First Game

[A-Ro]

On the subject of walls falling over - I remember being away at Slumdon when a wall collapsed can anybody else remember this and when it was? Probably late 70's.

It wasn't a wall falling over it was a section of crush barrier in which the Oxford fans had spotted a weakness and niggled at it en masse until they managed to dislodge it from it's mountings and then lobbed it down the terrace. God alone knows how nobody broke a leg.

Sort of similar to the fence at Kettering.

I was definately at a game where the front wall of the London Road (beech Road side) crashed to the ground and the fans spilt onto the pitch.

Wasn't I? I was about 9 at the time.

Yes you were - however the question was about a wall falling down at Slumdon away - not Oxford at home, and as I pointed out it was a crush barrier and not a wall.

[Ancient Colin]

Here's me, Preston in the League Cup, 1967. I thought it was earlier, but memories play tricks, I guess. I should have been going earlier (we arrived in Wheatley in '64) but my father wasn't the sort to take me to games (or anything, really), so it took a friendly neighbour (whose daughter I ran with) to get me hooked. Don't remember anything about it, really, other than being impressed by the crowd ...

http://www.rageonline.co.uk/mainpage.ph ... :00:00.000

[Zeke]

Oxford 3 Bournemouth 0 Boxing Day 2002

inspired by my presence, David Oldfield went on his goal scoring spree scoring 2 of his 3 Oxford goals for games I was in attendence (and there were only 3).

[SteMerritt]

David Oldfield ..... goal scoring spree

Not words you usually find in the same sentence!

[SteMerritt]

A little picture for you old-timers....

http://cards.littleoak.com.au/197172_da ... united.jpg

[Baboo]

A little picture for you old-timers....

http://cards.littleoak.com.au/197172_da ... united.jpg

Two of my first footballing heros - John Evanson &amp Dave Roberts

[Mally]

Equally interesting is that the first game for a number of respondants was not an Oxford one either (Me, Boris, Mally, Snake and probably DLT and others as well).

I wonder what that says about the appeal of Oxford over other clubs? Discuss.

Yes I was a bit of a football tart in my early teens. I was born in Yorkshire but moved south at the age of 7 so I supported Leeds in the late 60's and early 70's - A good time to be a Leeds fan - Sprake, Reaney, Cooper, Charlton, Hunter, Bremner, Giles, Gray, Lorimer, Clarke, Jones.

The first game I went to was at Reading just because the village team I played for had a game in Reading in the morning and we were all taken to see Reading play in the afternoon. After that I flirted with Chelsea travelling up on the train with schoolfriends form Aylesbury until another friend persuaded me to go to Oxford and that was it. I could get a bus from right outside my house and 45 minutes later get off right outside the Manor.

[A-Ro]

A little picture for you old-timers....

http://cards.littleoak.com.au/197172_da ... united.jpg

Its funny how memory plays tricks on you, I would have said that Evanson, Sloan and Roberts played later than most of that team and that Burton played even later than that.

I would never have placed that lot in the same team and I would have sworn that Cassidy and Curran arrived at the same time.

[GodalmingYellow]

I'm a sucker for blatant advertising so I'll be up for the said programme! Oxford v Newcastle 26th October 1983 - if available you can let me know details at peter@green97.fsworld.co.uk!

No problem GB, yours for a quid.

Do you have the 1976 Chelsea one too? If so I'll have it at the going rate.

Sorry Mark, that one has already been sold and I don't have any spares. It's not a programmes that's easy to get either.

[Snake]

Wrexham v Blackpool, circa 1967. Wrexham won 2-1 in a night match with a diving header late in the game from the edge of the box, having previously been 1-0 down.

The first time I ever saw Oxford United was in May 1977 when I was present in the Cuckoo Lane end to see a relatively uneventful 2-2 draw with Wrexham on a foggy night in Headington.

But what was your first game as an Oxford fan - i.e. after you became Engish?

For a start I’m still Celtic, whatever you Oxford supporting and (quite frankly) Angles and Saxons may think.

I honestly don’t remember the first OUFC match I ever attended in the home areas. I started to watch the Us in the mid-80’s now and again when I had nothing in particular to do and fancied seeing some local live football. While I was doing this I travelled up to the Racecourse Ground from Oxford but in the end the decline of WFC and the rise of OUFC during that period made me change my mind.

So yes, that makes me a bit of a tart.

[A-Ro]

Yes but your our tart.

[Boogie]

Oxford 1 Chelsea 1 7 Feb 1976. That was me and thanks to GY I have the programme!

I lived in Henley. My grandfather who at one point I believe was a Director of Reading FC took me to Elm Park when I was about 6. That is my first football memory. By rights I should really be enjoying premiership football now.

My elder brother followed Leeds and my friends at school followed Arsenal or Chelsea. Dads drove us to a few games in London.

We had a twinning weekend and my brother thought that it would be a good idea to take the french kids to see Oxford v Chelsea. From the moment I saw Peter Houseman running down the wing and Roy Burton's shorts I was hooked. Oxford had drawn against Chelsea and I thought cool (or whatever word I would have used back then).

I then alternated between going with my mate and his Dad to Highbury and catching the train on my own to Oxford.

My maths teacher and football coach Andy Howland was a big Us fan but I do not remember talking about the Us much although I did wear the yellow and blue stripes for training. I did not meet him again until he turned up to play in the Exiles 5 a side team at &quotFarewell to the Manor&quot.

[Mally]

How weird that 2 of us on here had the same first Oxford game. Add to that the fact that we both went to our first game at Elm Park plus the Leeds/Chelsea connections and its a bit too spooky!

If Boogie now tells me he has a son who he first took to see Oxford on 8th April 1995 against Brentford I think we may have entered the twilight zone.

GY - Do you have that programme?

[Ninja]

Whilst I am unable to remember my first United game, my memories point to a combination of Roy Burton, Jason Seacole and Keith Cassells which leaves it as late seventies I suppose but not year specific.

I used to get taken to watch United with my Dad and stood with his sunday cricket team (not in full whites!) in the Osler Road with the odd visit to the Cuckoo lane when you could wander. I loved it from day 1.

Also went to see City at the White House ground when the yellows were away. Now when was Steve Dixon playing for City as I remember it as about the same time? A great player I always wanted to see in yellow.

[Boogie]

Sorry Mally, I bought the programme off GY.

No I did not take a son to watch his first match v Brentford in 1995.