With the New Year almost upon us, this seems an opportune time to take a quick glance back over the last twelve months.

The year started with a 2-0 home win over Salisbury City, with debutant Reneil Sappleton scoring the second goal. This took United up to 11th place, nine points off a play-off spot and 25 points shy of leaders Burton Albion. However, new manager Chris Wilder was, after a shaky start, already starting to engender a feeling of confidence among Us fans keen to grasp any passing straw after a couple of disappointing years. Unfortunately, that confidence was shattered less than a fortnight later when it was revealed that Oxford were facing a deduction of up to 12 points as a result of playing Eddie Hutchinson without properly registering him at the start of the season.

On the pitch, despite a home defeat by York City in the FA Trophy second round, results continued to improve as Wilder began to stamp his mark on the team. Meanwhile, United were deducted five points in Hutchgate, an amount that was to prove significant at the end of the season.

Craig Farrell was signed on loan from York City as a replacement for the disappointing Jamie Guy, who was bundled back to Colchester United, while Simon Clist, Craig Nelthorpe, and Damian Batt were also signed. United continued to do well, winning six and drawing one of their first seven Conference games of 2009. Sadly that run came to an end with the televised visit of Torquay United to the Kas.

A successful March, which consisted of four wins and two draws, earned Wilder the Manager of the Month award. The good form continued into April, which began with Mick Brown resigning from the Conference Board in protest at their rubbish administrative techniques. Oxford forced their way into contention for the play-offs, but with the prize in sight they fell at the final hurdle as they lost 2-1 at home to Northwich Victoria in the last game of the season. At the end United missed the play-offs by four points (remember those five points that were deducted?). On the plus side, a goal from ROS Declan Benjamin gave Oxford a 2-1 win over Banbury United in the Oxfordshire Senior Cup final.

During the summer Wilder began rebuilding the squad, with notable signings including the permanent retention of top scorer James Constable and Adam Chapman, and the captures of Mark Creighton, Dannie Bulman, Jack Midson, Matt Green and Alfie Potter, the last two on loan. Oxford started the new season in the best possible way, with two goals in the final five minutes to overturn a deficit and beat York at Grenoble Road. They continued unbeaten throughout August to earn Wilder another Manager of the Month award and to take the side to the top of the Conference. This included wins over Stevenage Borough and at AFC Wimbledon, although the side did drop two home points, for the only time so far this season, against Forest Green Rovers.

Wilder used the opportunity to further strengthen the squad, bringing in Steven Kinniburgh and Ross Perry on loan from Rangers and ending the month with the capture of Jamie Cook from Crawley Town, thanks to money raised by the fans' 12th Man initiative. September started with four consecutive victories, including a 2-0 home win over Luton Town, in which Cook scored a spectacular goal, and a first-ever victory at Wrexham. A 4-0 win over Eastbourne Borough was followed by a first defeat of the season, 2-1 at Mansfield Town.

United had an unbeaten October as they extended their lead at the top of the table, and started November with a win over League One Yeovil Town in the first round of the FA Cup. Another defeat, at Kidderminster Harriers, was followed by four straight Conference wins, sandwiching a draw and defeat against Barrow in the FA Cup. The year ended disappointingly on the pitch, with games against Cambridge United and Rushden & Diamonds being postponed and then a tame draw at Salisbury City, although the new signings of Lee Fowler and Jake Wright bolstered an already strong squad.

And so Oxford enter 2010 at the top of the Conference, albeit it only two points clear of Stevenage. This was a similar position to that held at the start of 2007, when Dagenham & Redbridge overtook the Us on New Year's Day and never surrendered their lead. This time around, though, Oxford look an altogether more formidable unit, and have in Chris Wilder a manager who has shown himself capable of making the team greater than the sum of its parts, and who can make match-winning changes. We are therefore quietly confident that we will end the first decade of the century back where we started it, in the bottom division of the Football League.