MATCH REPORT: Oxford United 3-0 Swindon Town

The ladies capped another fine season in style with a dominant 3-0 win over Swindon Town in their final South West Combination match – and their last competitive game until the beginning of their 2014 WSL2 season next March. Oxford had already mathematically been crowned champions following Keynsham Town's 1-0 defeat to Plymouth Argyle on Sunday, but there was no chance of them relaxing for this local derby, with revenge firmly on the mind after their 4-2 defeat to Swindon in the Ambassador Cup back in March.

United started impressively and took the lead after just four minutes when top-scorer Lauren Allison got the wrong side of the Swindon defence and finished coolly with a simple tap in to open the scoring. And just minutes later she had doubled the lead after latching onto a delightful through-ball from Tash Caswell, marking her 50^th goal of the season with an appropriately enthusiastic celebration. It was fitting that she should reach such an impressive landmark in what will be her final match for Oxford before taking up a scholarship in America.

Oxford took their foot off the gas slightly after the first ten minutes, passing the ball around nicely but showing little desire to really stretch the Swindon defence further. Swindon, for that matter, looked like they just wanted to get the game finished and go home, reduced to chasing shadows and barely having a sniff of the ball throughout the first 45 minutes.

United came close to stretching their lead further when Allison struck from just inside the area, beating the 'keeper but not the post, which denied her a deserved hat-trick. Swindon did show slightly more attacking intent in the second half, grazing the crossbar twice with lofted efforts from outside the area, but Oxford controlled the pace of the game throughout and finally got their third ten minutes before the end when Tash Caswell tapped in after the Swindon 'keeper had palmed an effort into her path.

The final whistle was greeted by celebrations from the Oxford girls, who must have been delighted to mark their second consecutive league title with a victory over the old enemy (incidentally, Oxford have played Swindon 7 times this season at first team, youth and women's levels and won 6 of those meetings!). The bottles of champagne that were uncorked at the final whistle were more than deserved: the ladies have played 28 matches this season in all competitions and won 22 of those. A fantastic achievement.

Picture from @Laurencereade

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MATCH REPORT: Oxford United 2-1 Keynsham Town

The South West Combination title is in Oxford's grasp after they beat leaders Keynsham Town at Roman Way to close the gap at the top of the table to just two points, and with United having a game in hand. The ladies knew they had to win this match if they were to keep their title hopes alive as the season nears its end and with a five-point gap separating them from Keynsham – the only side to have beaten the yellows in the league this season – they knew this was the match on which the championship would turn.

It was a tense and nervy game littered with mistakes, but it was the yellows who held their nerve best, dominating most of the second half before seeing out a nervy final few minutes as the visitors desperately sought a late equaliser.

Neither side demonstrated much composure during the nervy opening exchanges but it was United who took the lead after 16 minutes when top-scorer Lauren Allison headed on a floated cross from Catherine Beaver, which squirmed through the goalkeeper's hands to make it advantage Oxford early on in the game.

Keynsham looked for a quick response and began to impose themselves on the game, but the Oxford defence were in miserly mood and their chances were limited. Instead, United almost doubled their lead when Tash Caswell latched onto a goal kick which had travelled the full length of the field and was unlucky to see her attempt come back off the bar.

But eventually Keynsham's pressure told and they got the goal they had been threatening before the half was out. A good passing move ended in a dangerous ball across the face of goal which was hammered into the back of the net from point-blank range to level the scores. Advantage Keynsham once again.

If the visitors had arguably shaded the first half, the second belonged to the hosts as Keynsham faced a yellow onslaught for much of the half. Keynsham knew a draw would suit them better than Oxford and, after overcoming a scare early in the half when another Allison header came back off the bar, sought to wind down the clock as much as possible.

