Rage Online

I went to the Brackley v Newport game on Sunday (being a mere 10 minutes walk from my house) and Aidan Hawtin was Brackley's best player. Really industrious game at right-back and even made a match saving clearance off the line near the end of the game. Oddly enough, I got chatting to his Dad in the toilets after the game (or at least a bloke who claimed to be his Dad - never chat to strangers kids!) and he said Aidan was getting played out of position at Oxford but he is enjoying the challenge wherever he plays and whoever he plays for.

Do feel our recent cup games were missed opportunities for Hawtin (and to a lesser extent Ashby and Humphreys). That aside, pleased to hear good reports from Brackley.

Given the expectation of the modern fullback to get forward, and no right backs on permanent contract, he has much to offer, and gain, from learning the new position. His goal line clearance showed good positioning and awareness. Qualities he can only improve with experience.

Ex-academy player Ben Polk is playing for Portland Timbers
http://www.columbian.com/news/2016/jan/ ... -forwards/

Out of the gloom wrote:Do feel our recent cup games were missed opportunities for Hawtin (and to a lesser extent Ashby and Humphreys). That aside, pleased to hear good reports from Brackley.

Given the expectation of the modern fullback to get forward, and no right backs on permanent contract, he has much to offer, and gain, from learning the new position. His goal line clearance showed good positioning and awareness. Qualities he can only improve with experience.

Not to be I'm afraid - Hawtin and humphreys are off to pastures new after having their contracts cancelled by the club. They are joining FK Valdres, who are a fourth tier Norwegian side for the new season which begins in May. However, only the top two levels are national, with the third split into four regions and the fourth tier into twelve, so I would assume the standard is more southern/hellenic than conference....

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On a separate note, former YT keeper josh Hill has just completed his second season at Hawkes bay United in New Zealand. They finished second, but lost out in some sort of end of season play-off which meant they didnt get into the Asian version of the Champions League.
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Alex Fisher is now at Inverness Cally Thistle, but out for two months with an injury, Ty Marsh has moved to Dover from Torquay, while striker Conor McDonagh has made the step up to conference south with Oxford City.

Callum O'Dowda. Where is he now?

Appleton doesn't seemed to be very impressed with this "illness" business and nor am I.

Come on nipper, you're still contracted to OUFC so get your backside to Spain and earn your money.

Hog wrote:Callum O'Dowda. Where is he now?

Appleton doesn't seemed to be very impressed with this "illness" business and nor am I.

Come on nipper, you're still contracted to OUFC so get your backside to Spain and earn your money.

I've read a lot of discussion about this, and the one thing that no-one seems to be mentioning (strangely in this day and age) is MONEY. And I don't mean the transfer fee. It was reported in last season's transfer window that Derby were baulking at COD's £10k a week wage demands. Now if he's found a club willing to pay him anywhere near that figure then it's understandable that he wants away to where the cash is (even if that's 'only' Bristol City). But equally no club is going to want to stump up a big transfer fee and a hefty wage for a relatively unproven player. The only way that we might hang onto him (and keep him happy) would be to offer a new contract on improved terms. But we seem to have a fairly rigid wage structure so that is unlikely to happen. So either we compromise on the transfer fee and let him go. Or we make him see out his existing contract until such time as a club meets our valuation for him. I think the club is doing the right thing by standing firm - that's the point of offering youngsters long contracts, you make sure you don't lose them for a steal after investing in their development.

In the meantime of course you're right - he should be with the squad and letting his Dad/agent get on with sorting a deal out. This 'illness' is insulting our intelligence frankly.

So now we know - he's been scheming with Bristol City for a week or more. Good riddance.

The Gloucestershire Echo are reporting Cheltenham Saracens boss Rich Stevenson has been pleased with his recruitment ahead of the new Hellenic League season ... Stevenson has also brought in midfielder Clinton Brown, previously with Oxford United youth and Hook Norton.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/201 ... -to-be-br/

"We’ve returned to London to meet Steven Sylvester, a cricketer turned sports psychologist, who might have some answers. After starting out in youth football at Oxford United, he played a handful of county games for Middlesex and Nottinghamshire in the mid-1990s, but failed to make the grade. His response was to go back to university to discover why."

I think this man was visting the club at a training session I once went to via the old Oxford United Lottery, during the Kelvin Thomas/ Chris Wilder days.

Matt Taylor (the older one) has signed for Northampton...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/36964195

And Marvin Ekpiteta has joined Concord Rangers from Chelmsford ...

http://nonleague.pitchero.com/news/clar ... oys-48866/

Gareth Jennings joins Stoke as Academy Director
http://www.stokecityfc.com/news/article ... 39638.aspx

Sam Humphreys has signed for Mickey Lewis at Hayes and Yeading from Vardres FK of Norway.

'Our' Jordan Graham has joined Didcot on a work experience loan

Former youth team captain Lewis Hayden has signed for Farnborough

George Jeacock has joined Banbury on loan.