2018/19 Prediction League; Game 33 v Oxford United (home)

Div3North · 18-02-2019, 00:34

Accrington Stanley

V

Oxford United

2018/19 Prediction League; Game 33 v Oxford Utd (home)

Oxford was first “settled”, seemingly, in Anglo-Saxon times (before then it was, presumably, unsettled); “Anglo Saxon times” means anywhere between 410 AD and 1066 AD, and as you’ll remember, in 1066 (and all that) Harold of Pevensey played William the Bastard in the British Field Archery Championship at Hastings and lost 1-0, which was one in the eye for the Angles and the Saxons; and the Danes, the Jutes, and the people selling post-code lottery tickets .............. Harold played seated on 'is 'orse, with 'is 'awk in 'is 'and, and William was offside by a country mile ............ which is why he was nick-named “William the Bastard”. Years ago I learned a rhyme to help you remember when the Battle of Hastings was; it went

“It’s William of Normandy up to his tricks”,
Cried Harold at Pevensey, 1066”

And then there was;

“The English thought the Scots unsportin’,
At Bannockburn in 1314”

Oh happy, carefree days! I have to confess that I’ve never had occasion to quote either of these ditties in the intervening 60-odd years, but Education is a Wonderful Thing .................... Mind you, 60 years ago I didn’t know what “Educated” meant, but at least now I are it ...........................

Anyroadup; back to Oxford; it was first known as “Oxenaforda”, which sounds like a Mafia curse, but which actually means - according to the English Place-Name Society, or EPNS for short (not to be confused with Electro-Plated Nickel Silver) - “the ford of the oxen” ....... Hurrah for the EPNS, because none of us would ever have worked that out for ourselves!

Daphne Oxenaforda was, it’s said, an important military frontier town between the Kingdoms of Mercia and Wessex (although that was in the 10th Century); it was also the birthplace of King Richard I and King John (the one who lost his Charters in the Wash); in the Sweating Sickness epidemic of 1517 half the population of Oxford died, and in 1555 the Oxford Martyrs had their steaks burned at the local Berni Inn ....... no, actually, I made that bit up – they (Archbishop Thomas Cranmer, Bishop Hugh Latimer and Bishop Nicholas Ridley) were burned at the stake for heresy in Broad Street. Or, more accurately, they were burned at the stake in Broad Street for heresy; where the heresy took place doesn’t actually matter, I suppose – but it was pretty obviously a Bad Year to be a Bishop ............... or an Arch Bish .......... certainly in Oxfordshire! Oxford is also home to a Very Large University, a Library (for the use of Bodleians only – whatever they are), a Dictionary, and Inspector Morse ........ but not necessarily in that order!

So; this week’s starter for ten ................. In 1983/84 and 1984/5 Oxford were promoted from Division 3 to Division 2, and from Division 2 to Division 1 ................... but what was unique about those two promotions? And who was their Manager at the time, and what happened to him at the end of the 84/85 season?

I love statistics (now there’s a surprise!), but the one I love the mostest about The Boys From Up The Hill (one of their snappier nicknames!) is their away record for this season, which reads P15 W0 D10 L5 GF13 GA26 ...... so; they don’t travel well (rather like cheap whisky or very old poultry) ........... their home record is a slightly more respectable P16 W7 D2 L7 GF25 GA21, but overall their P31 W7 D12 L12 GF38 GA47 gives them 33 points and explains why they’re in 21st place, above Shrewsbury on goals scored (38 v 34), and above Bratfud on GD (-10 plays -16) ......... The Wombles’ 1-0 win at Walsall last time out in the League moved them on to 26 points but kept them in 24th place ............ and it also rushed Walsall (who were in the playoff places until game 14) straight to the top of the Dunces’ League, with nul points from their last five games ........ Southend are next with 2/15, Pompey, Shrewsbury, the Wombles (who are going back to Plough Lane, albeit to a new ground, in time for 2020/21, apparently ) and the Stanley have 3/15 (and we were good value for our point on Friday, I thought) ................... the Louts have a new club record 20-match unbeaten run (W16 D4), and are on 15 points from the last 15; the other Smart-Alec Table Toppers are the Lamb Chops (13/15) , and no-one else has more than 9/15 (Blackpool and Fleetwood)

They’ve done some business – not masses - in the Markets since we played them in Game 4 (which we won 3-2, coming back twice from behind with an OG and two from Billy Whizz, plus 5 yellow cards) .............. In (ProperSigned) have come CMF Mark Sykes from Glenavon, and Bermudan-born striker Jonte Smith, both for £nottellingyou; out went RB Cameron Norman to Walsall (see above); they’ve also Hired In Wolves’ LW Jordan Graham, Watford striker Jerome Sinclair, and DMF Ahmed Kashi (not to be confused with our own Cashy!) from French club Troyes (which is between Douze and Quatorze) .......... Out on loan have gone seven (mainly to Non-League), which included Hong Kong born Dai Wai-tsun (I don’t think it’s actually pronounced “Watson”, Sherlock!), who signed from Bury and has now gone to play in Utrecht!

Since 1st September they’ve played 26; they’ve won 6 (Plymouth 2-0, the Shrews 3-0, the Gills 1-0, Rochdale 4-2, Blackpool 2-0 and Pompey 2-1), drawn 12 and lost 8; no-one has yet done the double over them; and their last five games have ended with one win (Pompey 2-1 above) and four draws – Desmonds at Fleetwood and at home to the Chops, a half-Desmond at home to Sunderland courtesy of an 87th minute equaliser, and a Goalless Desmond at Burton and Hove Perfidious Albion – so some decent points there. They’re out of the FA Cup 1-0 at Brentford in Round 3, having Done It Unto Vegan Greenpeace (who are still going well in League Two, although Bury are now top) in a First Round Replay and Plymouth 2-1 away ............. in the League Cup they put out Coventry and PadraigScoringForFunAmond County before succumbing to ManCity 3-0 ................... and in the EFLTroffy they reached the QFs before losing 5-2 to Bury ........ Leading scorers are James Henry (isn’t he a famous writer?) with 12, Marcus Browne with 7 and Gavin Whyte with 6 ................... “Oxford United’s Browne and Whyte Army”

Deadline for entries is, as always, scheduled kick-off time, which is 7.45pm on Tuesday 19th February ................. They haven’t lost in five in the League, but they lost the three before that ............... and I still like their away record (see above, especially the words “won none”) ................ and we do need to take points at home, and against teams near us in the League Table, and both apply here ...................... And the unique aspect of their consecutive promotions back in the mid-80s is that they were promoted both times as Champions ................. and their then Manager was The Bald Eagle (Jim Smith), who left in 1985 and joined QPR, who then promptly lost in the League Cup Final to .......................... Oxford! And this game is for sure winnable, and needs, you may agree, to be winned!

Good luck to everyone! ................. Keep the Faith! ............. And thanks for playing!