A couple of years ago I realised time was passing, memories were eroding, history was fragmenting. Oxford United’s past was being remembered in moments rather than as a chaotic flow. First the links between the moments get forgotten, then the moments themselves will eventually fade to nothing at all.

Oxford United is a football club and a social history, we’re here because of where we’ve been. As time moves on, our collective memory disintegrates. A growing number of people never experienced The Manor, fewer still remember us playing in the First Division. 

And yet, everything that’s happening now is shaped by that past. We wouldn’t have taken 30,000 people to Wembley in 2024 if it wasn’t for that past. Our relegation to the Conference was because of that past, we may never have returned if it wasn’t for that past.

The Milk Cup Final, Jim Smith, John Aldridge, Thames Valley Royals, Robert Maxwell, Maurice Evans, Malcolm Shotton, beating Manchester United, Arsenal, Leeds and Newcastle. We know the moments, but do we remember how they all flowed together to make a remarkable and often forgotten story?

I decided to piece that story together, which has now become a book – The Glory Years – the rise of Oxford United during the 1980s which will be published in January and is now available for pre-sale.

The story runs from the appointment of Ian Greaves in 1980 through to our eventual relegation from the top flight in 1988. In between? Near bankruptcy, an attempted merger, championships, a Wembley win, giant killings and more. It happens as football ruptures under the weight of financial problems, hooliganism, a threatened Super League and TV blackouts.

What emerged was a club that was completely re-shaped and a game which was changed forever. So whether you’ve heard parts of the story and want to know how it fits together, you know nothing and you want to know how we got here, or you just want to be transported back to The Manor under the lights beating the giants of English football again, hopefully you’ll enjoy the book.

Out in January, available now to pre-order.

PS: It’s not written by Bob Littlewood, it’s written by me.