Picture from OULFC flickr

But Oxford kept coming and should be commended for keeping their heads and passing the ball around when the temptation may have been to lump it forward in a desperate quest for a winner. And they were rewarded for their patience in the 80^th minute as Allison bagged her second of the afternoon (and 25^th in the league this season), as she rose to head home an inch-perfect corner.

There were still ten minutes remaining (plus an exorbitant amount of stoppage time) and it was backs to the walls for United as Keynsham threw everyone forward in a desperate last-ditch search for an equalising goal. And despite a few nervy moments in the Oxford goalmouth, the U's defence stood strong in the face of considerable pressure from a Keynsham side that had scored 79 goals in their 16 league matches this season.

On the final whistle, the Oxford players celebrated as if they had won the league. And should they go on to claim the title in their final matches this season, they may just look back on this match as they day they did it.

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Ultimate Support Ladies Day

Oxford United Ladies are preparing for the biggest game in their history...again. After overcoming Newcastle United in the fourth round of the FA Women's Cup, the ladies now find themselves up against WSL side Everton in a match which could be of crucial importance to their bid for a place in the expanded Women's Super League next year.

More than 700 turned out for the Newcastle game and Oxford fans are now being urged to come out and show their support for the ladies with a crowd topping 1,000. This would be a hugely impressive crowd for women's football – only three WSL matches broke the 1,000 barrier in last year's competition and to get such a figure at Oxford would be an impressive demonstration of the level of potential interest in the women's game here in Oxford. Of course, an unlikely Oxford victory would also be a strong statement of intent and if the ladies are going to do that they will need all the help they can get from a large and supportive crowd.

That Oxford have even reached this stage of the competition – the first time in the club's history – is quite an achievement. Oxford, as the lowest-ranked side still remaining in the competition, are the only club from the Combination leagues to have reached this stage after knocking out two sides (Charlton and Newcastle) from the Women's Premier League.

But this is just the latest in a series of impressive forward strides that this side has made. They were only promoted last season and are challenging this year for a second successive promotion, having only been beaten twice this season in all competitions. Anyone who saw the Newcastle game can testify that they play attractive football and are a good side to watch and the prospect of a remarkable cup upset should be tempting for anyone.

But before we get too carried away with Oxford's prospects, we should remember that we are coming up against a professional side who finished last season as the third-best club in the whole country. Three of the Everton players – Jill Scott, Toni Duggan and Rachel Brown – have just returned from England duty, fresh from winning the Cyprus Cup. Oxford have never faced a side of this quality before and Everton are sure to be incredibly tough opponents.

Oxford captain Sahara Osborne-Ricketts is an injury worry, after picking up a knock in the Newcastle game. Without her, the ladies fell to a surprise defeat in the League Cup to Swindon but recovered in style last weekend by dishing out a 9-0 thrashing to Keynsham Development.

This is a match that any Oxford fan should make an effort to get to and the ladies will need as much support as they can get. But a shock win and an impressive crowd will send out a message to the whole of women's football, and with the announcement of the clubs selected for the expanded WSL due in June we could all play our part in bringing professional women's football to Oxford.

Adult tickets cost just £5 and are available from the ticket office before the Chesterfield match and also on the day. Bring as many people as you can!

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MATCH REPORT: Oxford United 2-4 Swindon Town

Oxford’s ladies lost for the first time since the opening day of the season as they were knocked out of the League Cup by Swindon Town. Maybe they have been distracted by their incredible FA Cup run, or perhaps they were missing the presence of captain Sahara Osborne-Ricketts who was sidelined after picking up an injury last week, but this definitely had the feel of an ‘After the Lord Mayor’s Show’ performance.

The opening exchanges were very even as each side tried to get to grip with the other's contrasting style of play, with Oxford playing their usual passing game while Swindon chose a more direct route. Twice United got the wrong side of the Swindon defence, only to be foiled by the linesman's flag. And the Oxford defence which had looked so strong last weekend appeared nervous when faced with a barrage of probing long balls up to Swindon's pacey front two.

