2013 Prediction League; Game 12 (Oxford Utd - home)

Div3North · 18-10-2013, 00:03

Accrington Stanley

V

Oxford Utd

2013/14 Prediction League – Game 12; v Oxford Utd (home)

This week’s starter for ten; which former manager of Atletico Madrid holds the record for the greatest number of appearances for Oxford Utd/Headington Utd?

(they changed their name in 1960) Clues? Certainly ………….. He played at wing half (hands up who remembers wing halves?

) between 1959 and 1971; his nick-name was “The Tank”

; he captained the side between 1962 and 1968, during which time they won promotion from the Southern League up to League Division 2 ……………….oh, and he also managed Man U ………..Answer – Ronald Frederick (“Big Ron”) Atkinson , who played 560 games for “The Us”, “The Yellows” or “The Boys from up the Hill”

– apparently a reference to Headington - before moving in to management ………………

And then …………. Name their all-time leading goalscorer, with 107 (including 97 in the League) between 1962 and 1974, when he went to play for Kettering Town? Answer ………………… Graham Atkinson, Ron’s brother

………………and who was the manager of Kettering when Graham Atkinson signed for them? Answer ………… Ron Atkinson

…………….Nepotism Rules OK!

Actually, Ron doesn’t hold the record for most League appearances (John Shuker with 478), and Graham doesn’t hold the record for most League goals in a season (John Aldridge

with 30) …………and Aldridge was only one of the “Names You Might Know” who played for Oxford in their time – a list which includes Northern Irish international Jim Magilton

(later of Ipswich), one Dean Saunders (ex manager of Doncaster and Wolves), and Dean Windass

– father of our Josh – for whom the Us paid Aberdeen £470,000 back in 1998.

The obligatory Player Turn-Over took place in the summer; out – to retirement – went octogenarian

defender Michael Duberry (Leeds, Chelsea, etc – yes, alright, he was only 37!

) and – through injury – AMF Peter Leven; others who left included a plethora of centre forwards (I wonder what the collective noun for centre forwards actually is; a strike? A poach? A volley?

) – among whom were Justin Richards (32), who moved on to Tamworth alongside 31 year-old CB Tony Capaldi, once of Morecambe; 26 year-old Tom Craddock (who went Chimer-wards

and joined Pompey), and Jon-Paul Pittman (26) – once of Wycombe – who signed for ……….Wycombe

. Among a list of people you’ll never have heard of (unless you’re from up the hill) they also sent CMF Simon Heslop (26) to Stevenage, CB Harry Worley (24) to Newport and GK Luke McCormick (29) to Plymouth…………….Perhaps the most exotic move was winger Josh Parker (22), who joined NK Domzale

of the Slovenian First Division; Domzale play in a stadium which has a capacity of 2813, and are known as “The Brigands” – but then, I thought all Slovenians were anyway …………I’d offer him help with the team-talks, but I don’t know any Slovenian; nearest I can manage is Serbo-Croat, and the one phrase that sticks means “It’s dinner time” …………. I can do “Do not spit out of the train window” as well, if that helps ……………..

Among many more players you won’t know, Oxford signed some you may have heard of; Rotherham’s CB Johnnie Mullins (27); Fleetwood’s Danny Rose (not to be confused with Broadway Danny Rose

), a 25 year-old CMF; Blades ex-striker Dave Kitson (33); and – on loan – MF Asa Hall (26, with Luton, Oxford, Aldershot and Shrewsbury behind him)

We’ve played them 8 times; twice in the Cup last season (draw 3-3, lost replay 0-2

), and six times in the League – three draws (0-0 twice, and 1-1) and three defeats (2-0 at Fortress Crown in 2011/2, 5-0

at the Kassam last season, and 3-0

at home in our last game of last season); we've only hit the back of the net in two of those eight games; P8 W0 D4 L4 F4 A16, which – on any reckoning – is rubbish ……………..

Currently they’re swanning it in third place in League 2 with a record of P11 W6 D3 L2 F21 A12 for 21 points – just behind Fleetwood and Chesterfield, and ahead of Morecambe on GD; at home, they’ve managed a fairly average (although not average for us, sadly – yet, anyway

) 2 wins, 2 draws and 2 losses, 7 scored and the same conceded; away, worryingly, their record is 4 wins and a draw – 4-1 at Pompey, 3-1 at Torquay, 2-0 at Burton, 3-1 at Hartlepool, and 2-2 at Cheltenham 16 scored, four conceded

……….it would seem they like the seaside, in which case – given where we are geographically– we’re probably ok

They have no further interest (as they say) in the Cups; beaten 4-0 at Charlton in the Capital Records Cup, they followed that with a 2-1 home defeat in the PaintPot Round 2 to Pompey (whose season they rather ruined in the first League match on weekend One); their leading goalscorers are MF Danny Rose (25) – now in his third spell at the Kassam, having also played for Newport for 4 years, Fleetwood for one, and Aldershot on loan) who has 4, alongside striker Deane Smalley (25), who’s been on the books of Oldham, plus Rochdale, Chesterfield and Bradford on loan (also with 4), and the pair of them closely followed by striker James Constable with 3

Deadline for entries is, as always, scheduled kick-off time, which is 3.00pm on Saturday 19th October. Do we owe them or what?

Do we want a win or not?

Do we need a win or not?

So; the fightback starts here!

Seemples!

Good luck to everyone …………..remember; Passion overcomes Logic …………………. Keep the Faith!………….. and thanks for playing !………………….

Outback Ozzy · 18-10-2013, 00:05

Will be happy with one point for this match, but I still think Stanley might just sneak it, 2-0 to Stanley please

Div3North · 18-10-2013, 00:08

Cashy's away, but he agrees with Outback - a 2-0 win for the Reds

Revived Red's also travelling (to work, though in his case); he thinks the fightback starts here, too - 2-1 to Stanley

Keep the Faith!