After
a week's break Oxford are back in action with another of those long
trips up north we all love so much. Nevertheless, the last time we
ventured into that grim wasteland known as 'the north' we came home
with three points thanks to an impressive 2-1
win over League Cup giant-killers Bradford City – shockingly,
the first time we've picked up three points north of Oxford all
season.
Our
opponents this weekend are Fleetwood Town, currently ninth (and two
points ahead of us) in League Two during their debut season in the
Football League. This will be the first time the two clubs have met, mainly due to the fact that for most of Fleetwood's brief history (this
version of the club was only formed in 1997) they have plied their
trade at step 5 of the non-league pyramid or below. That they have
reached the Football League in remarkable fashion by winning five
promotions during the last seven years would be a true football fairy
tale – if not for the accusations of astounding levels of financial
doping.
Regardless
of how they reached this level or the money they are spending to
maintain their upwards trajectory, Fleetwood are a serious force to
contend with at this level and were immediately installed as one of
the pre-season favourites for promotion. And they started well,
finding themselves in the running for promotion in the early stages
of the season, but a slight blip since then has seen them slip to
ninth as well as giving the boot to manager Micky Mellon, who won two
promotions in four years at the club. If anything, Fleetwood's slump in form has
only been exacerbated by the managerial shake-up, with the club
picking up just eight points from a possible 21 since Mellon's
sacking and come into this match on the back of successive defeats to
Northampton and Bristol Rovers.
They
do, however, have the resources to inject some fresh impetus when
things start to stagnate and they have been extremely active during
the transfer window. The arrival of Paul
McKenna on loan from Hull on Friday is their fifth signing of
2013 in a spending spree which has also seen them shell out a record
fee (upwards of £200,000) for prolific Kidderminster Harriers
striker Jamille Matt. Whether this means they will be fresh and
raring to go, or unfamiliar and failing to 'gel', remains to be seen.
As
for ourselves, we have plenty of reason to feel positive going into
this match, with Deane Smalley and Adam Chapman both available for
selection after their recent injuries. James Constable is, of course,
still suspended for this match and the season-long absence of Ryan
Clarke is a huge blow, but the incredibly experienced Wayne
Brown should be up to the task of deputising for him.
Also This Weekend
The
youth team resume their Youth Alliance campaign this weekend with a
home game against Hereford United – their first league game since
their 1-0 win over Swindon at the start of December. The young U's
will be looking to recover from their disappointing FA Youth Cup
defeat at Barnsley, and form is at least on their side – they have
already beaten Hereford 3-1, 9-2 and 7-2 this season.
This
weekend is a huge one for the ladies team and one which could well
define the future of the club for years to come. They entertain
second-placed Keynsham Town on Sunday and victory would extend their
lead at the top of the table to seven points (Keynsham have two games
in hand) and give them a stranglehold on top spot – vital in a
league with just one promotion spot. And promotion this season could
well be the decisive for the ladies' WSL
2014 application.
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