Oxford take another
(probably brief) departure from league action this weekend, as we
start our FA Cup campaign this weekend, at home to Conference side
Gateshead. A home tie against lower league opposition is usually
regarded as something of a dream tie in the first round, offering a
good chance of progression towards the potentially lucrative third
round when the big boys come to play. But given our well-documented
home
struggles this season, one can't help but feel that this one has
'upset' written all over it.
Last weekend's goalless
draw with Luton made it six games unbeaten for the Heed, a run
which includes their 1-0 win over Chester in the fourth qualifying
round. That run has also included six clean sheets, so with Oxford
only managing seven goals in eight home games so far, this could be a
frustrating afternoon for home supporters. The visitors, currently
11th in the Conference, are perhaps understandably in
confident
mood coming into the match, but they will be without former York
striker Richard Brodie, Marcus Maddison and former yellow Luke
O'Brien.
We, of course, will be
without Alfie Potter, who is absent for eight weeks with ankle
ligament damage following an appalling challenge that went more or
less unpunished in last week's game against Bristol Rovers.
Fortunately, Fulham have allowed Ryan Williams to play this week so
we do at least have cover in this area for him. Elsewhere, Tom Newey
is back at left-back after serving his suspension last week, which
means that once again Chris Wilder is left with a dilemma at
centre-back with Jake Wright, Johnny Mullins and Michael Raynes all
competing for a starting berth.
Of course, all of the
above is assuming that we choose to name a full-strength side this
weekend. With tickets reduced to just £10 for the game in order to
tempt fans who might otherwise have decided to give the game a miss,
it could be a sign that Oxford are not particularly interested in the
FA Cup this year. The cups have slipped down the list of priorities
this season, it seems, crashing out at the first attempt in both the
League Cup and the JPT. A weakened side crashed out 4-0
away to Charlton in the first round of the former, while in the
latter a youthful side were beaten
2-1 by Portsmouth despite dominating most of the match.
This will be only the
third time the two clubs have met in competitive action, the last
time coming in our final season in the Conference. In the first of our two previous encounters, a Matt Green goal gave us a 1-0
victory at the Gateshead International Stadium. In the
second...
From the Vaults
Oxford United v Gateshead, 27th March 2010
United were on a miserable
run of five games without a win and the promotion chase appeared to
be faltering as Stevenage began to pull away at the top of the
table. And with a crucial trip to Hertfordshire awaiting days later
it was essential that we got back to winning ways at home to
Gateshead. And after a nervy first half James Constable finally
struck to send us on our way in the second, with substitute Matt
Green scoring the winner in injury time after Gateshead had been
allowed a controversial equaliser.
Also This Weekend
The youth team are back in
action this week after their match last week against Hereford was
surprisingly cancelled by the visitors at late notice. This time it's
Bristol Rovers' turn to come to Roman Way, just a week after their
grown-up counterparts came away from the Kassam Stadium with their
first away win of the season.
The women's development
squad are also back after a lengthy lay-off, still seeking their
first win of the season. They host Birmingham City on Sunday in the
League Cup, having been narrowly beaten 2-1 in their previous cup game by
Yeovil Town.
Don't forget you can find full fixture lists for women's, development and youth teams on our Fixtures page!
