FAN’S VIEW  2026/27  – STEVENAGE AWAY

MISCELLANY

Now I, thankfully, only cover away games it gives me a bit more time to include other things OUFC related in addition to focussing on the particular fixture concerned.

Away day blues

My FV’s over the last year have been increasingly negative but as I’ve always said I’m not going to pretend I feel and think something that I do not. There is a factor in this that points me in that direction though.

It is just about a given in football that teams do better at home than on their travels. Last season we won 11 games in the league, seven at home and four away. That’s a 64/36% split meaning Boris has more to work with persuading us to jump on the happy bus than I do.

In the 2025/26 Championship 20 teams won more games at home than away. Three, Derby and both the Sheffield clubs, won the same number H and A leaving one outlier. Of Blackburn’s wins only 31% were achieved at Ewood Park. They picked up maximum points there just four times. They won away nine times which is the same number as Ipswich who gained automatic promotion to the Premier League. Funny old game.

NASL and ….. the MANOR

One of the football documentaries available on BBC iPlayer is “Pitch Invasion: How the USA changed soccer”. That’s soccer, not football. (Don’t get me started).

It consists of two episodes each an hour long and charts the rise and fall of the North American Soccer League (NASL) followed by the subsequent rise of Major League Soccer (MLS).

The NASL had Pele, Best, Cruyff, Marsh and co. There was no doubt it was highly entertaining in its way. Some of the most gifted players on the planet and not as past their heyday as some thought, went about putting on a show on artificial fields of play.

But for the Yanks it was never about just the football (soccer) it was as much that show biz element, as we saw gratingly in this year’s world cup. It’s not gone away.

They couldn’t leave it alone. They know the price of everything and the value of nothing. They don’t understand scarcity and the pleasure that brings nor the misery of following an unsuccessful team which, when fortunes are turned around, delivers something that can’t be put into words.

Higher scores were needed they argued. They wanted to make the goals bigger. Sod tradition, we’ll take the game over. The rest of the world know nothing. Sounds a bit early Trump. Offside was too restrictive so a line was drawn mid-point across each half and only if a forward had gone beyond that could they be penalised for that particular offence. As if a defender’s life isn’t hard enough as it is.

No game could finish as a draw even in the league. The USA demand winners. So if teams were all level the outcome was decided, not by penalties or a golden goal, but by players having five seconds to run from the off-side line with the ball to try and score past the keeper who was permitted to rush out and try and prevent it. More ice hockey than football.

About 20 minutes into the second episode the narrator told us that “the cultural clash between the razzle dazzle of American soccer and the traditional setting of English football was brought into sharp focus in 1980 when NASL marketing guru Steve Casper was invited by BBC grandstand to experience an English third division match”.

We then see fans coming in through the turnstiles. All male. A little boy already in looks up at the camera filming the event. I bet he’s wondering what’s this all about. It all felt  rather familiar because that’s what it was like back in the day. There’s then a very quick clip of a refreshment bar to the right and another building to the left before Casper is asked “what’s your first impression Steve?” as the camera cuts to a view of the pitch. I didn’t need a double take – “that’s the Cuckoo Lane” I yelled, “It’s the Manor”.

So that refreshment bar was under the London Road. The building to the right was the Supporters Club. And the guy at the back of the small queue waiting to get in looked like Steve West to me.

Casper’s answer was that the first thing that struck him was the intimacy that the fans had with the field of play. How true. All but gone these days. Casper correctly said you’d have a tough time selling this experience in the United States.

They then went off and had a Bovril from under the Beech Road.

There are some very clear faces on there. Some young so hopefully they’ll still be around today. Some old and as is the way with ageing will no longer be on this planet.

Memories, memories, memories.

I wasn’t so verbose in the ‘80s. I kept a very short diary. 29/10/80 read “Feltham Borstal. Drove Oxford 1 Rotherham 1. One of the worst refs I’ve ever seen”. Nothing changes. And for the record I’d not escaped from a Young Offenders Institution and nicked a car to get to the game. I used to work for the Home Office and audit penal establishments.

The crowd that night was 3064. Were you there?

Three of our team that played in this draw went on to pick up Milk Cup winners medals in 1986.