It was Swindon who broke the deadlock after being awarded a soft free-kick on the left-hand side. The ball in was inch perfect and Collings rose high above the Oxford defence to power in the opener against the run of play.

The Oxford girls stayed calm after the set-back and stuck to their game and began to create some chances of their own. Striker Lauren Allison was presented with a glorious chance to level when she latched on to a beautiful defence-splitting pass from Dan Anderson, but Swindon keeper Robyn Levett saved with her legs.

The equaliser did come, however, before half-time and it was remarkably similar to Swindon's opener. A ball in from the right-hand side found Allison in acres of space in front of goal and she duly nodded in to send the sides in all-square at half time.

Oxford started the second half on the front foot, but it wasn't long before Swindon started pushing them back and United struggled to get out of their own half. And it was during this spell that Swindon retook the lead from another set-piece. A corner was cleared at the first attempt but then found its way back into the United area and onto the head of Kim Reeves and past goalkeeper Hannah Cox.

Oxford tried to find a way back into the match but never found their stride. As the game wore on they were forced to press forward more and they were punished when Swindon struck again on the counter-attack. A simple long ball through the middle of the defence found Kirsty Shell onside and she lobbed the ball over the onrushing Cox to extend the visitors' lead with 15 minutes remaining.

Oxford then finally clicked into gear and produced their finest move of the match. A great sequence of passing football completely exposed the Swindon defence before Natasha Caswell laid it on a plate for Allison, who coolly slotted past the Swindon keeper for her second of the afternoon.

But any hopes of a revival were short-lived when some calamitous defending allowed Swindon's Abbie Picton to stroll through United's right-hand side and fire in from a tight angle. 4-2 and the game was essentially over, but there was still time for Allison to miss another one-on-one and for Swindon to come inches from a fifth when a thunderous shot struck the crossbar and bounced on the line to be gathered by the grateful Cox.

The Oxford players were all visibly disappointed at the final whistle, but there were still positives to be taken from the game. We were easily the better side on the ball, but just got dragged down into playing a scrappy game which suited Swindon more. Lauren Allison looked impressive and very dangerous up front (though she needs to get a firmer grip on her temper after picking up a silly booking for backchat) and could have finished the day with four goals. And while the defeat is disappointing it's hardly a tragedy to be out of the League Cup while the league title is still up for grabs and the FA Cup campaign is still very much alive. They have to recover quickly though, as they travel to Keynsham Development next week for their first league match in a month.

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MATCH REPORT: Oxford United 2-1 Newcastle United

Oxford's FA Women's Cup dream continued today in incredible fashion as the ladies dumped Women's Premier League side Newcastle out of the cup in their first ever fourth round tie at the Kassam, in front of a crowd of more than 700. After knocking out Charlton Athletic away from home in the previous round they proved that it was no fluke with a deserved victory over higher league opposition yet again.

The yellows, who were clearly up for the occasion, dominated the opening exchanges and took an early lead when Natasha Caswell's inch-perfect through ball found Katie Stanley who coolly knocked the ball over the advancing goalkeeper. And they doubled it soon after when Caswell struck a speculative shot from the edge of the area which squirmed under Newcastle goalkeeper Laura Wareham.

It was a powerful start from Oxford who blitzed the opposition during the opening 25 minutes, with the ball rarely leaving the Newcastle half. The lightning-quick Isi Meade excelled in her wing-back position, causing her opposite number no end of trouble (she reminded me of a left-sided Damian Batt), and Tash Caswell was pulling the strings in the middle of the park with a number of probing balls for the Oxford strikers to chase.

Newcastle did come into the game slightly midway through the half and there was a hearts-in-mouths moment when a corner caused chaos in the Oxford box with the ball bouncing off the inside of the post before being cleared in the ensuing goalmouth scramble.

