Oxford United 0-2 Southend United

The curse of the Kassam continued as Oxford lost a second successive home game, going down 2-0 to Southend. Conor Clifford and Luke Prosser each found the net in the first half during what was a particularly poor showing for the first half. The result and performance caused a ripple of concern throughout the fanbase as United drop out of the top three. But don't take it from me, here's the match in tweets...

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PREVIEW: Southend Home (05/10/13)

Southend are the visitors this week as the mighty yellows look to build on last weekend's 3-1 win over Hartlepool and give the home fans something to cheer about. With United currently second in the table you'd think Oxford fans would be feeling good at the moment, but supporters haven't seen Oxford win at home since the visit of Bury back in August, with two draws and a defeat in subsequent matches at the Kassam. No wonder then that some fans are feeling a little unloved at the moment, but this weekend's match offers an opportunity to put that right.

That's not the only sequence of results we'd like to see overturned this weekend. Our recent form against Southend is miserable, with just one win in our last ten encounters. The last time the Shrimpers visited the Kassam was to knock us out of the JPT back in January, following that up the following month with a 1-0 win at Roots Hall.

That said, the Southend which comes to town this weekend is quite a different beast to the one which has caused us so much pain in the last few years. Paul Sturrock is out and new boss Phil Brown has not enjoyed the easiest of starts to his tenure in Essex. After winning the first three games of the season, Southend have since failed to register a single victory and haven't scored more than once in a game since the middle of August.

As a result, they took the rather drastic step of naming six first-team players in a development squad match against Colchester during the week in an attempt to get them back into a winning frame of mind ahead of their trip to the Kassam. Only time will tell whether the resulting 5-1 victory will have given them a much-needed confidence boost or will have tired them out ahead of the weekend.

Picture by Jon Whiles Photography

Chris Wilder has some interesting selection choices to make this weekend. For example, does he keep faith with the side which responded so strongly last weekend? If so, that will mean no place in the side for the returning Dave Kitson after he served his one-match ban last week. And what about James Constable, who is returning to full fitness after chipping a bone in his foot? Could Alfie Potter, who has been one of our most important players so far this season, be the one to miss out for either of the returning strikers? Certainly it would seem harsh on Ryan Williams to be dropped after impressing on the right wing last weekend and scoring his first senior goal. One thing we can say with certainty is that fit-again Max Crocombe will return to the bench this weekend, after Shwan Jalal was recalled by Bournemouth during the week.

From the Vaults

Oxford United v Southend United, 24^th August 1996

The season was young when Southend came to the Manor for our first home league game of the season. We had returned to the second tier after two seasons away and began with a trip to QPR, freshly relegated from the Premier League. Southend had been mainstays at this level since their promotion in 1991, but their star was falling and they arrived at Oxford with a season of struggle ahead of them...

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

Also This Weekend

Oxford get their first taste of WSL football this weekend. Although the new WSL2 season doesn't begin until next year, the women's development squad begin their WSL Development League season on Sunday with something of a trial by fire. They travel to Hertfordshire University to face Arsenal's development squad in the Southern Division.

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PREVIEW: Southend United Away (02/02/13)

While Oxford's deadline day shenanigans may have put a lot of people off the idea of going to Southend to support the club, it would be a shame to allow so much hard work to go to waste. The team who have worked tirelessly to promote the successful Ultimate Support Saturday events have outdone themselves once again to bring us the first Ultimate Support Away Day.

The premise should be familiar to anyone who remembers previous Ultimate Support events: get as many fans along to the game as possible, create as much noise and colour as possible and cheer the team on to victory. It's worked before at home and it can work again on the road as Oxford try and reel in promotion rivals Southend. A win on Saturday will bring us within one point of the Shrimpers, who currently occupy the final play-off slot.

It may be more than nine years since our last win at Roots Hall, but Southend are looking far from invincible at the moment. A win over Chesterfield last weekend was their first in the league this year, having lost their previous three against Exeter, Gillingham and Burton. Southend manager Paul Sturrock has done is own share of wheeling and dealing during the transfer window, with former Dagenham defender Michael Spillane making his debut against Chesterfield as Southend kept their first clean sheet of 2013. Another new signing likely to start for Southend is 21-year-old Southampton loanee Ben Reeves, who has featured for the Saints in the Premier League this season.