Stan Mills

Amongst our fans the most talked about OUFC player by far. Yes, he still is an Oxford United player. “I really don’t know.” But what question are you answering I hear you ask. To that I’d again say “I really don’t know”. That’s how confusing it all is to me. Complex stuff. What’s best for the club? What’s best for the man? What does his dad want?

Carabao Cup

In the Orient FV I wrote “Cup runs can bring money in particularly if drawn away against certain large clubs even in this competition”. I was, as anyone who read it will have seen, very angry with our performance. Still am, but am going to do a U turn regarding the financial aspect.

The club that wins this trophy at Wembley in 2027 will for all their efforts get just £100k. Crowds for most rounds are poor when compared to league attendances. Prices have to be reduced to tempt those that do turn up to come along.

I think the way it works is that after expense if there is any profit left it is split 45% between the two clubs with the EFL taking 10%. If income for the match doesn’t cover expense both clubs share the loss. I suspect a lot of games particularly in the early rounds do not make money.

So sod this Cup. Back in the day when it was the Milk Cup, now that was a very different story.

STEVENAGE

Is a town that doesn’t get much publicity. Even though I’ve been there many times following the Yellows I have to look at the map to remind myself where it is. Just off the A1(M).

Having won the Conference the season we went up when we beat York in the play-off final, they’ve remained a football league side ever since and this is their fourth consecutive campaign in L1. They lost in the play-off semi-finals to Stockport in May.  Not bad for a club with the second lowest average home gate, 4237, in the division in 25/26.

Broadhall Way holds 7,318 and we were allocated 1,350 tickets. I checked the day before the game and there were still tickets available for Oxford fans. Being honest I found that disappointing. I’m not having a go at anyone for not attending. When I’ve mentioned similar before some have come back giving reasons why they didn’t go. You don’t need to – I understand family comes first, it’s the holiday season, etc. And then there’s the cost. £28 for adults. £26 for O65s. £18 for under 18s. Plus the £2 booking fee. It all adds up for a family. (We probably charge the same – I’ve not checked).

It is just a general comment. If there was a real buzz around the club and genuine belief, those tickets would have all been snapped up pdq wouldn’t they? I thought that belief would have been created after Ciaron Brown’s last-minute equaliser against MK and the atmosphere that ensued. Seems not.

Stevenage isn’t very far away from Oxford.

Away membership £30 – worth it? Perhaps it’s only Bromley where it will be needed.

STEVENAGE 1 OXFORD UNITED 2

“Stevenage is a shit hole, I wanna go home” sang our crowd. Many time before I’ve opined how disrespectful such words are. I’m beginning to mellow and have decided to accept that it’s just what football fans do. Didn’t join in though. But I did join in with “You’ve seen the Oxford, now F**k off home”. Always thought that had a bit of humour to it. Hurts when it is sung at you though. Clearly the opposite when your team is winning.  I’m too old for all this sort of thing, but what the hell. Why not?

And who on earth were we directing our chants towards, cos there sure weren’t many home fans in the ground? Quite pathetic to be honest and those that were there never seemed to get behind their team.

But shit hole? In previous seasons when I’ve got no further than Our Mutal Friend I’d not bothered to try and construct a case against that argument.

We parked fairly close to the ground and the pubs we’d picked to visit were a fair old walk away. For much of that walk I’d be putting ticks in the shit hole column but then we emerged into the old town. A different environment altogether. It had local shops and businesses, a feel of tradition and relaxation. No hustle and bustle. No concrete staring at you from all sides.

So shit hole?  Part of it yes. Part of it certainly not. And such a case can be made for most places we visit.

First pub we went in was the Six Hills Taproom and Brewery. Already three of our OUFC supporting mates in there when we arrived at about 12:15. Good establishment this and I have to say I have total respect for the guy who I assume was the owner. He told us straight away that he had no cask beer on because of the weather and a problem with the cooling system. Plenty of craft available from the brewery and I’ve got no problem with that. Very drinkable. And although I thought the price was £5.80 a pint, I later noticed that a round of three pints only totalled £14.50. Plus to make me even more likely to visit again the owner told us where to go for the best real ale around. A proper beer person.

