Big Billy Hamilton scoring against Blackburn in November 1984

Oxford United will honour the memory of 15-year-old goalkeeper Amelia Aplin with a minute’s silence before Wednesday night’s game against Blackburn Rovers, with Amelia’s family likely to be in attendance. The players will also wear black armbands.

For those of you who are unaware, Amelia was playing in a girls’ development game against Fulham on Saturday morning when she collapsed on the pitch and could not be revived. Everyone connected with the club was in shock and there was a sombre atmosphere at the training ground on Monday. The women’s home game against Real Bedford on Sunday afternoon was postponed.

On behalf of Rage Online, I would like to pass on my condolences to Amelia’s family, friends, coaches and everyone else who knew her. No one should have to suffer the loss of a loved one, especially one so young. This one hit especially hard because she’s one of our own, but it’s a universal truism that such a tragedy affects us all.

United’s home record against Blackburn is a net positive, with seven wins and four draws from the 16 meetings, going back to the FA Cup 5th round in February 1964, when Tony Jones scored twice and Bill Calder once as United beat the team second in the First Division 3-1 to become the first Fourth Division side to reach the quarter finals, in front of a new record Manor crowd of 21,700 (beaten two weeks later when Preston came to town) [Watch HERE].

Tony Jones scores against Blackburn in February 1964

That was the first of four successive home wins over Rovers, followed by a goalless draw in 1975 and a first home defeat to them in 1980.

The winning streak resumed in 1984, when Billy Hamilton was Rovers’ nemesis, scoring five goals in two games against them. In October, Billy scored a hat-trick as United progressed 3-1 in the League Cup second round, second leg, following a 1-1 draw at Ewood Park. Less than a month later, Mushroom Billy scored twice in a 2-1 Division Two meeting at the Manor as United marched on to promotion to Division One.

However, as fun as that period was to follow the U’s, those were the last home wins that Oxford inflicted on Blackburn until last season, when Cameron Brannagan scored the only goal of the game in January last year with a trademark freekick thunderblaster [Watch HERE].

You can see United’s full record against Blackburn Rovers HERE.

On this Day

Happy birthday on 11th March to former U’s captain Jake Wright, born in 1986.

Of the 15 games that United have played on 11th March, they have won four and drawn six. However, it wasn’t until their seventh attempt that the Yellows won a game on this date, beating Colchester 3-0 at the Manor in 1978.

After home draws against West Brom and Watford, Oxford then had successive away wins, beating Cambridge United 2-1 in 1995 [Watch HERE] and then beating Colchester again, 2-1, in 2000.

United’s last win on this date (so far) was at Peterborough in 2017, when goals from Phil Edwards and Conor McAleny secured a 2-1 win [Watch HERE], while the last time the U’s had an 11th March game was in 2023, when goals from Sam Long and Kyle Joseph couldn’t prevent Derby County winning the game 3-2 [Watch HERE].

Click HERE to see all Oxford’s 11th March results.

The Game

Last Friday, United achieved back-to-back wins for the first time since January last year, beating Preston North End 3-1 to follow up their 2-1 win over West Brom the previous weekend. The first of those wins was at home to Blackburn…

Now the U’s are trying to do something they haven’t done since – checks notes – January last year, and win three on the bounce. Two of those were against sides that would eventually be relegated, in Cardiff and Plymouth, with the third being Oxford’s first away win of the season, at Millwall on New Year’s Day (it still counts as being in January, okay).

Those results against the Baggies and North End have given the Yellows a fighting chance of avoiding the drop, when the side looked dead and buried after the run of two points from seven games following the win in Leicester. In fact, when Oxford won 3-1 in Preston, it actually lifted the team out of the relegation zone for the best part of 20 hours, before West Brom and Leicester picked up a point apiece with draws against Sheffield United and Ipswich, the buggers. It goes without saying that United have to pick up wins whatever their rivals do.

As disappointing as those results were, United still gained two points on those immediately above them to sit level on points with the Foxes and just a point behind West Brom. They are also now just four points adrift of Blackburn following Rovers’ 1-1 draw with Portsmouth on Saturday. That point was earned courtesy of a 98th minute equaliser from Hayden Carter after Connor Ogilvie had given Pompey an 84th minute lead.

