Oxford Utd profile, Swans in January link & Franco latest
Wednesday, 30th Oct 2024 08:00 by Keith Haynes
Swansea City travel to Oxford United this coming Saturday in an EFL Championship fixture which kicks off at 12.30pm. We take a look at matters leading up to this game and of course look at the chances that Swansea City may well score a goal !
This fixture has sold out for Swansea City fans.
It has been five games now which with additional time adds up to around five hundred and twenty minutes, or for those who have persevered with these last five games – over eight and a half hours without a goal. The longest the Swans have ever gone without scoring a goal is six matches back in February 1996. Personally I remember that, it was somewhat annoying ! However, expectations are far higher now than back then. Jan Molby was the manager and the club had pretty much been dominated by poor ownership and false promises. And of course it got a lot worse over the next six years.
So, we turn to this weekends game and a visit to the Kassam Stadium. It’s a weird ground and recent visits haven’t gone that well. The Swans haven’t played there that often due to the Swans Premier League journey over seven years. The two sides did meet in August 2022 in the League Cup. A 2-2 draw that night went to penalties, and the home side went through in from of a four thousand ish crowd, many of whom were Swansea fans.
Another cup defeat came in January 2016, Matt Grimes was in that side with Jon Jo Shelvey who started offering Swansea fans a fight after the game. Marvin Emnes, Jefferson Montero and Bafetimbi Gomis were up front. The mercurial Franck Tabanou, the player who fought for nothing and looked like a podgy ‘man against food contender’ also turned up. He got a yellow card as well, unfortunately the referee Kevin Friend didn’t see fit to give him another one.
The Swans lost that FA Cup third round tie, 3-2.
These are the most recent games that are somewhat fresh in the memory. However, with the Swans looking to break their five game duck in front of goal you would expect a better showing than those two cup games. Before that it was the 2004/05 season where Swansea City won both games 1-0. Going back before that Oxford won five out of seven games, the other two drawn between 1995 and 2003. It isn’t a happy hunting ground for the Swans who have overall never scored more than three goals against the U’s in twenty eight league and cup meetings. And yes Oxford have beaten the Swans twelve times with Swansea winning ten (drawing six) since 1966. That was the first time the clubs met as Oxford United had been promoted to Division four as it was then from what is now the National League. That was four years after their promotion to Division four, and two years before that they changed their name from Headington United to Oxford United in 1960.
Born again racist, Ron Atkinson played for the club for twelve years between 1959 and 1971 making five hundred and sixty appearances. The most in all competitions in U’s history. Now eighty five he is still welcomed at the club for engagements. Many will remember Oxford United in the eighties when they were a delight to watch beating numerous teams in their 1985/86 League Cup campaign (Aston Villa springs to mind) They also defeated Newcastle United with Paul Gascogne and Peter Beardsley in the Toon line up. John Aldridge was their top scorer with thirty goals that season. The U’s went on to defeat Queens Park Rangers at Wembley 3-0. In that final ex Swans, Robbie James featured for the R’s and Jeremy Charles for the U’s. Charles scored the third Oxford goal in that game. His football journey could have been a lot different had he not signed for the Swans when he was around fifteen – not returning to a very keen Everton for more trials. Ray Houghton who went on to play for Liverpool scored the second. Dean Saunders was another top player for the club at that time. He joined in 1987, and from there his real football journey started after a successful time at Brighton.
There’s a whole lot more that could be written about Oxford United in the eighties, many had them down as their other favourite club. Myself included. Nowadays our opponents this Saturday are again taking on teams perceived as better than them and dealing them a few embarrassing slaps. They have won the same amount of games as the Swans this season, but have scored fifteen compared to our lads eight this season. Just one point ahead of Swansea they too aren’t having the best of times but their play and game management is far better. However, it is still only one defeat out of five, the other four games drawn. That’s a lot better than the Swans recently, and some of those draws displayed some real fast and rapid play down the wings.
Their supporters will be happy with that.
Swansea City and Oxford have the same goal difference. Zero. Oxford having conceded fifteen to go with their fifteen scored. The Swans on eight scored and eight conceded. Both have played twelve games,that puts us over a quarter way through this Championship campaign. It’s cracking on eh ?
Latest we know at the Swans is that Franco is receiving treatment this week on his injury from a nasty tackle against Millwall. No updates as yet. Liam Cullen, as we have seen has signed a new contract at the Swans, he and Zǎn Vipotnik starting in a form of attacking partnership last time out. Liam didn’t have a good game. We are doing some research into the Swans having some interest in a League two forward for January. However, that is going to take a day or so. Early days but only eight weeks or so before the January window opens.
We hope you have enjoyed our midweek profile on the next Swans game. One which really has to see a vast improvement in front of goal.
Photograph unlicensed as of 30/10/2024
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