But Oxford again reasserted their grip on the game as top-scorer Lauren Allison caused problems for the Newcastle defence and the side poured forward looking for a third. That goal unfortunately never came but the ladies left the field to a standing ovation after a first half in which they had thoroughly outplayed their higher league opposition. Most impressively, they proved that neat passing football can be played on the bog at the Kassam Stadium.

Newcastle, as might be expected, came back into the match in the second half. They pulled a goal back early on when Oxford failed to deal with a free kick into the box and Jess Havelock was on hand to tap in from the rebound. This is usually the part where the plucky underdog crumbles under the pressure as the higher league side begin to pile on the pressure but Oxford maintained their composure admirably and continued to play their game, marshalled by the impressive captain Sahara Osborne-Ricketts.

There were still a few nervous moments to come and Newcastle certainly saw more of the ball than they had in the first 45, but the better chances again fell the way of the hosts. Another superb through ball from Caswell set Allison free but she somehow managed to scoop the ball over the bar when one-on-one with the keeper.

Oxford hit the bar twice and Caswell went close numerous times in the closing stages, which would have added extra gloss to the result and arguably would have better reflected the balance of play. Although it felt as though the match was dragging on forever it rarely felt as if United's lead was in any real danger and they saw the game out comfortably, sparking wild celebrations on the pitch.

The result means that Oxford – the lowest-ranked side in the competition by quite a stretch – are among the final 16, with the chance to play a professional Women's Super League side in the fifth round. The draw is made at one o'clock on Monday afternoon.

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Something to be Proud Of

There's no doubting that this season has been a depressing one for Oxford fans. The club has stuttered through the season and we're now a full ten points off the play-offs with just 14 games remaining, our promotion hopes looking distinctly forlorn. Long, spirit-crushing winless runs, controversial signings and a ridiculous list of injuries have characterised the season and against this backdrop large numbers of supporters have begun to stay away as the good-feeling and momentum of just a couple of years ago begins to look increasingly like another false dawn.

But it's not all doom and gloom. Though this season can be considered a disaster in terms of the first team and financially, the club has made huge strides forward in other areas. Unfortunately these are the areas that we fans rarely get more than a glimpse of. And while it can be difficult to find anything positive to say while we're watching our side get effortlessly picked apart by Fleetwood bloody Town in front of barely 5,000 fans, I think it's important that we do take a moment to praise the achievements of the club in other areas and to restore some of our pride in Oxford United.

Because although the first team's disappointing efforts have drawn comparisons with the side that was relegated from the Football League in 2006, and although some of the doom-mongers will tell anyone and everyone that that's the direction we are heading, the club is actually in a vastly different situation now. Back in 2006 Firoz Kassam's systematic dismantling of everything that made the club a real football club – a community asset – was reaching its inevitable conclusion. The youth system which had produced some excellent local products in the 90s and early 00s lay in ruins, decimated by chronic neglect and underfunding. The club's community activities had shrunk to nothing and its reputation in the local area was at rock bottom.

When WPL took over the club they had essentially inherited a ruin of a football club – one which was staring non-league oblivion in the face. It wasn't just the first team that was in poor shape, the whole club had been reduced to barely a shadow of its former self. The easy option – and the one which the club initially seemed to be taking in the first season in the Conference – was to pump money into the first team and attempt to win immediate promotion. But that would only have been papering over the cracks, because all the damage that had been done elsewhere would remain unfixed. Instead the last five or six years have been a rebuilding job at all levels, a slow and steady process which is now at last beginning to bear some fruit.

For the first time in years we've seen some products of the youth team come through and impress, with Tyrone Marsh and Max Crocombe both looking promising in recent glimpses. Sure, we've had players like Aaron Woodley and Alex Fisher in recent years, but neither looked as promising as these two and neither really delivered in the end. But Marsh has already looked a real prospect, scoring his first goal for the club in the JPT against Southend, as well as impressing at Conference South level while on loan at Staines Town. He put in a man-of-the-match performance and then scored the winner in his debut against Bath City and has continued to feature prominently there. A bit of regular competitive football can only help his development. Crocombe has also found himself thrown into first team action this season due to the injury to Ryan Clarke and has acquitted himself very well there. Ian Lenagan even said at the fans forum that Crocombe might have been our number one choice for the rest of the season, if not for the fact that he is due to fly to Fiji in March with the New Zealand under-20 squad.

