PREVIEW: Bristol Rovers Home (02/11/13)

Table-topping Oxford look to build a lead at the top of League Two as struggling Bristol Rovers come to the Kassam. Rovers haven't won away from home all season and currently find themselves just two places and one point above the relegation zone, having endured a miserable season so far. And while our home form isn't exactly sparkling, we have to look at this game as a great opportunity to build on last week's win at AFC Wimbledon.

Bristol Rovers are currently winless in nine league games, a run which stretches back to August, though they did earn a point against Chesterfield last week. Injuries have plagued the Gas this season, a problem manager John Ward has looked to address this week by signing striker Chris Beardsley from Preston. He looks set to go straight into the Pirates' starting XI this weekend but who will partner him up front seems to be up for grabs. Matt Harrold's chances of playing are rated as '50/50' while David Clarkson is suspended after being red-carded a couple of weeks ago.

In contrast, Oxford will be boosted by the returns of several important players. Deane Smalley came off the bench to play a big part last week and could start as a result, while Dave Kitson is back from suspension following his sending off against Exeter. Could James Constable be dropped to the bench, despite finding the net last weekend? Alfie Potter is also back from injury this week after being ruled out by a hamstring problem in recent weeks, providing a feast of attacking options after last week's famine. Chris Wilder does have one problem position, however, after Tom Newey picked up his fifth yellow card of the season last Saturday. And with Jon Meades still injured it leaves us looking very light at left-back. But with Johnny Mullins returning at centre-back and both Jake Wright and Michael Raynes looking undroppable might we see a return to three at the back in a 3-5-2 or 3-4-3 formation? Time will tell.

Underestimate Bristol Rovers at your peril. The Pirates started last season in similarly disastrous fashion but finished the season strongly as the league's form side – and they demonstrated how difficult they can be on their last visit to the Kassam Stadium. Then, the tables were reversed as an in-form Bristol Rovers arrived to face a hopelessly out-of-form United and duly took the three points with a comfortable 2-0 victory. There are few predicting a repeat of that this time around but League Two has been so ridiculously topsy-turvy this season that anything could happen.

From the Vaults

Oxford United v Bristol Rovers, 10^th August 2010

Oxford returned to action in the League Cup after a four-year absence with a bang, putting six past League One Bristol Rovers in our first home game of the season. Simon Heslop and James Constable each netted twice, while Matt Green and Jack Midson were also on target. Enjoy!

You can find this and many other old OUFC matches in the VIDEO VAULT!

Also This Weekend

It's not just the first team currently topping their league. The youth team are at it too and they're back in league action this weekend at home to Hereford United after Wednesday's comfortable 3-0 win over Didcot in the FA Youth Cup. They've already been beaten once by the Bulls this season, 4-2 in the League Cup, so will be eager for the chance of revenge this time out. The match kicks off at 11 at Roman Way so there's plenty of time to get down to the Kassam once it's over if you fancy a full day of football.

Don't forget you can find full fixture lists for women's, development and youth teams on our Fixtures page!

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MATCH REPORT: Oxford United 0-2 Bristol Rovers

Here's Jack Willows on a thoroughly miserable afternoon for Oxford:

It seems a long time now since Oxford won four on the bounce as they slumped to a disappointing defeat at the hands of Bristol Rovers leaving them without a win in their last four. A penalty – which even had to be retaken – and a controversial last minute goal from Eliot Richards was enough to seal a 2-0 win for the visitors as they continue their impressive run of form.

Oxford made three changes from the side that lost at Southend last weekend. Expectation weighed on Lewis Montrose’s home debut after an impressive performance at Bradford, which again, seems like a lifetime ago. Both Tony Capaldi and Liam Davis also came into the side.

United were on the back foot from the off, Rovers’ Danny Woodards forced McCormick into action inside the opening minute but the shot didn’t cause the United keeper any trouble.

The game was in desperate need of something to bring it to life, with neither side having a clear cut chance. Alfie Potter was called upon on the half-hour mark after Justin Richards picked up a knock.

Oxford started the brighter in the second half but ten minutes in, Jake Wright brought down Ryan Brunt and the referee pointed to the spot. Lee Brown stepped up and coolly slotted home past a stranded McCormick only to be told to retake it. Same place, same outcome and United found themselves 1-0 down.

