Oxford United F.C. season 2009–10 was the 61st season since
Oxford United Football Club
Oxford United Football Club is a professional football club in the city of Oxford, England. The team plays in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. The chairman is Grant Ferguson, the manager is Karl Robinson and th ...
turned professional and their 4th season in the
Conference Premier
The National League, known as the Vanarama National League for sponsorship reasons, is the highest level of the National League System and fifth-highest of the overall English football league system. It is the highest league that is semi-profess ...
. It was their 116th year in existence as a
football club
A football team is a group of players selected to play together in the various team sports known as football. Such teams could be selected to play in a match against an opposing team, to represent a football club, group, state or nation, an all- ...
and their 110th season of competitive football. In the previous season Oxford United finished seventh in the
Conference Premier
The National League, known as the Vanarama National League for sponsorship reasons, is the highest level of the National League System and fifth-highest of the overall English football league system. It is the highest league that is semi-profess ...
, four points and two places outside the play-offs after being docked five points for fielding an unregistered player. This article covers the period from 1 July 2009 to 30 June 2010.
During the pre-season,
Alfie Potter
Alfie James Potter (born 9 January 1989) is an English professional footballer who plays for Oxford City as a midfielder.
Career
Potter came through the youth team ranks at Peterborough United, after being released by Wimbledon at the age of 1 ...
was brought in on a season-long loan,
Rhys Day was signed on a
free transfer, and
Andy Melville
Andrew Roger Melville (born 29 November 1968 in Swansea) is a former Wales international footballer. In the early years of his career, he played in midfield. He was later converted into a central defender.
He started his career at Swansea City ...
returned as first-team coach. The club also received a large cash windfall of at least £668,000 following the transfer of former player
Dean Whitehead
Dean Whitehead (born 12 January 1982) is an English former professional footballer and coach. A midfielder who occasionally played at right-back, he made 622 league and cup appearances in a 19-year playing career, scoring 29 goals.
Whitehead j ...
from
Sunderland
Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...
to
Stoke City
Stoke City Football Club is a professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, which competes in the . Founded as Stoke Ramblers in 1863, it changed its name to Stoke in 1878 and then to Stoke City in 1925 after Stoke ...
. United spent twenty games at the top of the table following seventeen victories from their first twenty-four games. However, only nine wins from the remaining games saw the team fall back into the play-off places, eventually finishing third. A 3–1
aggregate
Aggregate or aggregates may refer to:
Computing and mathematics
* collection of objects that are bound together by a root entity, otherwise known as an aggregate root. The aggregate root guarantees the consistency of changes being made within the ...
victory over
Rushden & Diamonds in the play-offs saw United return to
Wembley
Wembley () is a large suburbIn British English, "suburb" often refers to the secondary urban centres of a city. Wembley is not a suburb in the American sense, i.e. a single-family residential area outside of the city itself. in north-west Londo ...
for the first time in 24 years to face
York City. Goals from
Matt Green Matthew Green may refer to:
* Matthew Green (British politician) (born 1970), British Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for Ludlow
*Matthew Green (Canadian politician) (born 1980) NDP Member of Parliament for Hamilton Centre and former Hamilton ...
,
James Constable
James Ashley Constable (born 4 October 1984) is an English semi-professional football coach and player who plays as a striker. He plays for and is the assistant manager at club Banbury United. He has played in the Football League for Walsall ...
and Potter earned United a
3–1 victory that saw them return to the
Football League
The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...
.
Once again James Constable was the club's top goalscorer in all competitions, scoring 24 times, 22 of those coming in the league, one in the FA Cup and one in the play-off final. Thirty-three players represented Oxford throughout the season, with five different nationalities represented. The attendance of 11,963 against Rushden & Diamonds in the play-off semi-final second leg was the highest home attendance of the season, as well as being the second highest ever recorded at the
Kassam Stadium
The Kassam Stadium (also known as Grenoble Road) is the home of Oxford United Football Club, and is named after the ground's owner and former chairman of the football club, Firoz Kassam.
The Kassam Stadium currently hosts League One (third t ...
.
Review
Pre-season
Oxford announced a number of pre-season fixtures, including a two-game tour to Scotland to face
Morton Morton may refer to:
People
* Morton (surname)
* Morton (given name)
Fictional
* Morton Koopa, Jr., a character and boss in ''Super Mario Bros. 3''
* A character in the ''Charlie and Lola'' franchise
* A character in the 2008 film '' Horton ...
and
Rangers
A Ranger is typically someone in a military/paramilitary or law enforcement role specializing in patrolling a given territory, called “ranging”. The term most often refers to:
* Park ranger or forest ranger, a person charged with protecting and ...
