The most mindless and pointless away trip of any season?

[Pe├▒a Oxford United]

Such is the claim. Having nothing more mindless or pointless to do, I wondered if we could examine that claim and see if we agree with it.

Some proposed criteria:

(a) no game counts if we still had a chance of relegation or promotion at the time it was played

(b) only midweek games count, as a weekend game can always be a day out

(c) League games only, as Mickey Mouse cups are a different waste of time altogether

(d) other than that the main criteria are the distance and convenience of travel.

I would nominate the Tuesday night trip to Oldham at the dogend of the 1989/90 season, but I don't think we were actually safe by then.

[Pe├▒a Oxford United]

How about the Thursday night visit to Newcastle for the rearranged game at the end of 1992/93?

[Yorkie]

BBC Radio York has been trying to hype up this fixture for several days ... 'cos they're the official sponsors apparently. Doesn't sound convincing, especially after York's debacle on Saturday - 3 sent off, in case you missed it. But I'll be there, not totally alone I trust.

[Sideshow Rob]

The last game of the 1994/95 season away to Plymouth was fairly pointless. It was also extremely hot and uncomfortable on the away terrace that day.

[boris]

I would amend point a) to read: No game counts if either team has a chance of promotion or relegation at the time it was played (on the grounds that the game isn't meaningless if we can piss on someone else's fireworks).

Tonight's game must therefore be in with a shout of the earliest waste of time fixture (although there are probably earlier ones if anyone can be arsed to research them).

[Pe├▒a Oxford United]

I would amend point a) to read: No game counts if either team has a chance of promotion or relegation at the time it was played (on the grounds that the game isn't meaningless if we can piss on someone else's fireworks)

That's a good point, though Newcastle were champions by the time we played the rearranged game up there, so it still stands. Rob's Plymouth game (which I'm sure I attended) falls unless he can show that you can't have a day out in Plymouth on a Saturday, which is not without the bounds of possiblity.

[Pe├▒a Oxford United]

Tonight's game must therefore be in with a shout of the earliest waste of time fixture (although there are probably earlier ones if anyone can be arsed to research them).

There were probably earlier ones before the play-offs came in?

[boris]

ah yes, those dim and distant days.

or we could use the modern method of measurement, whereby all games were meaningless prior to the advent of the Premiership.

[Mooro]

Such is the claim. Having nothing more mindless or pointless to do, I wondered if we could examine that claim and see if we agree with it.

Some proposed criteria:

(a) no game counts if we still had a chance of relegation or promotion at the time it was played

(b) only midweek games count, as a weekend game can always be a day out

(c) League games only, as Mickey Mouse cups are a different waste of time altogether

(d) other than that the main criteria are the distance and convenience of travel.

I would nominate the Tuesday night trip to Oldham at the dogend of the 1989/90 season, but I don't think we were actually safe by then.

Two other possible criteria? - e) Score is 0-0 (or perhaps lose 1-0 to a penalty)
f) a significant player is injured

[SmileyMan]

I don't think you can count events during the game, because it's the trip that has to be pointless. If you go to York, and subsequently it's a nil-nil head-tennis shocker, then that's just hindsight.

[OUFC4eva]

Did Matt Murphy make his debut at St James Park that night?

Nick Cusack scored for us I think.

[Steppers]

It was Murphy's debut, I went after trying to go to the original fixture and only knowing it was off after the team coach passed the LRTC going the other way.

This lead to us being refused entry at Darlington's old ground as we would have doubled the crowd!!!, finally we got in at Hartlepool v Fulham just on half time and at full price.

I do remember everyone was impressed by Murphy on the coach home.

[Pe├▒a Oxford United]

I'm a little confused here. What was the season in which the original game was called off at half-time because of torrential rain? Was that 1990/1?

[bringiton]

away to southampton in about 1975/6- one of mick brown's first away coaches....got to the dell and found out the game had been postponed due to a waterlogged pitch...so what did we do? went to the county ground and watched Slumdon versus walsall - I think Slumdon won 4-1 and we ended up just avoiding a battering from both sets of fans...i was 13 ...loved every minute of it, but in hindsight, was a pretty bleedin pointless trip