Oxford travel to
Cheltenham looking to keep up their 100% away record, after some
impressive victories on the road at Portsmouth, Torquay and Burton
already this season. In contrast, Cheltenham are still yet to win a
league game at Whaddon Road so far this season, after draws with
Burton and Portsmouth and a defeat to Plymouth.
Injuries have hampered
Cheltenham's start to the season after an impressive run to the
play-offs last season. Jamie Cureton was a big-name signing during
the summer, but he has missed all but the opening 20 minutes of the
campaign so far, dislocating his shoulder as he scored his first goal
for the Robins in their season opener against Burton. Troy Brown and
Craig Braham-Barrett are also absent at the back, which could go some
way to explaining Cheltenham's poor defensive record so far. The loan
signing of Bristol
City's James Wilson yesterday would seem to be an attempt to
rectify that particular problem area and he's expected to make his
debut this weekend.
Chris Wilder has also
dipped into the loan market this week, bringing in Bournemouth
goalkeeper Shwan
Jalal on a month's loan as cover, after Max Crocombe sustained a
shoulder injury. James Constable seems unlikely
to start after hobbling off last weekend at Burton, so the returning
Deane Smalley could be set to link up again with Dave Kitson up front
after a hamstring problem has kept him sidelined for the last couple
of weeks.
Last time United made the
trip to Whaddon Road they put four past Cheltenham in the JPT,
revenge for the miserable
2-1 defeat they inflicted on us less than a month before. That
was actually the first time we had been beaten in the league at
Cheltenham in a decade when Ian Atkins oversaw a 2-0 defeat in April
2002. That said, until that JPT win (backed up by victory at the
Kassam later in the season) Oxford hadn't beaten Cheltenham in any
competition since 2005 – a run of eight matches. But with the last
two matches going our way, let's hope we can make it a hat-trick of
victories this weekend!
From the Vaults
Cheltenham Town v Oxford United, 9th October 2012
Oxford made their second
trip of the season to Cheltenham, having been beaten 2-1 in the
league less than a month before. This time the result was rather
different, Oxford twice falling behind but goals from Tom Craddock,
Harry Worley, James Constable and Peter Leven secured passage into the next round.
You can find this and many other old OUFC matches in our NEW & IMPROVED VIDEO VAULT!
Also This Weekend
The youth team look to
recover from recent defeats to Plymouth and Hereford in their first
home match of the season, as Newport County come to town for a Youth
Alliance fixture. Newport picked up their first point since returning
to the Youth Alliance, holding champions Bristol Rovers to a 1-1
draw in their last match.
Don't forget you can find full fixture lists for women's, development and youth teams on our Fixtures page!
Don't forget you can find full fixture lists for women's, development and youth teams on our Fixtures page!
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