The S24 Preview: Oxford United v Southend United

31 December 2010 13:50
After five postponements in seven games, footy at last! The Shrimpers enter 2011 with a trip to the Kassam Stadium to take on the U's; Saturday January 1st, kick-off 15.00. v SHRIMPERSShrimpers centre-half and all round cult hero, the one and only Bilel Moshni, may not have had enough time to recover from the ankle injury he picked up in the 2-0 win at Cheltenham Town over two weeks ago. Though every effort will be given to getting the French Tunisian fit his loss would be a major blow adding to the defection of two-goal scorer Jack Midson in that game at Whaddon Road, probably to sit on the bench against us, and midfielder Josh Simpson, who has returned to the loving arms of the Judas Fry and could be on the way to big spending, er, Crawley Town!Goalkeeper Glenn Morris is expected to start after his own ankle knock while defender Peter Gilbert sits out, finally, the last of his three-game ban following his red card at Stevenage before the ice age decended on the UK once again.Centre-back Mark Phillips (hernia) has returned to light training and might be on the subs bench but more likely to return next week.With Simmo going I see Luggy starting with two wide-men who can drop back helping out Anthony and captain Craig in the middle.Is winger Sofiene Zaaboub alive? Anyway, I've put him on the bench for cover out wide but if he is out expect another youth, maybe the recent 15-year-old signing, Lyle Della-Verde, also a left-footed wide player, be good to see. (The youth team are not down to play until Saturday, January 8th at Boots and Laces v Aldershot, their first game for nearly two months!) So there you go, I've included Moshni, well you've got to be half-full at this time of year, and against a team that's suffered five home defeats, and we've trained properly during the break this time around I can see us sneaking a 2-1 win. Without Bilel, I'll take a point!Have a great new year, enjoy the game, before, during and after, and we'll all pray for a better 2011 for all the Shrimpers faithful.It can't be as bad, can it?Possible Southend United: Morris, Clohessy, Barker, Moshni, Herd, Hall, Grant, Easton, Soares, Sturrock, Corr. Subs: Evans, Ferdinand, Coughlan, Prosser, Crawford, Paterson.COME ON YOU BLUES!!!!!OPPOSITIONU's boss Chris Wilder can welcome back striker Tom Craddock who finally completed his one-match ban in the win against Macclesfield on Tuesday after the previous game was called off.Centre-back Jake Wright joins the squad after recovering from a broken foot, while fellow defender Leigh Franks, on loan from Huddersfield, remains a doubt with a hamstring injury.8Torquay United 1932313104521611775292128+89Gillingham 204331193341719767282827010Crewe Alexandra 1933319103522118685402826+1211Oxford United 205151411243913758232426-112Macclesfield Town 2041512163341214749243025-613Stevenage 192621010333106595201624+414Burton Albion 195331812134811667262324+315Northampton Town 204321392361020668232924-616Bradford City 205141282265167310172424-717Southend United 193239113351212658212323-218Stockport County 2116311244251116588224023-18Last time OutJack was on the bench!Oxford United 2 Macclesfield 1 (played on Tuesday, December 28th, 2010);Report: www.oufc.co.uk/page/MatchReport/0,,10342~52052,00.htmlPREVIOUSLYAt Oxford Utd. (17)At Southend Utd. (17)ResultsTotal%ResultsTotal%Oxford Utd.1164.71Southend Utd.741.18Southend Utd.423.53Oxford Utd.741.18Draws211.76Draws317.65GoalsTotalAv.pgGoalsTotalAv.pgOxford Utd.231.35Southend Utd.281.65Southend Utd.100.59Oxford Utd.211.24On Neutral Ground (0)Overall (34 matches)ResultsTotal%ResultsTotal%Oxford Utd.00.00Oxford Utd.1852.94Southend Utd.00.00Southend Utd.1132.35Draws00.00Draws514.71GoalsTotalAv.pgGoalsTotalAv.pgOxford Utd.00.00Oxford Utd.441.29Southend Utd.00.00Southend Utd.381.12RecordsHighest Aggregate7Southend Utd. 6 - 1Oxford Utd.1993/1994 Highest Oxford Utd. score:5Oxford Utd. 5 - 0Southend Utd.1996/1997 Highest Southend Utd. score:6Southend Utd. 6 - 1Oxford Utd.1993/1994 SeasonDateHomeScoreAwayCompetition 2007/2008Tue 11 DecSouthend Utd.3 - 0Oxford Utd.F.A. Cup Sat 01 DecOxford Utd.0 - 0Southend Utd.F.A. Cup 2004/2005Sat 23 AprOxford Utd.2 - 1Southend Utd.League Two Sat 06 NovSouthend Utd.4 - 0Oxford Utd.League Two 2003/2004Sun 28 DecSouthend Utd.0 - 1Oxford Utd.League Division Three Sat 06 SepOxford Utd.2 - 0Southend Utd.League Division Three 2002/2003Tue 21 JanSouthend Utd.2 - 1Oxford Utd.League Division Three Sat 24 AugOxford Utd.0 - 1Southend Utd.League Division Three 2001/2002Sat 02 MarSouthend Utd.2 - 2Oxford Utd.League Division Three Sat 22 SepOxford Utd.2 - 0Southend Utd.League Division Three 1999/2000Tue 24 AugOxford Utd.1 - 0Southend Utd.League Cup Oxford United won 3-0 on aggregateTue 10 AugSouthend Utd.0 - 2Oxford Utd.League Cup 1996/1997Sat 22 MarSouthend Utd.2 - 2Oxford Utd.League Division One Sat 24 AugOxford Utd.5 - 0Southend Utd.League Division One 1993/1994Sat 15 JanOxford