Joey scoring the Best Goal at the Manor ™

How many of you can remember, off the top of your head, where you were exactly four years ago to the day? Not many, I’d wager.

But when you discover that it was on 19th February 2022 that Joey Beauchamp died, you will probably get a flashback moment. Everyone knows where they were when the World Trade Centre was flown into, while Oxford supporters will be able to recall what they were doing when news broke of Joey’s suicide.

Personally, I was in the press box at the Valley, where Oxford were on their way to a 4-0 hammering of Charlton Athletic. My colleague, Communications Officer Chris Williams, received a phone call shortly after the game had begun, and he turned deathly pale as the blood drained from his face.

He turned to me and spoke the words that turned my world upside down: “Joey Beauchamp is dead”. Those were the only details he had at the time, and we both agonised throughout the rest of the first half what to do with the news. It wasn’t public yet, so we were the only people in the ground who knew.

Eventually, Chris told Jerome Sale and Nathan Cooper from BBC Radio Oxford at half time and let Karl Robinson know after the game. Chris spent the second half writing a statement to go on the website, phoning people who knew Joey to gather quotes, while I was on game-watching duty, although we were both in shock so forgive us if our reporting of the match was sub-optimal. We couldn’t release the statement until we were in the car on the way home as we had to wait for clearance while the rest of Joey’s family were informed.

After the game, Chris interviewed both Robinson and Sam Baldock twice, once about the game and once about Joey (Sam had watched Joey play as an Oxford fan). Robinson asked Chris to let the players and staff know, with people like Sam Long and Jonny Edmunds (the kit manager) especially upset as they had both seen Joey play.

Joey was, without doubt, the best homegrown player to have played for Oxford United. Arguably, he was the best anygrown player to have played for the club. If United had been slightly higher profile, or if his transfer to West Ham had worked out, he would almost certainly have played for England.

In a career of wonderful goals, his winner in the 1-0 victory over Blackpool on 6th April 1996 was possibly the crowning glory, given both the execution and the context. The technique to strike the ball on the half volley from 30 yards with such power and accuracy was something that very few players could achieve. The context was that it gave the side an invaluable win over the team in second place in Division Two (now League One) that enabled the team to eventually finish one point ahead of the Tangerines to earn automatic promotion.

The goal was later voted the best goal ever scored at the Manor by readers of the Rage On (formerly Raging Bull) fanzine, while Joey himself went on to be voted the Player of the 1990s by the same, ultra-intelligent, readership.

This goal was scored after Joey’s welcome return to the club following his disastrous move to West Ham and then, of all teams, Swindon. He told me later that he never wanted to leave United; he had just bought a new house in Wood Farm and was settled and enjoying his football, despite Oxford’s relegation from Division One (Championship) in 1994. However, with the club struggling financially, he felt under pressure to accept the £1 million deal, having been informed by Billy Bonds, the Hammers manager at the time, that the training ground was only a 40-minute drive away.

That turned out to be false, and by the time pre-season came around, Joey was already regretting his decision to leave the Manor. He featured just once for the Hammers, in a pre-season friendly at Oxford City, before he was granted a move, leaving for Swindon Town for far less than West Ham had paid (albeit still a record fee for those Robins).

Needless to say, if Joey had thought there were any other options available, he would never have joined Swindon, but he was given an ultimatum and at least it was a far easier commute. His first season at the County Ground wasn’t too bad and he had largely won over the fans, suspicious of his Oxford background.

However, at the end of the season Steve McMahon replaced John Gorman and suddenly Joey’s face no longer fitted. Bad news for Swindon, but it turned out to be a silver lining for Joey and for United, who re-signed Joey for just £75,000 – a £925,000 profit in 14 months. The icing on the cake was Joey scoring the third goal in United’s 3-0 win over Swindon on 19th March 1996, right in front of the away fans in the Cuckoo Lane. Joey celebrated like he meant it.

This was Joey’s second league goal after returning to the Manor (he scored in the 9-1 FA Cup demolition of Dorchester Town, and then scored the only goal of the game as United won at Bournemouth) and it ignited him. He scored three goals in the next four games and two further goals, including one at Crewe as Oxford’s win took them above Blackpool for the first time in the penultimate game of the season.

The next couple of seasons were lit up by Joey’s spectacular goals but then the club’s perilous finances took hold and many of the side’s better players had to be sold. There were substantial offers for Joey too, but after his previous experiences away from Oxford he refused all advances. Not sure the money-men were too pleased but Joey was content to remain in the best city on earth (that’s Oxford, if you weren’t paying attention).

Unfortunately, Joey picked up a toe injury that eventually ended his playing career. He scored his final goal in his final appearance, the only one at the Kassam Stadium, a 2-1 home defeat by Exeter City on 23rd February 2002. Needless to say, it was a spectacular volley.

After his retirement, Joey’s struggles with alcohol and gambling have been publicised enough, although it seemed like he was overcoming them. He was a fairly regular guest of Robinson’s at the training ground and spoke to the players occasionally as Robinson hoped Joey’s presence would inspire them.

I spoke to Joey fairly regularly, including interviewing him for the match programme, and he was like he had been when I first met him some 25 years earlier: quiet and reserved but always happy to chat.

It’s highly unlikely that Oxford will ever again produce a player like him: so skillful, such an eye for spectacular goals, and so loyal. He was a once-in-a-lifetime player, and I consider myself privileged to have seen him play.

Take a few moments to watch the You Are My Oxford podcast’s video of (almost) all of Joey’s goals (link to YouTube), while the panel tries the impossible task of ranking them (link to Spotify – Rage Online does not condone Spotify’s treatment of musicians).