It
is with perhaps a sad irony that our 'On
This Day' feature returns to recall that famous clash with
Dagenham & Redbridge from our first season in the Conference.
Dagenham, currently rooted to the bottom of the League Two table (at
the time of writing before the weekend's fixtures), appear to be
heading for their second successive relegation on their way back to
the Conference. They have spent five years in the Football League,
winning a shock
promotion at Wembley over Rotherham United to earn themselves a
place in League One, alongside the likes of Charlton and Sheffield
Wednesday, before tumbling back down the ladder with a nosebleed.
United
had made a storming start to the 06/07 season, and recorded early
victories over the Daggers – who had soon established themselves as
our closest competitors - in both league and cup.
At the time of the second of these encounters, United were five
points clear at the top.
However,
soon after things began to go wrong. Our luck finally began to run
out after our first defeat at Gravesend and where we had been
scraping undeserved victories we were now being deservedly beaten.
Dagenham, meanwhile, continued to string together victories, finally
taking their place at the top of the table in time for the start of
2007. By the time they visited the Kassam, their lead had stretched
to nine points.
The
Sky cameras were in place to witness a nervy but incredible
encounter, with both sides going for the win. Chances rained in for
both sides, but it was Dagenham with the lead at half time, taking
the lead in the 16th minute through Paul Benson, who
capitalised on a rebounded shot from a corner. Dagenham gradually
asserted superiority after this, but their good work was all but
undone by Yemi Odubade, who put in probably his finest performance in
a yellow shirt. Oxford, shooting towards the East Stand, began to
turn the screw in the second half and on 70 minutes the scores were
level. Odubade struck from the edge of the penalty area, through a
crowd of defenders and into the corner of the net to send the Oxford
fans wild. Things were about to get even hotter just two minutes
later, as Daggers keeper Tony Roberts – inexplicably miles outside
his area – made a total hash of his clearance. Yemi stole the ball
from him and knocked it goalwards, sparking delirium in the stands as
it inched towards the net. Oxford then laid seige to the Daggers'
goal, with the visitors by this point appearing beaten. But the match
was cruelly turned on its head in the last minute, a defensive slip
falling to Sam Sloma, who blasted it underneath Billy Turley to
salvage a point and with it effectively end Oxford's challenge for
the title.
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