He's not the only product of Oxford's youth system getting international recognition. Youth teamer Marvin Ekpiteta has been called up to represent Nigeria at under-20 level as well. And another two of Oxford's girls Academy players, Laura Nichol and Ella Franklin-Fraiture, have also been rewarded with an international call-up. They have just spent the last few days at an England under-17 training camp at St George's Park – part of the preparations for under-17s European competition – and both featured in a 1-0 win for England against Wales.

All of this is a good example of the huge amount of work that has gone into bringing our youth system up to scratch in the last few years and bodes well for the future. The youth team have had a remarkable season, currently sitting top of their league after winning an incredible 13 consecutive competitive matches between September and December, as well as reaching the third round of the FA Youth Cup.

The continuing success of the ladies team is another example of the strides the club has been making away from the first team. They feature in the fourth round of the Women's FA Cup for the first time this weekend, as they play at the Kassam Stadium for the first time ever when Newcastle United come to town. They are top of their league this season, after getting promoted in style just last season, and have ambitious plans for the future. This is a side which didn't even exist just a few years ago, and the progress they have made has been little short of remarkable.

And, to cap it all, the club's community activity has earned it recognition from the Football League, with a nomination for Family Club of the Year and an Unsung Hero award for Community Officer Peter Rhoades-Brown. The Youth & Community Sports Trust has become a lot more visible in the past year as well, hosting a range of fundraising events, such as the recent Oxford United on Ice event to the upcoming Charity Breakfast.

What this shows is that there has been a considerable effort to build this club from the ground up, not just to create a first team. So things haven't exactly gone to plan for our League Two promotion hopes, but that's no reason to simply give up on the club altogether. We have a lot to be proud of and it's time we showed our pride.

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MATCH REPORT: Oxford United 1-0 Forest Green Rovers

If the men’s team appear to be faltering, the ladies are currently going from strength to strength. Unbeaten since the opening day of the season they brought Forest Green’s unbeaten start to an end with a 1-0 victory on Sunday. Dan Burgess was at Roman Way and wrote us this report.

MATCH REPORT: Oxford United 2-0 Southampton Saints

Oxford United Ladies began their maiden South West Combination campaign with a disappointing 4-1 away defeat to Keynsham Town. However, they refound their sparkling form of last season with a 2-0 victory over Southampton Saints in their first home match of the season. Dan Burgess was there to witness it and was kind enough to send us his account of the game.

Oxford United: Treble Winners

Picture from Shekicks

Sounds good, eh?

This isn't a full article, so to speak, but it seems only right to highlight the tremendous achievements of Oxford United Ladies, who, as we've discussed before, have just had a quite incredible season.

Youth Begins to Bear Fruit for OULFC

Picture from Manchester City Ladies FC

The Oxford United Ladies team has had a remarkable season so far, currently boasting a 100% record in the league (with a goal difference of +44) and coming off the back of a run to the third round of the FA Cup for the first time in the club's short history. That being the case, it's about time they were featured on these pages, where their success has gone criminally unreported.

VIDEO: Girls Academy

I stumbled across this video on Youtube the other day and found it quite interesting, so it's worth sharing. It was filmed by German broadcaster Deutsche Welle ahead of this summer's Women's World Cup, when the England women's team played Sweden in a friendly at the Kassam ahead of the tournament. As well as some stuff about the history of the women's game and England's preparation for the World Cup, the main feature is on Oxford's Girls Academy. It's not terribly informative, but it gives an interesting insight into a part of the club that we as fans don't often see.