Daniel Crowley scores a consolation goal at Coventry in October 2016

United travel to Coventry City this Saturday hoping for a reversal of fortunes following two defeats on the spin against Birmingham City and Sheffield United. Still, Coventry will be a breeze. They’re top of the Championship (on goal difference to Middlesbrough), so let’s do this.

History, though, is not on our side. Of the nine visits that Oxford have made to Coventry, eight have been defeats. Some of them by pretty hefty scorelines too.

The very first meeting between the sides, at Highfield Road in February 1982 in the FA Cup fourth round saw the Third Division U’s go down 4-0 to the top-flight Sky Blues, having beaten First Division Brighton in the third round. It is a game more memorable for the furniture rearrangement that took place than for the football.

The next meeting, in September 1985, came in Oxford’s first season in the First Division and resulted in a 5-2 defeat for the Yellows, with Bobby McDonald scoring both U’s goals from the penalty spot (whatever they might be for). Oxford also lost their two other top-flight trips to Coventry.

The sides next crossed swords in Oxford’s first season in League One, in October 2016 (see photo), when Daniel Crowley’s goal was just a consolation as the hosts won 2-1.

United’s fortunes against Coventry didn’t improve on neutral territory. The sides met at Wembley in the Football League Trophy final in April 2017. The Sky Blues were on their way to relegation to League Two but were still able to beat Oxford. The Yellows were 2-0 down when Liam Sercombe pulled a goal back and in the last minute goalkeeper Simon Eastwood had a shot cleared off the line as he went up for a corner.

It was skipper Curtis Nelson who took on the footballing gods and won as his header was the only goal of the game in March 2019 to record a historic win for the U’s.

The gods had their revenge though as Oxford lost the last three meetings in Coventry. In January 2004 the U’s were humiliated 6-2 in an FA Cup third round tie, with echoes of that first meeting (minus the flying seats). Mark Harris’s goal was actually a leveller to make it 1-1 before the home side took control, with Tyler Goodrham’s strike a mere interruption to the Sky Blues’ scoring fest. Right at the end, on loan Stan Mills, who later signed permanently, received a broken leg that kept him out for over a year.

Last season, United were heading for a well-deserved draw at the CBS Arena before a Will Vaulks back pass allowed City a stoppage-time winner, and less than two weeks later, United lost 1-0 in the League Cup.

On this Date

If the previous results at Coventry leave you in despair, wait until you see United’s record on 7th February.

Of the 13 matches played on this date, Oxford have won just two, albeit with five draws mitigating the defeats. Those two wins were both away from home, with just five of the 13 played in Oxford.

The side’s very first 7th February game was one of the two wins, as Headington United visited Tonbridge for a Southern League fixture in 1953 and won 1-0, thanks to Johnnie Crichton’s goal. Oxford then contrived to lose their next game on this date, six years later, 5-1 at Cheltenham Town, with Billy Rees scoring the consolation goal at Whaddon Road.

In 1976, Oxford drew 1-1 with Chelsea at the Manor in a second-tier fixture thanks to Mick Tait’s strike, while in 1987 the U’s secured their second (and, so far, last) win on 7th February, with David Leworthy’s goal enough to overcome West Ham United at Upton Park in the top flight.

The Yellows were in FA Cup fourth round action on this date in 1996, when a rearranged Wednesday night trip to the City Ground ended all square as Stuart Massey’s goal was enough to bring Nottingham Forest back to Oxford for a rather disappointing replay. (Remember them?) The following two seasons brought second-tier defeats at both Stoke City and Sheffield United.

Oxford’s most recent game on 7th February was way back in 2015, with the visit of Luton Town to the Kassam Stadium for a League Two clash. Johnny ‘The Magnet’ Mullins was on target for the U’s in a 1-1 draw.

The Game

If all the history isn’t enough to make you worry about United’s chances on Saturday (and let’s face it, historic results have no influence on future scores), perhaps the fact that Coventry are top of the table while the U’s are second bottom, with a whopping 31 points between them. That’s more points than Oxford have earned so far this season.

It doesn’t take a genius to work out that Oxford are up against it, although they might take some heart from a hard-fought 2-2 draw against the Sky Blues at the end of August. United also drew 2-2 with Leicester in the following game and recently beat them away, so you never know. No, you don’t.

So, does Matt Bloomfield look to take the game to the home side and try to catch them unawares, or does he look to contain them and hope to hug the point? And, with all these new toys players to choose from, what sort of line up is likely?

First, we understand that Jack Currie is fit again to resume his place at left-back (or left wingback, depending), which given the failed Brodie Spencer experiment at Bramall Lane on Tuesday has to be a Good Thing. Will Spencer be preferred on his more natural right side, or did Sam Long do enough at Sheffield to retain his place? We await with bated breath.

And will Bloomfield continue with the rather negative five-at-the-back formation in a futile attempt to stem the Coventry attack, or will he revert to the more tried and tested flat back four in what will probably be an equally futile attempt to keep out the Sky Blues? Either way, we’d like to think that Christ Makosso will have his second coming in an Oxford shirt as he was one of the few players to emerge with any credit on Tuesday.

In midfield, United would appear to have a wealth of options, fitness depending. Both Jamie McDonnell and Yunus Konak have decent claims to start the game, especially given Brian De Keersmaecker’s absence due to injury. With Cameron Brannagan unlikely to be rested, it means that Jamie Donley, even if fit to resume his place, probably won’t make the starting XI. It does make the midfield look paper thin if the wingback system is preferred, unless Oxford drop one of the wide men and go 5-3-2.

Given the paucity of options in attack, that’s probably unlikely, especially as the U’s now have wingers aplenty to call upon. New signing Jeon Jin-Woo has yet to make his debut, with Tuesday’s goalscorer Myles Peart-Harris preferred on the left and either Przsemysłav Płacheta or Stan Mills on the right. In addition, we have yet to see ‘attack-minded left-back’ Ruben Rooskens or forward Aidomo Emakhu in yellow, so there are plenty of options.

We fully expect Will Lankshear to continue in the lone striker role, with Harris yet to repeat his Leicester performance.

While Coventry might be sitting pretty at the top, their form has stuttered of late, with four defeats in their last six games. Unfortunately, all those losses were on the road, while they have won their last two home games 2-1 against a stuttering Leicester and a more competitive Millwall. They did lose 2-0 to Ipswich in their previous home match, but that remains their only defeat of the season at the CBS Arena, so I’m not sure that fixture alone can give us much hope.

Given the weight of history, form, and league positions being against us, does this mean we can treat this fixture as a ‘free hit’? Unfortunately, United’s perilous position in the league table means that we really can’t. We have to be looking to try to win as many games as possible in what is going to be a very nervy run in, and that has to start on Saturday at Coventry (as it should have done last Saturday against Birmingham or on Tuesday at Sheffield).

Bearing all that in mind, it would be the most Oxford thing ever to go there and win.

UTFO

PS: Games without a penalty: 83 (we believe the record to be 85, set by Mansfield Town until they were eventually awarded a penalty against Oxford in August 2015, missed by former U Matt Green).