United make the trip to troubled Sheffield Wednesday tomorrow looking for a change in fortunes following their rather desperate performance and defeat at Wrexham on Wednesday.

However shit Oxford were at the Racecourse Ground, the club’s on-field troubles fade into insignificance compared to those of the home team. Owned by Dejphon Chansiri since January 2015, the Owls have gone from winning promotion to the Championship and troubling the play-offs, to a side destined for relegation following their 12-point deduction after going into administration, having already been one of the few clubs below United in the table.

The decision to enter administration, primarily in order to avoid a winding-up petition, is the culmination of years of financial mismanagement that has seen the club reportedly lose about £121 million over the nine seasons of Chansiri’s misrule. This has seen many Wednesday supporters boycott this season’s home games, with calls to avoid buying food and drink from the concessions inside the ground. However, now that Chansiri has in effect left the building, they are now encouraging fans to spend as much money as they can to support the club’s finances. In the likely event that their offerings are pretty shit, we won’t be heeding that call.

Past games

Mick Kearns makes a catch in the first-ever meeting against Sheffield Wednesday at the Manor in August 1970

Sheffield Wednesday are one of the few clubs against which Oxford have a winning record, with 13 wins to Wednesday’s 10, and a further 10 draws. Even at Hillsborough, the U’s can boast parity, both sides having won five times and drawn eight of their meetings.

Despite this, over the 36 matches the Owls have somehow scored seven more goals than Oxford, largely due to a rather embarrassing 6-1 defeat at Hillsborough in the top flight in October 1986. United have also gone down 3-0 at the Manor on a couple of occasions, while victories over Wednesday have tended to be by the odd goal.

However, that 6-1 defeat was the last time that the U’s have lost a league game in S6, with three wins and three draws for Oxford in the next six games over the past 40 years (glossing over a 1-0 League Cup defeat in 2015). That should have been four wins, but for a last-minute penalty miss by Josh Murphy in 2022. Last season, a late Sam Long header earned the Yellows their second (and final) away win of the campaign.

You can check out United’s complete record against the Owls right HERE.

On this day

United have a half-decent record on 24th October, although all but one of their eight wins came in the 1980s or earlier. The outlier being a 2-0 win against Thurrock in the FA Cup first round in 2009.

Oxford’s last game on this date was a 2-0 defeat at Wigan Athletic two years ago and the U’s also lost 2-0 at home to Wigan in 2000.

The stand out results on this date are probably a 2-1 win over Charlton Athletic in the top flight and a 4-2 win over Cardiff City in 1973. The 1-0 victory at Sunderland three years earlier was also not too shabby.

The match

It remains to be seen how Wednesday react to their points deduction. Will it spur them on to try to rectify things and give them faint hope of rescuing their season, or will it just add to the sense of despondency at the club?

Oxford, for their part, need to show a reaction to the drab defeat at Wrexham in midweek. Another similar performance (never mind the result) could see the away fans start to turn on the players and management, however short sighted and counter productive that may be.

One thing is for sure, Gary Rowett cannot field the same starting XI for the third successive game. Too many players were off the pace on Wednesday and there clearly need to be changes, most obviously up front but elsewhere too.

The only player to emerge with any credit at Wrexham was goalkeeper Jamie Cumming, whose place is unlikely to be in any doubt anyway unless the injury he received is a lot worse than it appeared on the night. In defence, Michał Helik was one of the only bright spots, while Ciaron Brown is unlikely to be able to play for the third time in a week after just coming back from a long-term injury (although if anyone in the U’s squad can manage that feat, it’s our Ciaron), so maybe Ben Davies would be brought in.

As for the rest of the defence, it’s anybody’s guess. I wouldn’t be surprised to see either or both full backs rested, although Jack Currie didn’t really let himself down in midweek. Brodie Spencer, on the other hand, was way off it. However, Rowett might prefer the energy that Greg Leigh brings to the side, while in Sam Long, despite his lack of pace, you have a player at right back who never lets himself down (touch wood).

The midfield duo of Brian De Keersmaecker and Cameron Brannagan are also likely to be retained, more for the lack of alternative options than anything, although Will Vaulks may make way against his former club following a less than convincing performance in Wales. Whether that calls for a change in shape or just a change in personnel remains to be seen.

Any of the front three could be rotated without much protest, although none of the substitutes who replaced them on Wednesday did their cause for a recall much good. Przsemysłav Płacheta does have the pace to worry any defence, but then so does Stan Mills, who has more of an end product that his Polish team mate. Similarly, Siriki Dembélé was back to his usual frustrating self at the Racecourse following a couple of decent performances, while Filip Krastev had a frustrating cameo. Nevertheless, he might be a preferred option on Saturday.

The big question is who starts in the lone forward role. Nik Prelec had possibly his worst, or at least his most anonymous, game for us in midweek, but of late neither Will Lankshear nor Mark Harris have looked too competent in front of goal. Is there a case to recall Tom Bradshaw? No. To be honest, I think either Prelec or Lankshear could play provided they receive the service that was so sorely lacking at Wrexham.

The big question, therefore, is who will win. A quick glance at Wednesday’s home record shows them with five defeats and two draws in the Championship so far. That’s zero wins – the same as Wrexham before they played us on Wednesday.

I don’t wish to be a harbinger of doom here, so I won’t be. Would a draw be a decent result? Insofar as it’s not a defeat, then yes, a point is obviously better. But a glance at the league table shows that a win is really needed to stop a gap opening up between United and the teams above. And you know what? I actually think we might just do it. Pass me some more mushrooms before reality kicks in, please.