The week unwrapped

What’s this I see before me? Football?

The transfer window has closed; it’s a month of people tweeting names, someone else clipping up a brief moment of skill, and before exactly nothing. Last night’s denouement saw the arrival Ruben Rooskens from Huddersfield. Huddersfield fans responded with some world class trolling – including ‘believable player’ and ‘stoppable on his day’.

After another frenzied month of patching, the squad is looking like a branch of TK Maxx with random players strewn everywhere. To try and tidy things up a bit, Tom Bradshaw took his little socks and outsized smile to Barnsley on loan while Stefan Negru has gone to Tranmere. Matt Phillips took the bullet and had his contract cancelled by mutual consent.

Are we equipped for the final assault? Goodness knows, but the first test is a big one.

Bladefacts

Chris Wilder has been doing Chris Wilder things at Sheffield United since he picked up his first points against us at The Kassam in September. They’re currently 17th, which is probably just about in the comfort zone of safety.

HIs ten year quest to prove his absolutely wasn’t jealous of Michael Appleton’s Oxford United continues. After previously landing Jake Wright, John Lundstram, George Baldock and Marvin Johnson he’s now signed scuttling Joe Rothwell from Rangers. Presumably Benji Buchel and Joe Skarz didn’t answer his calls.

Football friend | Jake Wright

It’s hard to imagine now, but Jake Wright’s arrival at Oxford United in 2010 was controversial. After the frustrations of the 2008/9 Conference season – being deducted five points and then missing out on the play-offs by exactly that number – Chris Wilder was determined to get out of ‘this poxy league’. 

An aggressive summer of signings built a side that looked set to return to the Football League in glorious style. As 2009 turned into 2010, Oxford led the Conference by nine points having built a granite like defensive partnership of Mark Creighton and Luke Foster. 

Then Wilder appeared to put a bomb under his winning formula. On New Year’s Eve, he signed Jake Wright on loan from Brighton, who he’d previously had at Halifax, and within a week Foster was told his contract wouldn’t be renewed at the end of the season, effectively forcing him out of the club.

Wright’s debut saw us slip to a 1-0 home defeat to Tamworth, our first and only defeat of the season. A few weeks later, Stevenage overhauled the nine-point a deficit to top the division. Fans started to question Wilder’s judgement and Wright, whose form was inconsistent, was a focus of the criticism.

The season gradually improved and we secured a play-off place even though we should have won the title. Wright’s form returned and he played his way into Oxford United history at Wembley in the 2010 play-off final, which saw us promoted back to the Football League.

After a solid first season back in League Two, Wilder appointed Wright as club captain, replacing James Constable, for the start of the 2011/12 season. Wright was taciturn and serious, but commanded respect from a side which Wilder packed with big personalities including Michael Duberry, Andy Whing and Peter Leven.

The big 2012 promotion push fell short despite securing our first double over Swindon for nearly 40 years. From there, Chris Wilder’s grip on his side began to slip and he eventually left in 2014. Michael Appleton took over via Gary Waddock, but despite that revolutionary change, Appleton kept Wright as his captain. 

By 2015/16, he was the only remaining player from the Conference days, but didn’t look out of place in a side full of attacking flare and talent. After promotion, we prepared for League One and got into a defensive muddle.

We signed Aaron Martin who replaced Johnny Mullins. Then we seemed to sign Curtis Nelson from Plymouth almost by accident. With Chey Dunkley, another dominant presence in the back-four, suddenly we had four central defenders. Wright became surplus to requirements.

Rather than slip down the divisions, Chris Wilder signed him for the third time for Sheffield United, who he’d joined from Northampton Town. Wright played most games as the Blades were promoted to The Championship and was then virtually ever-present the following two seasons as they made it to the Premier League. At one point he went 18 months without losing a game he started.

He never got to play in the top flight and wasn’t even registered as a squad player in 2019/20. He was briefly loaned to Bolton before taking a meandering route out of professional football.

From the archive | Oxford United 3 Sheffield United 0

Is this a game of particular significance? No. But, is it a game of personal poignancy? Also no. Was I there? Maybe, but I can’t be sure.

It is, however, a New Year’s Day game against Sheffield United and that ticks a box for this section. So, what happened? Well, we went into the game in 12^th while Sheffield Untied were second, a point behind leaders Leeds United. 

We were still in a post-Glory Years fug having been relegated in 1988 and suffering the upheaval of losing Dean Saunders and Mark Lawrenson, which scuppered any attempt at an instant return to the topflight.

1989/90 didn’t start much better, but by December Lawrenson’s replacement Brian Horton had started to find some form led by astute signings Mark Stein, Paul Simpson and John Durnin.

Simpson opened the scoring five minutes with a smartly placed shot from John Durnin’s breakaway five minutes before half-time.

Attacking the London Road, Simpson broke clear and crossed to Mark Stein to make it two just before the hour mark. Stein returned the favour, crossing to Simpson from a breakaway for 3-0. It was Sheffield United’s heaviest defeat of the season, which ultimately ended up with promotion.

For us, it was the second of a four game winning streak and a run of form which saw us climb to ninth by the middle of March. Then, one win in ten including five consecutive defeats at the end of the season saw us drop alarmingly to 17^th.