As for us, the big team news is of course the debut of goalkeeper Luke McCormick. Expect him to come in for special attention from the home fans (and possibly from a section of the away fans as well). Wilder has something of a selection dilemma up front, with new signing Justin Richards in contention alongside James Constable and Tom Craddock. And of course, there will definitely be one enforced change at the back, after Michael Duberry hobbled off against Burton. Expect Michael Raynes to replace him.

The match is an early opportunity for revenge for the yellows, less than a month after the two sides met in the JPT with Southend eventually emerging victorious after a penalty shoot-out. More importantly though, it was Oxford who came out on top when the two sides last met in the league way back in August with an impressive 2-0 win to secure a first victory over the Shrimpers in eight attempts. Let's hope we can do a League Two double over them and reward the Ultimate Support Away Dayers. Be there and BRING THE NOISE.

Also This Weekend

The ladies side face a huge test this weekend, as they travel to Charlton Athletic in the third round of the FA Women's Cup. The Addicks are currently fifth in the Premier League National Division (the second tier of women's football behind the professional WSL – two levels above OULFC). The ladies were knocked out of the competition at this stage last season by Manchester City and a win this weekend would be the furthest they have ever progressed in the competition.

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MATCH REPORT: Oxford United 3-3 Southend United

Just days after our FA Cup disappointment against Sheffield United, Oxford were knocked out of a second cup competition, bowing out of the JPT on penalties at the hands of Southend. While it is less of a shame to be out of the much maligned Trophy the manner of the defeat did hurt, coming cruelly from the penalty spot. It also, of course, means the end of our cup adventures for this season and allows us to roll out the 'concentrate on the league' cliches.

MATCH REPORT: Oxford United 2-0 Southend United

We welcome Tom Bruce to give his thoughts on Oxford's impressive victory over Southend United.

Oxford fired themselves to the top of the table with an impressive 2-0 victory over a strong Southend side. The result, and subsequent league position, added gloss to a thoroughly professional performance. While the sending off of Southend's Michael Timlin after half an hour clearly changed the game, the U's were able to capitalise, something that they have historically struggled to do.

PREVIEW: Southend United Home (21/08/12)

As is often the case at the start of the season the games are coming thick and fast. The Kassam hosts its first league match of the season with the visit of a Southend side who, much like Saturday's opponents, are eying promotion.

What the Stats Say...Southend

No question about it, we need to win this one. Southend are the final visitors to the Kassam in the regular season and while failure to win could mean the end of our playoff hopes, the Shrimpers also need victory to maintain their hopes of automatic promotion. Matt Peck has been trawling (no pun intended) the archives to bring you the stats ahead of the game.

What the Stats Say...Southend (JPT)

Oxford face Southend again, as the Shrimpers visit for a Johnstone's Paint Trophy tie just days after their league clash which saw Southend take a two-point lead at the top of the table. Southend are now 9 points ahead of the Us in the league, but after being thoroughly outplayed on Saturday they will arrive at the Kassam with a battle on their hands. They do, however, have a far superior record in this competition, though this will be the first meeting between the two sides in the Football League Trophy, due in no small part to Oxford's abysmal record in it, as Matt Peck reveals.

What the Stats Say...Southend

Oxford visit Roots Hall to take on Southend this weekend, before welcoming the Shrimpers as guests to the Kassam Stadium just days later for a Johnstone's Paint Trophy match. Ahead of this double-header, Matt Peck examines the records as United attempt to topple the form team at the start of a very tough sequence of matches.

2011-12 League Two Season Preview (Part 2)

Following on from part 1 published yesterday, here is part two of our League Two season preview, featuring Aldershot Town, Southend United, Plymouth Argyle, Port Vale, Shrewsbury Town, Rotherham United, Crewe Alexandra and Bradford City. If you haven't yet read part 1, featuring previews of Crawley, Northampton, Bristol Rovers, Torquay United, Swindon, Oxford, Gillingham and AFC Wimbledon you can do so here.