that a club exiting administration agrees to

25200-403: The second, in 1962, resulted in their election to the Football League . Promotion followed from the Fourth Division in 1965, and the club was crowned Third Division champions three years later. Turner left the club nine months after this success. Over the next thirteen years, five managers took charge. Ron Saunders was in charge for only a dozen games, moving to Norwich City at the end of

25380-403: The semi-final 4–3 on aggregate, Oxford faced Queens Park Rangers in the final , which was held at Wembley Stadium on 20 April 1986. The game finished 3–0 with goals from Trevor Hebberd , Ray Houghton and Jeremy Charles . After the match long-serving physiotherapist, 72-year-old Ken Fish, collected one of the winner's medals, instead of manager Maurice Evans . Evans felt that Fish deserved

25560-401: The semi-final. Following a 1–1 draw in the first leg, United won 5–4 on penalties when the second game ended 1–1 after extra time. In the final behind closed doors at Wembley, Oxford lost 2–1 to Wycombe Wanderers , Joe Jacobson's penalty proving decisive in the tie. Oxford made the play-offs again the following season , losing 6–3 on aggregate to Blackpool , who went on to win the final. In

25740-499: The single sheet issued at Swindon being very rare. The 1962–63 game was a testimonial, with the first league meetings coming in 1965–66. During the height of football hooliganism, trouble flared up between the sets of fans. In 1998, during a match at the County Ground , 19 Swindon supporters were arrested, while in 2002 there was an incident between supporters after Oxford fans returned from an away fixture. In 2011, vandals burned

25920-442: The smaller capacity was deemed adequate. Construction of the fourth stand is not expected to take place, with the club focussing its plans on building a new stadium instead, although it did seem like a possibly at one stage, with foundations having already been put in place. The record attendance is 12,243, which was achieved in the final game of the 2005–06 season, when a defeat against Leyton Orient condemned them to relegation from

26100-400: The stadium, following a series of legal battles which were eventually all settled. The season ended with relegation back to the Second Division. Oxford's poor form continued into the 1999–2000 season and, with the team in the relegation zone, Shotton resigned in late October. After a few months with Mickey Lewis as player-manager, former manager Denis Smith returned to the club, managing

26280-399: The table, United lost their next six games, a pattern of inconsistency that was to continue throughout the season. United finished outside the play-offs for the third consecutive season, but manager Chris Wilder was given a further one-year contract in April 2013. Some Oxford fans were unhappy about the decision to renew Wilder's contract, having pressed for his sacking during the second half of

26460-544: The then Oxford United chairman, Kevin Maxwell. Following Robert Maxwell's death in 1991, his personal estate, including the club, became insolvent. After a long search for a new owner, during which BioMass Recycling Ltd took over the club, Brian Horton was named as Oxford's new manager. He remained in charge until September 1993, when he moved to Manchester City in the recently formed FA Premier League . Horton led United to mid-table finishes during his management spell, apart from

26640-459: The top Championship division clubs change places with the lowest-placed clubs in the Premier League, and the bottom clubs of League Two with the top clubs of the National League . Currently four of the EFL clubs are from Wales – Cardiff City , Swansea City , Wrexham and Newport County  – the rest of the 72 are located in England. The Football League had a sponsor from the 1983–84 season, and thus

26820-507: The upper divisions until 1974 when the number increased to three. Clubs to win their first League titles in the quarter-century following the Second World War were Portsmouth (1948–49 and 1949–50), Tottenham Hotspur (1950–51 and 1960–61), founder members of the League Wolverhampton Wanderers (1953–54, 1957–58 and 1958–59), Chelsea (1954–55), Ipswich Town (1961–62) and Leeds United (1968–69). Tottenham Hotspur became

27000-465: The west stand. It was subsequently vandalised in January 2011, being covered in pink paint and the club used the opportunity to raise money for a breast cancer charity . While playing as Headington United, orange and blue striped shirts were worn with navy shorts and socks. The design of the shirt changed regularly, with the stripes being changed every few seasons. After joining the Southern League ,

27180-406: The world. It also organises two knockout cup competitions, the EFL Cup and EFL Trophy . The Football League was founded in 1888 by Aston Villa director William McGregor , originally with twelve member clubs. Steady growth and the addition of more divisions meant that by 1950 the League had 92 clubs. Financial considerations led to a major shake-up in 1992, when in a step to maximise their revenue

27360-473: The years, ranging from red and black stripes on the shirts, to a fully white kit. The first sponsor to appear on the shirt was Sunday Journal , a local newspaper, in 1982. Between 1983 and 1985, there were three sponsors: BPCC, Pergamon and the Sunday People . Following those were Wang Laboratories (1985 to 1989), Pergamon (1989 to 1991), Unipart (1991 to 2000), Domino (2000 to 2001) and Buildbase (from