Utd.2 - 1Southend Utd.League Division One Sat 16 OctSouthend Utd.6 - 1Oxford Utd.League Division One 1992/1993Sat 13 MarOxford Utd.0 - 1Southend Utd.League Division One Sat 07 NovSouthend Utd.0 - 3Oxford Utd.League Division One 1991/1992Thu 26 DecOxford Utd.0 - 1Southend Utd.Second Division Wed 30 OctSouthend Utd.2 - 3Oxford Utd.Second Division 1983/1984Sat 14 AprOxford Utd.2 - 1Southend Utd.Third Division Fri 02 DecSouthend Utd.0 - 1Oxford Utd.Third Division 1982/1983Fri 13 MaySouthend Utd.1 - 2Oxford Utd.Third Division Sat 01 JanOxford Utd.1 - 0Southend Utd.Third Division 1981/1982Sat 13 MarOxford Utd.0 - 2Southend Utd.Third Division Sat 24 OctSouthend Utd.0 - 1Oxford Utd.Third Division 1980/1981Wed 13 AugOxford Utd.2 - 0Southend Utd.League Cup Oxford United won 2-1 on aggregateSat 09 AugSouthend Utd.1 - 0Oxford Utd.League Cup 1979/1980Sat 05 AprOxford Utd.1 - 0Southend Utd.Third Division Wed 26 DecSouthend Utd.1 - 1Oxford Utd.Third Division 1978/1979Wed 07 MarOxford Utd.0 - 0Southend Utd.Third Division Mon 11 SepSouthend Utd.2 - 0Oxford Utd.Third Division 1965/1966Mon 22 NovSouthend Utd.2 - 1Oxford Utd.Third Division Wed 25 AugOxford Utd.3 - 2Southend Utd.Third Division GROUNDThe club moved from the Manor Ground in the Summer of 2001, to the purpose built Kassam Stadium (named after the former Chairman Firoz Kassam). The stadium was built at a cost of around £15m and is located on the outskirts of Oxford. It has only three sides, with one end remaining unused. Each of the stands are of a good size, are all seated, covered and are roughly of the same height. The South Stand on one side of the pitch, is a two tiered stand with a row of executive boxes. This is a particularly impressive looking stand with police control and press boxes situated at the back. Opposite is the single tiered North Stand, primarily given to away supporters. This has a number of strange looking floodlights protruding from its roof. At the one end is the Oxford Mail Stand, which is also single tiered. There is a special type of pitch, one of the first to have artificial grass woven into the live turf. One disappointment is the large gaps in the corners, which sets the stands back from the playing surface and means cold winds whistling through in winter. Away fans are housed on one side of the North Stand, towards the open end of the ground. This stand may be shared with home supporters, but more than likely will be given totally to the Shrimpers faithful. There is not much around the ground in terms of pubs and eating establishments, so you may have to find such comforts within the ground itself. The Kassam is light years away from the old Manor Ground. The facilities within and pitch view are excellent, and there is also good leg room. The atmosphere within the ground is not bad, with the Oxford fans in the Oxford Mail Stand doing their best to raise it.(Ground information supplied by www.footballgroundguide.com)TICKETSIf you haven't bought in advance it's £18.50 for Adults on the day, rip-off!Full details here:www.southendunited-mad.co.uk/feat/edw9/oxford_united_tickets_611845/index.shtmlWEATHERGrey cloud, 6c's, looking good folks: http://news.bbc.co.uk/weather/forecast/25REF The man in the middle is Chris Sarginson from Staffordshire.A full interview with him here: http://refworld.com/referee/180/1/chris-sarginson His assistants are Lee Collins and mark Waever; The fourth official is Marvin Thompson. FIXTURESLeague TwoSaturday, January 1st; (all kick-offs 15.00): Barnet v Aldershot, Burton Albion v Shrewsbury, Bury v Macclesfield, Cheltenham v Wycombe, Chesterfield v Stockport, Crewe v Northampton, Gillingham v Stevenage, Hereford v Torquay, Lincoln City v Bradford, Morecambe v Accrington Stanley, Oxford Utd v Southend, Rotherham v Port Vale.Sunday, January 2nd; My Birthday, in pub.Monday, January 3rd; (all kick-offs 15.00): Accrington Stanley v Chesterfield, Aldershot v Hereford, Bradford v Bury, Macclesfield v Rotherham, Northampton v Lincoln City, Port Vale v Burton Albion, Shrewsbury v Crewe, Southend v Cheltenham, Stevenage v Barnet, Stockport v Morecambe, Torquay v Oxford Utd, Wycombe v Gillingham.BETNot bad odds in a two-horse race considering Cheltenham.Oxford (to win) - 11/10, Draw - 12/5, Southend (to win) - 3. For all the footy odds go here: www.oddschecker.com/football/english/league-two/TRANSPORTBy Train go here: www.southendunited-mad.co.uk/feat/edw5/oxford_united_573761/index.shtml By Car go here: www.southendunited-mad.co.uk/feat/edw7/oxford_united_611839/index.shtmlBy Coach go here: www.southendunited-mad.co.uk/feat/edw3/oxford_united_606036/index.shtml PUB AND PIESFor the best drinking around the ground and in the town go here: www.southendunited-mad.co.uk/feat/edw8/ride_the_white_horse_pub_crawl_in_oxford_613802/index.shtml SOMEWHERE TO LAY YOUR HATFor an overnight stay: www.southendunited-mad.co.uk/feat/edw1/oxford_united_611835/index.shtmlHISTORY Oxford United was formed as Headington United in 1893, adding the