The fixtures for the 2008/09 season were announced today, and there was bad news for United fans as the club's first game is away at Barrow. That in itself wouldn't be so bad, as it replicates Oxford's first game as a league club, in 1962/63, and there are probably many United supporters who haven't been to Holker Street before. However, while all other Conference clubs' seasons start on Saturday 9 August, United's first game has been chosen to be broadcast live on Setanta TV, and the match has therefore been brought forward to the evening of Friday 8 August. It should also be borne in mind that Oxford have yet to win on Setanta, in eight attempts, and so the chances of the Us taking an early lead in the Conference table appear to be remote.

The following Tuesday, 12 August, Oxford have their first home game of the season, welcoming Weymouth to the United Stadium, and then they host promoted Eastbourne Borough on Saturday 16 August. United's next game is another live TV offering, as they visit the Racecourse Ground in Wrexham, this time on a Thursday evening, 21 August. Woking at home is the August Bank Holiday fixture.

Oxford have a rare away Boxing Day match, visiting Salisbury City, who are the return visitors on New Year's Day. The Easter Monday match is away at Woking, while the season concludes on 25 April with a home game against Northwich Victoria. Other games of note are the visits to Lewes, where Rage Online can recommend the local Harveys brew, on Saturday 27 September, and to Eastbourne, on Saturday 3 January. The other seaside trips also fail to provide United supporters with the opportunity to top up their tans (not that we advocate sun-tanning in any way, melanoma lovers), as they visit both Torquay and Weymouth on Tuesday evenings (7 October and 9 December respectively). All fixtures are, naturally, subject to being pissed about with by Setanta.