27540-486: Was Harry Thompson in July 1949, soon after the club turned professional. In a nine-year spell he led the team to the Southern League title in 1953, as well as the Southern League Cup in 1953 and 1954. He was replaced by Arthur Turner in 1958, who would become the longest-serving manager in the club's history, serving more than a decade in charge. Turner led United to back-to-back Southern League titles, of which

27720-471: Was a public company? That would be against the law." Smee contacted Roy Tranter, a director at Reading who opposed the merger, and Tranter's legal team filed a complaint with the High Court objecting to the sale of the unissued shares. On 22 April 1983, just as Waller and Maxwell were about to officially announce the merger, Tranter's solicitors handed Waller a High Court injunction temporarily blocking sale of

27900-401: Was an effort to prevent unduly defensive play encouraged by the greater advantage in limiting goals allowed. In the event that clubs had equal points and equal goal differences, priority was given to the club that had scored the most goals. There has been only one season, 1988–89, when this level of differentiation was necessary to determine the League champion, and this was the occasion of one of

28080-401: Was appointed on 22 March 2018. Robinson had to wait five games for his first win, but his aim of retaining the club's League One status was achieved with three wins from the last five games of the season. The club finished in 16th place on 56 points, six points above the relegation zone. A 12th-place finished was achieved the following year , despite the club spending over half of the season in

28260-401: Was appointed the head coach of the club after a lengthy interview process, leaving his job as Head of Coaching at MK Dons. Under Lewis and Waddock, Oxford slipped out of the play-off places in the final few weeks of the season, finishing a disappointing eighth in the table, nine points off the last playoff place. In July 2014, Waddock's contract was terminated after a change of ownership and he

28440-404: Was away to Burton , which finished in a 0–0 draw; their first League win was on 4 September against Morecambe at the Kassam Stadium, with James Constable scoring a hat-trick in a 4–0 victory. They finished the season in 12th place. The team spent much of the 2011–12 season in or around the playoff places, and achieved the double over rivals (and eventual champions) Swindon Town for

28620-399: Was based on a Minoan-style bull's head. The first iteration of this design showed just the ox's head on a yellow and black background. The words 'Oxford United Football Club' were placed around the ox. For the next 17 years, the crest was simply the ox's head coloured blue, with various combinations of wording surrounding it. For example, in the 1987–88 season , the wording 25th Anniversary

28800-401: Was called off as a result of fans of both clubs protesting against the decision. Furthermore, the Reading chairman stepped down and was replaced by an opponent of the merger. Maxwell also threatened to fold the club if the merger did not go through. Oxford won the Third Division title after the 1983–84 season under the management of Jim Smith, who also guided them to the Second Division title

28980-622: Was dissolved because of financial problems. Yet the Second Division expanded to fifteen clubs for season 1893–94 (net increase three) by adding five new clubs: Liverpool from the Lancashire League , Middlesbrough Ironopolis and Newcastle United from the Northern League, Rotherham Town from the Midland League, and Woolwich Arsenal (later Arsenal), who became the first team from the South of England to compete. For its third season 1894–95,

29160-455: Was extended for the 2014–15 season, again featuring on the away kits only. The home kit that season was sponsored by tyre company Black n Rounds. In July 2015, Oxford United announced a three-season deal with investment management company Liontrust Asset Management covering both home and away shirts. For the 2018–19 and 2019–20 season, the principal shirt sponsor was Thai beer firm Singha . The Tourism Authority of Thailand were announced as

29340-425: Was first considered during the 1948–49 season. Vic Couling, the president at the time, had applied for Headington to become a member of a new Second Division in the Southern League . Other teams that applied included Weymouth , Kettering Town and future league side Cambridge United . Although the plans were postponed, the First Division was going to be expanded by two clubs; Weymouth and Headington were elected. It

29520-612: Was held at Anderton's Hotel in London on 23 March 1888 on the eve of the FA Cup Final. The Football League was formally created and named in Manchester at a further meeting on 17 April at the Royal Hotel. The name "Association Football Union" was proposed by McGregor but this was felt too close to " Rugby Football Union ". Instead, "The Football League" was proposed by Major William Sudell , representing Preston, and quickly agreed upon. Although

29700-518: Was intent on merging that club with Oxford. The merged club would be called Thames Valley Royals, a combination of " Thames Valley ", a loose term for the geographical area, and the nickname of Reading Football Club, "the Royals"; the proposed colours were amber and gold hooped shirts - a mix of Reading's hoops and Oxford's gold - and white shorts, while the club's home games would alternate between Oxford and Reading. "If we in Thames Valley are to retain

29880-511: Was known by various names. The English Football League also organises two knock-out cup competitions, the EFL Cup and the EFL Trophy . The operations centre of the Football League is in Preston , while its commercial office is in London. The Football League consists of 68 professional association football clubs in England and 4 in Wales. It runs the oldest professional football league competition in

