On This Day - 29/10/96

Today, Oxford played out a thrilling 2-1 victory over Port Vale at the Kassam Stadium. On this day 15 years ago, it was their potteries rivals, Stoke City, who made the trip to the Manor. The intervening 15 years demonstrate how fortunes can change, as Oxford and Port Vale have both tumbled from the second tier to make today's match a Fourth Division affair, while Stoke of course find themselves in the Premier League and contesting cup finals.

Cult Hero: Martin Foyle

With Port Vale the next visitors to Grenoble Road this Saturday, we turn our attention to a well-known veteran of both clubs: Martin Foyle. Foyle is a legendary figure at Port Vale (he is their post-war record goalscorer and later went on to manage the club), but he also made over 150 appearances and scored 44 goals for Oxford before he was sold to Port Vale. More recently he was manager of York City on that fateful day at Wembley last May, at the same time creating an unusual space for himself in the history books of Oxford United.

What the Stats Say...Plymouth

Next up for Oxford are Plymouth Argyle, bottom of the entire Football League, and Matt Peck is on hand to examine the stats. Crisis club Plymouth have not had an easy start to life in League Two and currently find themselves 5 points from safety, however they have seen an upturn in form of late and will be eager to winning ways, following defeat to 'the A420s' at the weekend.

What the Stats Say...Gillingham

Oxford make the trip to Gillingham aiming to earn their first win at Priestfield since 1983, but with the one of best away records in the league are in a very good position to do so. Matt Peck once again brings his statistical expertise to these pages to reveal Oxford's record away at the Gills.

A Lack of Common Sense and Consistency from the FA

We learned in the week that United and Bristol Rovers have been charged by the FA following their match at the Kassam for 'failing to ensure their players conducted themselves in an orderly fashion and/or refrained from provocative behaviour'. Here is our take on the situation.

What the Stats Say...Macclesfield

Oxford make the trip to Macclesfield's Moss Rose this weekend and as usual Matt Peck is on hand to recall previous encounters between the two clubs. Also in this bumper stats package Oxford's impressive form is examined, and Oxford's historically poor attacking record is revealed.

A Wealth of Positives

There are so many positives for Oxford fans to take from this game that it's difficult to know where to start. Saturday's performance righted all the problems from United's string of home draws in emphatic fashion, as the team really turned on the style for Ultimate Support Saturday in front of an impressive crowd of 9291.

What the Stats Say...Bristol Rovers

Matt Peck returns to give us the stats on Bristol Rovers, ahead of tomorrow's Ultimate Support Saturday match. With over 20 league matches between the two sides at Oxford going back as far as 1965 there's plenty of history to this fixture. Bristol Rovers will be looking to get revenge for the 6-1 pasting we gave them in the League Cup last season, but their manager Paul Buckle is unbeaten at the Kassam from his time in charge of Torquay.

Ultimate Support Saturday

On Saturday it's Bristol Rovers' turn to visit the Kassam and the match has been designated as 'Ultimate Support Saturday' to drum up support for the Yellows. Supporters are asked to invite friends along, turn up in numbers and back the team vocally. For those still unsure of what it's all about, we spoke to Joe Nicholls, the fan behind the initiative, to get the lowdown.

What the Stats Say...Hereford

Hereford were another side who, like Accrington, somehow managed to avoid us through the years until last season. In fact, Oxford and Hereford had only been in the same division as each other once before, that being in 1977/78 – though the two clubs faced off in the League Cup in the 1980s and 1990s. Matt Peck casts some light on Oxford's league record at Edgar Street.