One of the places he mentioned was the Chequers beer house which I’d noted to go to anyway. 50p a pint CAMRA discount, can’t argue with that. After a couple it was time to head to the ground. Easy enough to find but it wasn’t as if there were a whole bunch of locals wearing their club colours that we could follow.

The quality of football in the first half was, to put it mildly, not Championship standard. We are of course now L1 and I have to get that firmly implanted in my head. And accept that if last week and this is indicative of what this season is all about it is obvious that the gap between tier 2 and tier 3 is immense.

Really poor standard.

Lack of football on the floor with any hint of quality. Another quite long ball opponent with some physicality. This is life as it is now. Stevenage were nowhere near as good at it as MK were last week but I still had concerns that they might sneak a goal in the percentage game.

We’d not looked like scoring. We just had to keep going and ensure that we didn’t get out-muscled and concede into the bargain. And hope that eventually we’d manage to get a dominance of some sort and be able to play some football because surely, we’d got a player or two with a bit of Championship standard about them even if we’d necessarily had to shed a host of players and are under a transfer embargo. (55 words, that’s a long sentence. Title for a HMHB track?)

Nil – nil was the correct score at the break because the game had not deserved a goal.

As the second half progressed it was evident that we’d been able to stand up to their more physical approach and began to get on top. That little bit of extra class did begin to show. We’d withstood the battle and won the right to get to that position and for that our players deserve great credit.

The lead came in the 67^th minute. We’d been pressing a little and by this stage had looked the team most likely to score even if we’d not looked particularly dangerous.

A poor Cameron Brannagan free-kick was knocked away by the home defence but that meant nothing as a determined CB came steaming in to win the ball which Mark Harris managed to shield and get out wide to Mills. His first time cross (note that everybody – FIRST time) was met by Gatlin O’Donkor’s head. Good finish. “Oh, Gatlin O’Donkor”

Donks was involved again 20 minutes later. Brannagan fed  Aidomo Emakhu who in turn  moved it on with his second touch to O’Donkor who had made an intelligent run. Right on the edge of the area, but definitely inside,  he was upended. We get penalties in L1. Even this referee couldn’t not give it.

Brannagan did the job with his usual efficiency from the spot.

Disappointing that we couldn’t keep a clean sheet but with the goal coming in 90+7 (or +8 depending on which report you are reading) with only 7 added and Stevenage having no belief whatsoever we were never in danger of dropping two points.

At the conclusion the delight on the players faces as they came across to the away following was palpable. There was an evident togetherness, but for one exception.

No guesses required as to who that was. Mills had just over half an hour on the pitch having replaced Siriki Dembele in the 65^th minute. He got an assist, was involved in a neat bit of keep ball at one stage but never got to show his pace with a roasting of his marker. His applause of the yellow fans in front of him was muted to say the least and he kept himself nearest to the tunnel and appeared to want to head that way before his current team-mates. His chums from January onwards so far have no points from two Championship league games.

I don’t know if by the last minute, we’d managed to sell our entire allocation but the South stand was as near as dammit full. And the backing given was fantastic. All positive save for the general consensus in half time chat that the quality of the product was somewhat poor. But surely, we’ll all acknowledge that it’s, even at this stage of the season, all about getting the points.

I’ve been around for so long that there’s always fellow supporters near me that I know. But there’s also at every game those that I don’t know including faces I don’t ever recall having spotted on my travels before. But clearly by their shouting, encouragement, anguish, nail biting and berating of the referee have as much passion for it all as I do. There’s that knowing look; the occasional sentence exchanged.

I never set out to annoy anyone, particularly Oxford fans, but I did manage to upset a couple in their seats behind me. I’d say they were old but on reflection probably had less years on the clock than I did. With the game about to kick off I got a tap on my shoulder asking me to sit down. I pointed out that even if I did sit down, they still wouldn’t see as the three rows in front of me were all standing. And added that if they got the stewards to persuade those three rows to use their seats then I’d happily do so too. They got up and moved elsewhere but good luck to finding a seat with a view.

Need to add that I do have great sympathy for those who do want to be seated for whatever reason. Some fans do find it difficult to stand.

But watching football, especially from behind the goal, it’s not natural to be anything other than stood up. And even if you are forced to sit instinct takes over and you keep jumping up. Stewards have long realised that and enforcement has gone by the wayside. A choice between rail seating (standing) and (proper) seating works.