30060-399: Was later demolished. The land is now occupied by a private hospital. Since 2001, Oxford United have played at the Kassam Stadium . The all-seater stadium has a capacity of 12,500 and has only three stands instead of the usual four; when first planned in 1995 it was originally going to have a 16,000-seat capacity, but by the time the stadium opened Oxford were playing in a lower division, so

30240-599: Was later discovered that Llanelli had just one vote fewer than Headington. Oxford's first season in the Southern League was in 1949, the same year they turned professional. Former First Division forward Harry Thompson was hired as manager. In 1950, Headington United became the first professional club in Britain to install floodlights, and used them on 18 December against Banbury Spencer . They initially played in orange and blue shirts, but changed to yellow home shirts for

30420-406: Was placed under the crest. In 1996, the crest had a shield shape and contained the ox's head over the ford, on a yellow background. This version was retained until the move to the Kassam Stadium in 2001, when club steward Rob Alderman designed a new version. It has a similar design to the preceding crest, but the ox and ford were contained in a circle with a yellow background, with the remainder of

30600-429: Was played between Second Division rivals Millwall and Fulham at The Den . Millwall won 1–0. The first ever Sunday top-flight game was between Chelsea and Stoke a week later. Beginning with the 1976–77 season, the clubs finishing level on points began to be separated according to goal difference (the difference between goals scored and goals conceded) rather than goal average (goals scored divided by goals conceded). This

30780-467: Was previously the assistant manager of the Barnsley side that gained promotion to the Premier League. During October 1998, the backroom staff at the club went unpaid, due to United's financial situation with the new stadium, and the threat of administration caused a group of fans to set up a pressure group called Fighting for Oxford United's Life (FOUL). The group began to publicise the club's plight through

30960-525: Was redeveloped in 1920 before a stadium could be built. Having purchased the Sandy Lane site, the club developed and played at the Manor Ground between 1925 and 2001. The ground was originally shared with Headington Cricket Club until 1949, when they moved to Cowley Barracks. The capacity at closure was 9,500, but hosted United's record crowd of 22,750 against Preston North End in an FA Cup sixth-round match on 29 February 1964. The four stands were named after

31140-407: Was replaced by Michael Appleton . Waddock's surprise sacking ensured he had the worst record of any Oxford manager, winning only once and losing seven times in his eight games in charge of the club. After an indifferent first season under Appleton, Oxford achieved promotion to League One in his second year in charge, finishing the 2015–16 season in second place with 86 points. They also reached

31320-435: Was sacked after a poor run of form, and was replaced by former Halifax Town manager Chris Wilder . Following Wilder's arrival, the team won 15 of the remaining 21 league matches that season . A 5-point deduction for fielding an unregistered player resulted in a seventh-place finish, four points and two places short of the play-offs. Oxford led the table for most of the first half of the 2009–10 season, but dropped into

31500-435: Was sacked in March 1988 with Oxford bottom of the First Division. Former Liverpool defender Mark Lawrenson was named as Oxford's new manager, but was unable to prevent relegation to the Second Division . He was sacked three months into the 1988–89 Second Division campaign after a dispute with the chairman over the £1 million sale of striker Dean Saunders to Derby County; Derby were owned by Robert Maxwell, father of

31680-451: Was sold to Portsmouth , Kevin Brock joined former manager Jim Smith at QPR and Welsh international Charles was forced to retire due to injury. Oxford started the season respectably and spent much of the early stages around the fringes of the top 10, though Houghton would follow Aldridge to Liverpool for £825,000. However, after November the team would fail to win another game, and Maurice Evans

31860-403: Was the first to set out to bring some order to a chaotic world where clubs arranged their own fixtures, along with various cup competitions. On 22 March 1888, he wrote to the committee of his own club, Aston Villa, as well as to those of Blackburn Rovers , Bolton Wanderers , Preston North End , Stoke and West Bromwich Albion ; suggesting the creation of a league competition that would provide

32040-502: Was unable to make an immediate impact and Oxford finished in 21st position in the league, at the time their lowest-ever league position. United missed out on the play-off places in the following season by one place and one point. Fifteen wins at the start of the 2003–04 season saw Oxford top of the table at the end of January. However, Ian Atkins was sacked in March 2004 after allegedly agreeing to take charge at rivals Bristol Rovers . Atkins's replacement, Graham Rix , could only manage

32220-553: Was used as a cricket pitch in the summer, and a football pitch in the winter. In 1899, six years after their formation, Headington United joined the Oxfordshire District League Second Division, where they competed until the outbreak of the First World War ; the Second Division was renamed the Oxfordshire Junior League after the resumption of football in 1919. In 1921, the club was admitted into

32400-399: Was £2.9million for the transfer of Dean Saunders from Derby County to Liverpool during the 1991 close season. The first £3million player was Alan Shearer , who moved from Southampton to Blackburn Rovers in July 1992, the summer before the first Premier League season. At the close of the 1991 season, a proposal for the establishment of a new league was tabled that would bring more money into

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