In Profile: Wayne Brown

The sight of Ryan Clarke between the goalposts has become a familiar and reassuring one over recent years. His quiet, calm demeanour, assured performances and perennial presence in goal throughout his three seasons at the club have made Clarke our Mr Reliable. That is, of course, until now. In the latter stages of our roller-coaster Easter Monday clash with Torquay, Clarke appeared to be visibly carrying an injury and ended the game by parrying what appeared to be a routine save into his own net. Clarke's fitness was an issue of concern throughout the build-up to the Gillingham match, with our fears being confirmed on the morning of the match. Clarke was to miss his first league game for years.

His replacement, Wayne Brown, had not exactly covered himself in glory in his previous outing, getting sent off after just 14 minutes as United bowed out of the Johnstone's Paint Trophy to Southend. Any nagging anxieties were soon put to rest, however, once the match was under way. Brown put in an assured performance to keep a clean sheet, organising his defence well and launching several attacks through his pinpoint distribution. With some unofficial reports (ie rumours) suggesting that Clarke may miss the rest of the season, it seems that Brown will be the man between the sticks for the end of the season, so with that in mind here is a quick profile of our 'new' goalkeeper.

What the Stats Say...Hereford

Though this weekend's visit of Hereford United has been overshadowed somewhat by the James Constable transfer saga, this match is by far the more pressing matter as we seek to correct the mistakes of last weekend. Once again, Matt Peck's excellent statistical analysis is enlightening, revealing the tough challenge that Hereford will pose.

Loanees Progress Report

With the January transfer window fast approaching, a flurry of activity is imminent, and given Wilder's track record at the club we can expect to see a host of new signings pulling on the famous yellow shirt in January. However, our ability to deal in the transfer market will be dependent on whether we can ship out some of the unwanted players on our books, many of whom are currently out on loan to other clubs. With several players currently out on loan, from the youngsters gaining experience lower down the pyramid to those players who have served their purpose here and will be looking to put themselves in the shop window, now seems a good time to catch up with those Oxford players currently plying their trade elsewhere.

What the Stats Say...Hereford

Hereford were another side who, like Accrington, somehow managed to avoid us through the years until last season. In fact, Oxford and Hereford had only been in the same division as each other once before, that being in 1977/78 – though the two clubs faced off in the League Cup in the 1980s and 1990s. Matt Peck casts some light on Oxford's league record at Edgar Street.

Tim Russon's Greatest Moments

As Oxford prepare to make the relatively short hop to Hereford tomorrow, we thought we'd pay homage to Hereford's vice-chairman Tim Russon, who is now into his second year as a club director after taking over in June of last year. Perhaps a director of an opposing team is an odd choice of subject matter for a blog to choose, but Oxford fans will be familiar with Russon from the many years he spent as the face of Central South TV sports round-ups throughout the 1990s. With reports characterised by elaborate and frankly ridiculous metaphors and cheesy puns, Tim Russon provided the voice to some of the most hilarious football highlights packages ever to grace local news.

2011-12 League Two Season Preview (Part 3)

The third and final part of this rather wordy series is here. Featuring the remaining 8 League Two clubs (last but certainly not least): Dagenham & Redbridge, Accrington Stanley, Barnet, Hereford United, Cheltenham Town, Macclesfield Town, Burton Albion and Morecambe. Also, if you haven't already, don't forget to read parts 1 and 2.