Dean Saunders on target at Fratton Park in January 1988

As games go, they don’t get much more important than this as 23rd place Oxford travel to 21st place Portsmouth on Easter Monday, with just a point separating the sides.

And as opponents go, they don’t get any more familiar than Pompey, as the sides do battle for the 80th time; this is the opposition that the U’s have played against more than any other side.

Thirty-seven of the previous 79 encounters have been played in Portsmouth, and the stats make grim reading from an Oxford perspective, as the Yellows have won just four times at Fratton Park, with 14 draws and a horrendous 19 defeats.

Indeed, Oxford lost on their first seven trips to Portsea Island (did you know that Portsmouth are the only club in the Football League not to play on the mainland? You do now), not registering their first point there until Mick Tait’s double in November 1975 secured a 2-0 win.

Following a 1-1 draw at Fratton on New Year’s Day 1977, Oxford then beat Pompey 2-0 again on 4th April 1978, with Jason Seacole and an own goal from Tony Taylor doing the damage.

And that was as good as it got until the opening day of the 2013/14 League Two season, when doubles from Alfie Potter and Deane Smalley contributed to a 4-1 win in Portsmouth’s first game as a ‘fan-owned’ club after the Blues had gone 1-0 up [Watch HERE].

A goalless draw in League Two in February 2015 was followed by United’s fourth (and most recent) win in January 2016, when Jordan Bowery’s goal was enough to seal the three points and help the U’s on their way to promotion to League One [Watch HERE].

There have been other significant games between the sides in Portsmouth, including the Santa game in December 1984, when Alan Biley scored twice for Portsmouth in time added on for a pitch invasion by a fan dressed in a Santa suit [Watch HERE].

The only top flight game between the sides in Pompey was in January 1988, when Gary Briggs and Dean Saunders scored for United in a 2-2 draw (see main photo). Then there was a 1-1 draw in December 1990, in which John Durnin scored Oxford’s goal. More importantly, it was at this game that he received his Johnny Lager nickname [Watch HERE].

In March 2018 the game was televised live on Sky as Karl Robinson took charge of his first Oxford game. Needless to say, Portsmouth won 3-0 [Watch HERE]. Possibly one of the most significant games between the sides at Fratton Park came in July 2020, when there was no one in the ground to witness it (apart from those privileged enough to work for the clubs, ahem) when the teams met in the first leg of the League One play-off semi-final, with Marcus Browne scoring Oxford’s equaliser in a 1-1 draw [Watch HERE].

Last season’s game, in October 2024, ended 1-1 thanks to Louie Sibley’s long-range equaliser for the U’s after Jamie Cumming had saved a penalty [Watch HERE].

You can see all 79 results between Oxford and Portsmouth HERE.

On this Date

Oxford have played just 16 times on 6th April, winning seven and drawing four.

The first game on this date was a trip to Kidderminster Harriers in 1953 as Headington United were on their way to the Southern League and Cup double. The Boys from Up the Hill won 3-1 thanks to goals from Johnny Crichton, Dennis Maskell, and Ben Duncan.

Ten years later, Oxford United played their first Football League game on this date, a Fourth Division trip to Chesterfield ending in a 1-0 defeat.

Oxford secured a significant win on 6th April 1984, as they won 2-0 at Ninian Park, Cardiff on their way to the Third Division title, although perhaps the most important win came in 1996, when Joey Beauchamp scored a goal later voted as the best goal scored at the Manor, as third-placed Oxford beat second-placed Blackpool 1-0, with the U’s eventually overtaking the Tangerines to finish the season in second place and win promotion [Watch HERE].

United’s two most recent 6th April games both ended in comprehensive victories for the Yellows. In 2019 they travelled to Walsall and won 3-1 thanks to goals from Rob Dickie, Luke Garbett, and substitute Jerome Sinclair [Watch HERE]. More recently, in the side’s League One promotion season in 2024, the U’s swept aside Burton Albion at the Pirelli Stadium, winning 4-0 thanks to two goals from Mark Harris, plus strikes from Josh Murphy and James Henry [Watch HERE].

You can see all Oxford’s 6th April results HERE.

The Game

There is little doubt that this is a huge game for both sides, with victory for either helping their quest for Championship survival and, conversely, defeat for either side potentially very damaging. Pompey do have a game in hand, but it’s away to promotion hopefuls Ipswich Town, so they certainly can’t rely on gaining any ground in that one.

The big question mark for Matt Bloomfield is which players will comprise his starting XI, given the side’s largely strongest and most-settled line-up began against Hull City on Friday. The one obvious absentee was Jack Currie at left back, who apparently had a knock on his ankle. Ruben Roosken made his first home start as Currie’s replacement but he was substituted at half-time for Brodie Spencer, which probably tells you that Bloomfield is unlikely to repeat that experiment again, especially in a game of such high stakes. If Currie remains sidelined, then I would fully expect Spencer to start on the left.