suffix United the following year. It was created by Rev John Scott-Tucker, the vicar at Saint Andrew's church in Old Headington, and a local doctor named Robert Hitchings. A football team was a way for the cricketers of Headington Cricket Club to maintain their fitness during the winter break. The first game played was against Cowley Barracks. Headington had no regular home until 1913, when they were able to purchase Wootten's Field on London Road, but this was redeveloped in 1920. A permanent home was finally found in 1926, when they purchased the Manor Ground site on London Road. The facility was used as a cricket pitch in the summer, and a football pitch in the winter, until the cricketers moved out during the 1940s.In 1899, six years after their formation, Headington United joined the Oxfordshire District League Second Division, where they competed until the outbreak of the First World War; the Second Division was renamed the Oxfordshire Junior League after the resumption of football in 1919. In 1921 the club was admitted into the Oxon Senior League. The first season included a 9-0 victory, with 8 goals coming from P. Drewitt. This remains a record for the highest number of goals scored by an Oxford player in a first-team match. A move into professional football was first considered during the second season. Vic Couling, the president at the time, had applied for Headington to become a member of a new Second Division in the Southern League. Other teams that applied included Weymouth, Kettering Town and future league side Cambridge United. Despite the plans being postponed, the First Division was going to be expanded by two clubs; Weymouth and Headington were elected. It was later discovered that Llanelli had just one fewer vote than Headington. They played their first season in the Southern League in 1949, the same year they turned professional. Former First Division forward Harry Thompson was hired as manager. The club installed floodlights in 1950, the first professional club in Britain to do so, and the first floodlit game was held on 18 December against Banbury Spencer. Headington United initially played in orange and blue shirts, but changed to yellow home shirts for the 1957-58 season. The reason for the change is unknown. In 1960, Headington United was renamed Oxford United, to give the club a higher profile.Oxford United finished eighteenth in the 1985-86 First Division campaign, avoiding relegation on the last day of the season. They also won the Football League Cup, known at the time as the Milk Cup under a sponsorship deal, beating Queens Park Rangers 3-0 in the final at Wembley. They would have qualified for the UEFA Cup the following season, had it not been for the ban on English teams that had resulted from the previous year's Heysel Stadium disaster.After beating fellow First Division side Aston Villa in the semi-final 4-3 on aggregate, Oxford faced Queens Park Rangers in the final, which was held at Wembley Stadium on 20 April 1986. The final result was 3-0 with goals from Trevor Hebberd, Ray Houghton and Jeremy Charles. After the match, manager Maurice Evans asked long-serving physiotherapist, 72-year-old Ken Fish, to collect a winner's medal instead of himself. It was the last time the League Cup was played under the name "Milk Cup".1986-87 saw Oxford United survive another relegation battle and stay in the First Division. Robert Maxwell resigned as chairman in May 1987 to take over at Derby County, handing the club to his son Kevin. Maurice Evans was sacked in March 1988 with Oxford bottom of the First Division and destined for relegation after three years in the top flight.They remain the only cub to have played in the top flight to end up in the Conference.Now managed by former Halifax Town boss Chris Wilder. Wilder's arrival for the 2008/09 Blue Square Premier season lead to 15 wins from the next 21. A 5-point deduction for fielding an unregistered player resulted in a seventh-place finish, four points and two places short of the play-offs. Oxford led the table for most of the first half of the 2009-10 season but dropped into the playoff places by the end of the season, finishing third. They beat Rushden & Diamonds over two legs to advance to the playoff final against York City, the club's second-ever visit to Wembley Stadium and their first to the new stadium.On May 16, 2010, Oxford won the Conference National play-off Final against York City, beating them 3-1 to return to the Football League for the 2010-11 season. The attendance was over 33,000, notably large for a non-League club. Oxford's first game in the return to the Football League was away to Burton, which finished in a 0-0 draw. Oxford got their first win back in the Football League on September 4th against Morecambe at the Kassam Stadium, winning 4-0, thanks to a James Constable hat-trick.(For a more comprehensive history of the club, go here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxford_United.)

Source: FOOTYMAD