So two games in we’re unbeaten, fourth in a division where only one team has achieved maximum points and are averaging two goals scored. Last season we were just shy of one and that was with Will Lankshear in our ranks. Now we have no “goal-scorer” as such due to the embargo.

Until we’re many months down the line, we won’t know how good the two sides we’ve faced so far are. But I’ll safely say that we’ll meet much better outfits than Stevenage.

It was informative to listen to local radio as we drove back onto the motorway. The commentators expressed the view that their team would not do as well as last season when they had massively overachieved. They thought we were a class act. Refreshingly realistic regarding the team in red and I want to believe so too as far as we’re concerned.

It is a concern that we lost Jamie Cumming to injury and playing him from the start was clearly a risk. There was a time when I thought we’d never see Simon Eastwood in an Oxford first team shirt again. Easty did us proud here even though he didn’t have a lot to do, such was the display of those in front of him.

My understanding is that EFL regulation 57, covering emergency loan signing of goal-keepers such a club face a major crisis in that position, over-rides the transfer embargo rule.

Our back four was impressive. I’ve argued many a time that in the Championship they were found wanting with the ball at their feet. A level down it’s not so quick and they’ve got more time meaning they’re more comfortable. For me Michal Helik has to be a starter. Ciaron Brown too. Meaning Sam Long is a touch unlucky to be left out but Peter Kioso at right back deserves to stay in after this. And Jack Currie looks like he is the left back.

In midfield Brannagan was looking better and is going to steadily shine at this level, when he’s not suspended. Two games, two yellow thus far. In addition to his penalty he struck a free-kick which stung keeper, Filip Marschall’s hands.

I’m not sure yet about his partner in front of the back line, Jamie McDonnell. Still only 22, he’s got time on his side. He may be doing unsung work, the type that goes unnoticed. I’ll try and look out for it in future games.

In front of them in the middle of the pitch was Louie Sibley. He’s also got time on his side, although he is a couple of years older than McDonnell. With his blonde hair he’s not hard to spot. He had a decent enough game until he was replaced in the 65^th minute. One strong breakaway run for a moment looked like it might bring tangible reward. And very early on he did really well to hook the ball away from just off the line because if he hadn’t done so Jamie Reid would almost certainly have scored.

The two wide men as in the first game were Dembele and Aidomo Emakhu. The former isn’t everyone’s favourite but his trickery which he displays from time to time could prove a real asset in L1. Like with many others though I wish he wouldn’t try shooting with a defender stood a few inches off him. Emakhu appears to be improving. When he gets in the groove defenders are a bit wary and by the end of this game, he had them worried. He too has some tricks. It’s noted that the man we bought from Millwall has played every league minute so far whereas Dembele has been taken off both times.

Mark Harris was the striker. Work rate, of course, but nothing spectacular. O’Donkor seemed to have more of a presence and more able to do battle with the defenders. Great to have to bring off the bench. Does the manager consider starting him?

The stats tell it how it was and that we were the better side but not by a country mile.

55% possession. Last season it was often around 35%.

We obviously made more passes than they did and pleasingly, and probably as expected, our passing accuracy was the better than theirs. 70% to 62%.

We had five shots on target, they had three.

As ever the statistic that is remembered is the final score. The only one that counts.

One stat that did raise eyebrows was the booking count. Them one yellow, us four.

There were numerous times I, or someone near me, said “how was that a foul?”.  Some went our way, some against us. More against us without doubt. We’re Oxford fans. But perhaps some kind of a re-think is required. Apparently, Radio Oxford were convinced, like I was, that no way should Helik have had a card for a high boot. After watching a replay they did a U turn.

Still don’t understand though why we didn’t get a penalty earlier than the one we were given. Dembele pushed over in the box, free-kick to the defending team.

James Oldham is a L1 referee and he’s got little experience at this level. I think we may regularly be saying “so perhaps Championship refs weren’t that bad after all”. 

With Thames Valley Police not being able to cope with the Reading Festival and a home game for us against the Royals we’ve got next Saturday off. The way the fixtures have fallen means we’ve got three away games in a row. So no rest for me.

See some of you at the Accu Stadium a week next Tuesday.