This is the first edition of a new series here on TBFUTH (or rather, a new
iteration of an older idea) in which we will be profiling former OUFC
'Cult
Heroes'. The aim is to celebrate the careers of those players who
have enlivened our experience of supporting the club - be it through
their footballing prowess or simply their character – but who we
may hesitate to grant 'legendary' status. Thanks to everyone who has
already got in touch with us via
Twitter to suggest players for this feature – if you'd like to
suggest one yourself, or even write us an article on your favourite
OUFC cult hero, you can email us at tbfuth@hotmail.co.uk.
We'll
start with the almost-inhumanly-tall, 6ft 7in striker Kevin Francis.
'Super'
Kevin Francis was perhaps a victim of his unusual physical
appearance, in that he simply didn't look like a footballer as he
loped around the field on his long, gangly legs. Certainly it seemed
to hinder his early development and Francis spent his formative years
playing for Redditch United and then the now-defunct Mile Oak Rovers
in the Midland Combination (10th tier) before Derby County
chose to take a punt on him.
It
was at Stockport County that Francis really made his name and he was
prolific during his four years at Edgeley Park before securing a move
to Birmingham City. From there, he made his way to Oxford as part of
the deal which took the hugely important Darren Purse the other way
and initial reaction amongst the United faithful was that we had lost
one of our most important players (true) in return for a complete
donkey (not so true).
But
that impression didn't last long as Super Kev made an instant impact,
scoring one and creating one to help United to a 2-1
victory over West Brom on his debut. Francis was instantly
installed as a fans' favourite, going on to score seven times in his
first 11 matches and the unlikely hero of the London Road was
rewarded for his excellent start to life in yellow with an
international
call-up for St Kitts & Nevis, making him one of the select
few players to win an international cap while at Oxford.
Francis
missed the first half of the 98-99 season due to injury, but
continued to endear himself to the fans even while he was on the
sidelines, famously clambering into the London Road stand during one
match to lead the singing.
He
returned to action just in time for perhaps our biggest game of the
season – and certainly the one which he has since become most
remembered for. At this point Oxford were in severe financial difficulties, but the
club's plight was brought into the public eye thanks to a live
televised FA Cup tie against Chelsea. With the final whistle fast
approaching and cash-strapped United clinging to an incredible 1-0
lead, Francis – who was making his first appearance off the bench
since his return from injury – was shockingly adjudged to have
fouled Gianluca
Vialli in the box to give Chelsea an undeserved last-minute
equaliser, thus denying a famous cup upset.
Kevin
Francis was not the most elegant player, shall we say, and he
sometimes looked a bit clumsy. The referee saw that awkward challenge
and that marred his vision of it. If those cameras back then were as
good as what we have today they would show without doubt that he
never touched him - Nicky
Banger
To
some extent this incident came to be the defining moment in Francis'
time at Oxford, though he was no less popular for it due to the sense
of injustice that surrounded it. But Francis was never the same
player afterwards and he scored just once more during his time at the
club, returning to Stockport in 2000.
On
an interesting side-note, Francis has had quite an interesting career
since his retirement from football in 2005, leaving for Canada to
become a trucker.
He now plies his trade as a police
officer in Calgary.
