The week unwrapped

We appear to have reached a point where draws are the new wins and not conceding is the new scoring. On that basis, Saturday’s 0-0 draw against Middlesbrough was a pretty successful outcome. The point just about maintains our hopes of staying up with a gap of six points still to bridge. With all our rivals playing last night, a win tonight would put the cat amongst the pigeons, but that would require us to score a goal. We can only hope.

Sunday saw Oxford United’s women emulating the men after a 1-0 defeat in the FA Cup to Charlton. Despite the result, it was a joyous occasion in front of 1,185 fans. Where else can you watch football while drinking a flat white served by one of Oxford United midfielders? You don’t see Nik Prelek serving Homity pies in the North Stand, do you?

Speaking of whom, Prelek has flattered to deceive his way to a permanent contract. We’re sure there’s a logic to this, although we’re not sure what it is.

Potterfacts

Finally, an opportunity to measure ourselves against the ultimate English football challenge – can we do it on a wet Wednesday in Stoke? After our demolition at the hands of Stoke back in November, this one might have looked like a trip to Low Block City. But the Potters have fallen a long way since that night when they looked like the best team in the division. Manager Mark Robins puts their slump down to an ‘unprecedented’ injury crisis. Robins is a likeable down-to-earth kind of guy, so we hope that his problems clear up soon, just not too soon.

Football friend | Michael Duberry

Michael Duberry comes from an interesting inflection point in English football. He served his apprenticeship at Chelsea as the final embers of the old Football League still glowed. This was a time where professional footballers were less than professional. His debut for Chelsea was at the dawn of the Premier League when players, full of booze and banter from the old days, were also suddenly enriched by Sky’s TV money.

Forging a decent career at Chelsea, he moved to Leeds in 1999 as the Arsene Wenger inspired revolution in professionalism took hold around him. 

As Wenger’s influence grew, the banter boys began to slip behind, the apex of those still drunk on the excesses of the previous era came in 2000. Duberry was thriving at Leeds, a money laden star studded team on the brink of Champions League qualification. 

In January 2000, the squad were on a night out when defender Jonathan Woodgate and midfielder Lee Bowyer attacked an Asian man, breaking his leg and cheekbone. Both were arrested and accused of a racially motivated assault. 

After the attack, Duberry drove Woodgate home, then lied to the police about the incident. Woodgate and Bowyer were charged with GBH and Duberry with perverting the course of justice.

Duberry was acquitted, but the incident triggered a process which would eventually bring Leeds to its knees and plunge them into an existential financial crisis they’ve never fully recovered from. 

Duberry remained for five more years and played in the Champions League semi-final of the Champions League in 2001. But, he only made 57 appearances before moving to Stoke in the Championship where he rehabilitated his reputation and became club captain. As he established himself, he seized an opportunity to move back to the Premier League, joining Reading 18 months later.

After a spell at Wycombe and St Johnstone, his career started to wind down. Chris Wilder signed him in 2011, attracted to a move closer to home. It coincided with the growth of Twitter and Duberry, a last man standing from the banter-era generation, used the platform to build a close relationship with fans and bringing ‘positive vibes’ to the club. 

Duberry brought profile, in 2012 he managed to make national headlines being photographed at the club’s Christmas party dressed as Princess Leia. He followed it up a month later with a ludicrous hat-trick with two own goals and a last-minute equaliser in the right net against Hereford.

2012 fell flat despite a famous derby double over Swindon. The 2012/13 season slipped further as Duberry was blighted by a neck injury keeping him out of the side for long periods. At the end of the season with Oxford’s ambitions and resources beginning to dry up, he was released.

From the archives | Stoke City 1 Oxford United 2 (1999)

At the start of the 1999/2000 season Malcolm Shotton unveiled a new strike partnership to replace his £1m goal machine Dean Windass. Leeds United’s Derek Lilley was paired with ex-Wimbledon forward Steve Anthrobus.

The opening day of the new season saw Oxford head to Stoke with the classic misplaced optimism that comes each year. Things were looking up after half-an-hour when Matt Murphy got on the end of a Paul Powell cross to open the scoring. On the hour Graham Kavanagh equalised but with 12 minutes to go Steve Anthrobus lumbered into the box to open his account. A new hero was born.

It would take Anthrobus nearly five months to find the net again and nine more to score his third league goal and his first and only at The Manor. Lilley did little better scoring 10 goals in 18 months, leaving the club shortly after being held at gunpoint on holiday. But that’s another story.