Josh Parker came on for a tired looking Tony Capaldi and actually put in a good shift. Looking sharp and motivated, Parker chased down every chance he got – something which couldn’t be said for most of the United team yesterday.

United pushed for an equalizer, Constable had a fantastic chance to level after good work down the right from Parker only to see his shot fire into row Z, excuse the cliché.

Although United pushed for a goal they still looked un-inspired and it was with ten minutes to go that I left the scene. May I just point out there’s nothing I hate more than fans leaving early; it’s both disrespectful to the players and unnecessary. However, we weren’t going to get back into this game.

Chapman then saw a shot sail wide deep into stoppage time as that looked to be that. Rovers were then awarded a free-kick which they took quickly and found Richards who sealed the victory and left 1,900 fans from Bristol buoyant.

Now for a rant: On the subject of the attendance, 7600 fans were at the Kassam yesterday and quite frankly it could have been 1000. We were silent for a majority of the game and what’s worse; we were silent when our boys needed our backing. The attendances this season have been dreadful. And to fans who have decided to ‘stay away’ – what are you trying to achieve?

The performance was the second worst I have in recent memory (The worst being a home defeat against Morcambe last season which sparked the beginning of a dismal run of form and ultimately ruined our promotion hopes). BBC Oxford claimed that ‘the desire was there’ – a statement though, I couldn’t disagree more with. We looked tired from the off and never got going. Yes, we can blame the pitch – that’s the easy option, but there’s nothing we can do about it!

In terms of the players yesterday, the back five did well – excluding the occasional confusion. Wright and Raynes looked comfortable and Davis and Batt posed a threat down the flanks; further forward though the same cannot be said. Montrose was a passenger, unrecognizable from the combative midfielder that we saw at Bradford. Chapman was average, trying to dictate the play and ultimately do Leven’s job. Richards looked un-interested to be quite honest in the opening stages, maybe because he wasn’t fully fit. Tony Capaldi, please excuse me, but I can’t see what he brings to the side – I’d much rather see us give some of the youth players a run out. Constable was isolated and hence it’s understandable that he wasn’t alert when a chance did finally come his way.

To conclude, a bitterly cold and bleak Saturday afternoon made worse by a dismal and pitiful performance. The worry now is that United could find themselves 17^th come Tuesday night and even lower come the weekend. We’re hitting a slump head on at the worst possible time of the season and something needs to change and bring the confidence back.

Excuse the aggressive report but something is desperately wrong at the club, and I can’t see how much longer things can go on like this. 

Follow @willowsj

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Bristol Rovers 0-2 Oxford United: The Match in Tweets

Oxford kicked off their league campaign in style with an away win over a much-fancied Bristol Rovers side. Unfortunately, TBFUTH couldn't be there to witness it! So, in the absence of a proper match report, here is the match according to Twitter. If you would be interested in penning a few match reports for us this season, we would be very interested to hear from you. Just email tbfuth@hotmail.co.uk!

PREVIEW: Bristol Rovers Away (18/08/12)

Oxford begin their league campaign this weekend with a trip to the Memorial Ground to face Bristol Rovers. All eyes will be on James Constable after the Pirates’ continued interest in the striker, but Wilder is ‘100 per cent’ certain that he will still be an Oxford player come kick off. A good performance from him will certainly raise the asking price, but he was off the pace in Tuesday’s cup victory over Bournemouth and it will be concerning if his poor form so far in 2012 carries over into the new season.

What the Stats Say...Bristol Rovers

Our next test is a tricky away tie against an in-form Bristol Rovers. Bristol Rovers have had a poor season so far, but have picked up considerably following the dismissal of Paul Buckle and the appointment of Mark McGhee. With the final playoff place on the line, Oxford will be hoping to push on from Tuesday's stuttering win over Dagenham, while Rovers are hoping to mount a late charge to sneak into that final place. Here's Matt Peck with the stats.

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.

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.

2011-12 League Two Season Preview (Part 1)

The new season will soon be upon us and so it's time to take a look at how clubs will be lining up in a few weeks time. Despite being something of a fallow period for us fans while no matches are being played, this period between the end of one season and the beginning of another can actually be an incredibly busy one for football clubs. Within the flurry of transfer activity around over the past weeks some clubs have been spending big whilst others are cutting back, some looking to make minor improvements while others rebuild from scratch, and while some clubs grab headlines others go about their business quietly. So who looks set to challenge and who is in for a season of struggle?