So, in the context of this season’s relegation-avoidance battle, the visit of Blackburn is yet another huge game for both sides. And with Leicester at home to Bristol City and Portsmouth at home to Swansea on Tuesday evening, things are certainly heating up at the foot of the Championship. West Brom play Southampton on Wednesday in another significant encounter, at least for the Baggies.

For the games against West Brom and at Preston, Matt Bloomfield kept the same starting line-up. If it works, why change it, right? But for a third game in a short time, dare he do the same again, or will he freshen it up a bit?

At Deepdale, Bloomfield made a half-time change, bringing off Jack Currie and playing Brodie Spencer at left back. He said afterwards that it was a tactical decision and, after a stuttering start, it seemed to work. So will Spencer continue on the left, or do Blackburn not have the same challenges that saw Currie replaced? And where does Ruben Roosken fit in?

With two defenders on the scoresheet at Preston, it is difficult to see either Michał Helik or Ciaron Brown losing their places, with Helik in particular impressing since he somewhat fortuitously regained his place at Christ Makosso’s expense. That just leaves local lad Sam Long looking to keep his place at right back, and given that he has just surpassed 300 appearances for the U’s, giving lion-hearted performances each and every time, I don’t think that he will be rotated just yet, despite Hidde ter Avest waiting in the wings.

Talking of wings, Stan Mills was almost unplayable at Preston – arguably his best performance yet for the Yellows – so we’d be astonished if he didn’t start, despite Przsemysłav Płacheta apparently fit again. It’s true that ter Avest and Ole Romeny can both also play on the right – and Myles Peart-Harris has also featured there – but surely that’s Stan’s position to lose?

It’s on the opposite flank where there may be more of a question mark. Peart-Harris played wide left in the last two games, but there are possibly concerns over his fitness, and with Aidomo Emakhu and Jeon Jin-Woo both waiting for a chance to impress, it’s possible that this is an area where Bloomfield might make a change.

In midfield, Yunus Konak’s performances over the past two games have made it difficult for both Jamie McDonnell and Will Vaulks to get into the side. Fair play to the young Turk. Cameron Brannagan has arguably been United’s Man of the Match in both victories, and who would dare to drop him anyway? So will Jamie Donley start again in the #10 role?

There were signs on Friday that he and Will Lankshear are starting to rediscover their prolific partnership from when they played together for Tottenham in the Premier League 2, so this is an avenue down which Bloomfield might wish to continue. Certainly, Lankshear will keep his place, with two goals in the last two games to bring his total up to nine for the campaign, although with Nik Prelec waiting on the bench, the Spurs loanee can’t afford any drop off in his performances.

It’s quite heartening really that the side is beginning to have a consistent look, with strength on the bench too, and with the confidence and belief that they have demonstrated recently. These qualities will go a long way towards helping the club remain in the Championship, especially when you consider the shambles, on and off the pitch, that so many of Oxford’s rivals at the bottom are suffering.

Added too, the backing of the fans both home and away, and you have the makings of a side that could be quite effective at this level. At least for the remainder of this season, and possibly for future seasons too, if the core of the squad can be maintained.

As for Blackburn, they are approaching the game with a lengthy (and lengthening) injury list. Andri Gudjohnsen picked up an ankle injury against Portsmouth that could sideline him for some time, while Connor O’Riordan picked up a thigh injury in training that will see him miss most of the rest of the season.

Meanwhile, Kristi Montgomery is also a doubt for Wednesday night with a hamstring strain, but he wasn’t ruled out, and the side have also lost Lewis Miller and Sondre Tronstad already to long-term injuries. In addition, Axel Henriksson has a knee injury that may require an operation, while neither Matty Litherland nor Aynsley Pears will be ready to join the squad this midweek.

United will be without Tyler Goodrham and Brian De Keersmaecker, both ruled out for the rest of the season, but otherwise appear to have a relatively clean bill of health. Hopefully, this will continue as we enter a vital stage of the campaign, with just ten games remaining (six of which are at home).

UTFO

PS: 89 games without a penalty; could David Webb be the man to reverse the trend on Wednesday? You know he wants to…