Richard Hill celebrates his goal in a 3-0 win over Norwich, October 1987

Tuesday night is the game that should have been played (should have will be played?) this weekend but has been rearranged because of the small matter of Sunderland in the FA Cup.

This could be beneficial to the U’s, as it gives the side the opportunity to steal a march on their relegation rivals and put the pressure on those teams just above them. Of course, that all depends on the lads taking that opportunity…

Canaries have traditionally been used by miners to gauge the quality of the air down the mines. Basically, if the canary dropped dead then it was thought it might not be a good idea to continue down that particular shaft. Similarly, one might be able to judge how the rest of United’s season might pan out depending on Tuesday’s result. If United drop dead… (you get the point).

United do have a reasonable home record against the Canaries, with six wins and five defeats from the 13 meetings in the Shire, and everyone will remember last season’s Championship opener when Mark Harris and Cameron Brannagan fired Oxford to a 2-0 win. This is going to be easy, thought nobody at all.

Following a slow start against the Norfolk team, United picked up the pace a bit, starting with a 3-1 win on the Road to Wembley in November 1985. Goals from Andy Thomas, Les Phillips, and (of course) John Aldridge saw Oxford through to a quarter-final tie against Portsmouth.

A couple of years later, in October 1987, Norwich had joined United in the top flight but went down to a Manor defeat thanks to goals from Neil Slatter (below), Martin Foyle, and Richard Hill (above) without reply.

Kevin Francis and Joey Beauchamp were on target to beat the Canaries 2-0 in March 1998, while the following season’s 4-2 defeat was the last time the sides met before last season’s game.

For United’s full record against Norwich, click HERE.

On This Date

And now for the bad news…

Oxford United have played 15 times on 10th February, winning a grand total of three matches. At least all those wins were at home, where the U’s have played 10 times on this date.

The first 10th February victory was in 1954 against Guildford City in the Southern League. Ronnie Steel, an inspector in a slippers factory, scored the only goal of the game.

In 1968, United beat Watford 1-0 thanks to a Mick Bullock goal as the U’s were on their way to their first third-tier title.

The third win, also by 1-0 thanks to Peter Foley’s goal, was against Hull City (photo below, showing Ray Graydon having a pop), also in the third tier, in 1979, meaning United haven’t won a 10th February match in 47 years (by my dodgy maths).

Other noteworthy results on this date include a 4-0 top-flight hammering by Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in 1987, and, a year later, the first leg of the League Cup semi-final at home to Luton Town, where Dean Saunders both scored and missed a penalty (remember them?) in a 1-1 draw. Oxford have also lost at home to West Brom, Wycombe Wanderers and, of course, Bristol Rovers on the 10th February, although the most recent match on this date was two years ago, a 1-1 draw at Blackpool in which Mark Harris scored for the U’s.

You can check out all United’s 10th February games HERE (if you can be arsed, like).

The Match

It has been a singular feature of this season that Oxford have failed to follow up a good performance on a Saturday with another good performance on a Tuesday. So, a lot depends on whether you consider the goalless draw at Coventry at the weekend a good performance or not.

It was certainly a hard-fought, battling point, keeping a clean sheet against the league leaders, although a Przsemysłav Płacheta shot notwithstanding, it wasn’t exactly a game that Oxford ever looked like scoring in.

One has to wonder if the rigours of that backs-against-the-wall performance will have an adverse effect on United’s display against the Canaries. They will have do manage without the exertions of leading scorer Will Lankshear, victim of two yellow cards at the CBS Arena earning him a one-match ban.

The question for Matt Bloomfield is whether he continues to play Myles Peart-Harris in the #9 role or whether he opts to recall Harris. He could potentially also play Aidomo Emakhu up top following his debut on the left at Coventry. He didn’t start off too spectacularly but grew into the game as it went on.

The other big question for the manager is whether or not he plays with a back three in a home game again. It didn’t work out too well against Birmingham City, but it would appear to be his favoured formation, must to our disgruntlement (but if it works we won’t mind).

On Saturday, Ruben Roosken made his debut as the left wingback (Bloomfield quickly learning that the experiment of playing Brodie Spencer there was a wrong move). He played well, but did he play well enough to oust Jack Currie if he is fit to return to the side?

If Bloomfield continues with a back three, we fully expect Christ Makosso, Michał Helik, and Ciaron Brown to be the men selected, which might be harsh on Ben Davies, whose cameo on Saturday was exactly what was needed. That leaves the dilemma of Spencer or Sam Long at right wingback. Long is clearly not a natural wide player and is most at home either on the right of central defence or, at a push, right back, but given Spencer’s lack of current form, he might well continue in that role for the time being.

Given Brian De Keersmaecker’s continuing injury, the midfield pair of Jamie McDonnell and Cameron Brannagan is most likely to continue, with Yunus Konak on the bench. However, if Jamie Donley has recovered from the injury he received at the Franchise club, that could give Bloomfield an interesting selection problem. Even if he is fit, I can’t see Donley in the starting line up until straight away.

Which leaves the wide players. As stated, Emakhu played on the left on Saturday, with Płacheta on the other flank. Stan Mills wasn’t in the squad due to a ‘niggle’ (or a miggle, as we might say) but that’s another selection poser should he have recovered. And then there’s the possibility of a first sight in an Oxford shirt of the club’s first South Korean import Jeon Jin-Woo. I think it’s unlikely that he’ll be thrust right in to a starting role, but we could well see him come off the bench at some point. Cue all the Oxford fans shouting ‘Woooo’ for some reason.

As for the visitors, they have injury concerns too (which team doesn’t, at this stage of the season?) with winger Matej Jurasek out for up to 10 weeks with a bone injury and striker Jovon Makama and winger Papa Amadou Diallo both limping out of their 2-0 win over Blackburn Rovers on Saturday (thanks guys). Head coach Philippe Clement was tight lipped about the severity of their injuries, but we can only hope that they’ll be out for at least one game (while wishing them a speedy recovery otherwise, of course).

Considering that the Canaries were below Oxford in the table just a few weeks ago, their rise to 17th following the weekend’s win is pretty impressive and they now have an eight-point advantage over the U’s. Their run of five wins in their last six games has lifted them away from the relegation zone and, barring a spectacular collapse, they should be confident of Championship football again next season (how does that feel, we wonder?)

That run includes away wins at Hollywood fancy-Dans Wrexham FC and a 5-0 tonking of relegation-threatened West Brom (thanks guys). The only defeat was 1-0 to second-placed Middlesbrough at the Riverside (Boro will be top if they win at Sheffield United on Monday evening).

Is this game a ‘must win’? In as much as all games, especially at home, are beginning to be in ‘must win’ territory, then of course it is. However, as we can now probably discount the Canaries as relegation rivals (their place taken by Leicester City by way of the Foxes’ somewhat measly six-point deduction) then it is perhaps a ‘should win’ instead.

That being said, with away games at Middlesbrough and Stoke City coming up, United must really make their home advantage count so as to reduce the risk of their relegation rivals pulling further ahead. With a four-point gap between Oxford and third-bottom Blackburn, even a victory on Tuesday won’t change the side’s league position, but it will bring them to within touching distance of the clutch of teams just above them and have them nervously glancing behind them.

It’s a time to combine Saturday’s defensive display with the attacking performance we saw at the King Power Stadium just two-and-a-half weeks ago. We are confident that we have the personnel to pull of a Great Escape, we just hope that the tunnel is being built in the right direction.

UTFO

Games since a penalty: 84