That is, of course, unless the head coach decides to repeat the 3-4-3 formation that has brought the side such little joy recently. Yes, that shape worked well at Leicester, but it was abominable at Southampton. Roosken as left wing back and Spencer on the right would be the obvious way to go, but I feel that leaves the side short in midfield, where Cameron Brannagan and, presumably, Yunus Konak would be expected to both shore up the defence and contribute to the attack.

Looking at the line up against Hull, it was noticeable that Stan Mills and Will Lankshear both played the majority of the game (indeed, Mills played the full 90), while Jamie Donley and Myles Peart-Harris were both replaced with just a quarter of an hour remaining. Does this mean that Bloomfield will be thinking about rotation in these areas, or will he consider that these players have it in them to go again less than 72 hours later?

Donley certainly looked absolutely knackered before he went off, and that might open the way for Jamie McDonnell or Will Vaulks to start. McDonnell’s career at Oxford has yet to take off, but there’s certainly a player in there, so maybe this could be his moment. Vaulks brings experience and his long throw has the potential to be a lethal weapon, but his presence does seem to sap some of the side’s dynamism, so all things considered, I’d be tempted to give McDonnell a run out should Donley not have enough left in his locker to start.

Przsemysłav Płacheta could come in for either Mills or Peart-Harris. The Pole was warming up for most of the second half on Friday but didn’t get on the pitch. Jeon Jin-Woo did get his 15 minutes at the end and is another possibility, while Nik Prelec may well be preferred to Lankshear up top. Mark Harris is another potential front man, but given his form and, especially, his late miss against Hull, I’m not sure his presence is what is required. That said, I thought exactly the same when he started at the King Power Stadium and he proved me wrong then.

I have hardly mentioned the defence yet, apart from the left-back position. One would assume that Sam Long and Ciaron Brown would both start. Michał Helik as well, although there was a concern when he required treatment for what looked like a shoulder injury in the second half on Friday. Should he need to be rested, Christ Makosso would doubtless jump at the chance of reclaiming the place that he lost due to his tardiness in attending a pre-match meeting before the West Brom victory.

Portsmouth made five changes to their starting line-up for their Friday draw at Norwich City. By all accounts they were fortunate to pick up a point at Carrow Road, but fortune is quite a potent weapon at this stage of the season. That was just Pompey’s second point in their last seven games, and they have not won at home since beating West Brom 3-0 at the end of January, losing all four games at Fratton Park since then.

Portsmouth manager John Mousinho, well known around these parts, has suggested Zak Swanson is likely to be unavailable for tomorrow’s game; the defender missed the trip to Norwich after picking up a knee injury on international duty, and while Mous is not immune to playing mind games, it’s likely that this one is genuine.

Other Pompey injuries include Ebou Adams, Mark Kosznovszky, Franco Umeh, Thomas Waddingham, Florian Bianchini, and Josh Knight, while former United winger Josh Murphy has been ruled out for the rest of the season. Not that the absence of these players will make United’s task any easier; every player for both teams will be giving their all for their shirt and, in a game of this magnitude, even back-up players will be raising their game.

It will certainly be a tense match, although the sold-out away end will doubtless be cheering on the Yellows until the end. The first goal could be key, so we have to hope that United will be on the front foot from the start.

And it’s not just at Fratton Park where the relegation battle is being fought; there are two other key games at the foot of the Championship on Monday. Bottom-of-the-table, and the Championship’s whipping boys, Sheffield Wednesday host Leicester City. The Foxes are level on points with Oxford due to their six-point deduction for financial irregularities. They have appealed against this but no decision has yet been made, and it could be counter-productive because, if the appeal is deemed frivolous, the punishment might be extended. I don’t like to see important matters like promotion and relegation determined by off-pitch matters, but in this case I’ll take it.

Also on Monday, 20th-placed West Brom travel to 19th-placed Blackburn. Rovers were the only team in the bottom six not to draw on Friday, their 1-0 win at Birmingham going a long way to ensure they’ll still be in the Championship next season. They are now six points above the drop zone and, with just six games left, they must be confident of survival.

West Brom have a four-point gap on Oxford and Leicester and so a win for them will almost be enough to take them away from immediate danger. I think the best result would be a Blackburn win, given that they are likely uncatchable anyway, and that would ensure the Baggies are still able to be caught. With Leicester almost certain to beat Wednesday, it becomes even more imperative that the U’s get maximum points on the south coast to round off the Easter weekend.

UTFO