We
may still be recovering from the glory
of the Johnstone's Paint Trophy, but Oxford are already back in
league action again with the visit of Exeter City to the Kassam. And
what better way to recover from 90 gruelling minutes against higher
league opposition on Wednesday than a fiercely competitive match
against a side who are one place above us on goal difference?
Exeter
didn't fare quite so well during the week, losing on penalties to
Aldershot after the 90 minutes finished goalless. However, their
league form has been impressive; a disappointing 3-0 defeat at home to
Morecambe on the opening day was immediately consigned to history
with three successive victories, including back-to-back 3-0 wins
against Accrington and Burton in their last two league games.
Having
rested several players for the Swindon game, expect to see a few
changes from midweek, with players like Smalley, Rigg and Heslop who
have had a full week to recover and prepare for this match hopefully
ready to step in and provide some fresh legs. Exeter will have fresh
legs of their own, with captain Danny Coles returning to the side
after missing out during the week. It will be something of a reunion
for Ryan Clarke, who used to live
with Coles while the two were at Bristol Rovers together.
This
will be the first time Oxford have faced Exeter since the Conference
days and history is certainly not on our side. We have only beaten
Exeter once
in regular league football in the last 30 years – that's one win in
13 matches. However, we have had good luck against bogey sides
lately, allaying the Southend hoodoo with a comfortable
2-0 win and extending our winning run against Swindon – once
our ultimate bogey side – to four matches this week. The two sides
have had their fair share of interesting
encounters in recent years (Exeter's last visit to the Kassam, a
2-2 draw sticks in the memory), but the one which stands out is
obviously THAT
play-off semi-final.
On
a sidenote, Alan Hodgkinson is the guest
of honour for the match, following his retirement after 60 years
of service to the game. He deserves a fantastic reception.
From the Vaults
Oxford United v Exeter City, 8th May 2007
It
is a sign of Oxford's gradual decline since the 1980s that we had
never featured in an end of season play-off match until 2007. Our
first match went well and United returned from Devon with a lead from
the first leg. With a goal advantage, a home tie and a Wembley
anthem on standby, what could possibly go wrong?
You can find this and many other old Oxford matches on our Video Vault page.
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