. Other pre-season fixtures included games at home to
Queens Park Rangers and
Peterborough United, a visit to local rivals
Oxford City and finally a match against an
Aston Villa XI.
Joe Burnell
Joseph Michael Burnell (born 10 October 1980) is an English former professional footballer. Having represented several clubs in the Football League and Football Conference, most notably Bristol City and Bath City, he moved away from football a ...
was released on 2 July,
and was signed by
Exeter City eight days later.
Alfie Potter
Alfie James Potter (born 9 January 1989) is an English professional footballer who plays for Oxford City as a midfielder.
Career
Potter came through the youth team ranks at Peterborough United, after being released by Wimbledon at the age of 1 ...
was signed on a season-long loan from
Peterborough United on 3 July,
and ten days later former defender and Welsh international
Andy Melville
Andrew Roger Melville (born 29 November 1968 in Swansea) is a former Wales international footballer. In the early years of his career, he played in midfield. He was later converted into a central defender.
He started his career at Swansea City ...
returned to the club as first-team coach.
Rhys Day also joined in July, signing on a two-year deal.
A welcome windfall to the club was announced on 24 July after the sale of former player
Dean Whitehead
Dean Whitehead (born 12 January 1982) is an English former professional footballer and coach. A midfielder who occasionally played at right-back, he made 622 league and cup appearances in a 19-year playing career, scoring 29 goals.
Whitehead j ...
, from
Sunderland
Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...
to
Stoke City
Stoke City Football Club is a professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, which competes in the . Founded as Stoke Ramblers in 1863, it changed its name to Stoke in 1878 and then to Stoke City in 1925 after Stoke ...
. Oxford received 25% of the transfer fee, at least £668,750.
August
Oxford started off the season with a 2–1 home win against
York City, the two goals coming in the last three minutes.
This was followed by a 1–1 draw away at
Kettering Town
Kettering Town Football Club is a football club based in Burton Latimer, Northamptonshire, England. They are currently members of and play at Latimer Park in Burton Latimer. Kettering were the first club to wear sponsorship on their shirts in ...
.
Another away game followed, this time a 4–3 victory against
Histon.
Oxford went top of the league after a 4–0 win against
Chester City,
followed by a 2–1 home win against
Stevenage Borough.
Ross Perry and
Steven Kinniburgh
Steven Steel Kinniburgh (born 13 June 1989) is a Scottish former professional footballer who played as a defender. He is the Academy Manager at Oxford United.
Career
Born in Glasgow, Kinniburgh began his career with Rangers, and in December 20 ...
were signed on loan from Rangers,
while
Chris Carruthers
Christopher Paul Carruthers (born 19 August 1983) is an English former professional footballer who played as a left-back. He played in the Football League for Northampton Town and Bristol Rovers.
Carruthers started his career with the Northamp ...
was loaned out to
Crawley Town.
A 1–0 win away to
AFC Wimbledon
AFC Wimbledon is an English professional Association football, football club, based in London Borough of Merton, Merton, London, that plays in the EFL League Two, after being relegated from the EFL League One following the 2021–22 EFL Leagu ...
, followed by a goalless draw with
Forest Green Rovers, kept Oxford unbeaten, and manager
Chris Wilder
Christopher John Wilder (born 23 September 1967) is an English professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Football player, player who played as a right-back. He was most recently the manager of club Middlesbrough ...
was awarded manager of the month.
September
Jamie Cook was signed on the transfer deadline using a 12th Man scheme where supporters helped to pay the transfer fee.
A 2–0 win over
Ebbsfleet United
Ebbsfleet United Football Club is a professional football club based in Northfleet, Kent, England. As of the 2021–22 season, the club competes in the National League South, the sixth tier of English football.
The club was formed in 1946 from ...
maintained Oxford's lead at the top of the Conference.
Luton Town were the next visitors to the Kassam Stadium, the game being delayed by fifteen minutes due to crowd congestion. A crowd of over 10,000 saw United win 2–0, despite a missed
Constable
A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in criminal law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions. A constable is commonly the rank of an officer within the police. Other peop ...
penalty in the third minute.
Youngster
Sam Deering
Sam Deering (born 26 February 1991) is an English footballer who plays as a midfielder for Brentwood Town.
Playing career
Deering spent time as a youth team player with Chelsea and Charlton Athletic before joining Oxford United's academy in 2 ...
was loaned out to
Conference South
The National League South, formerly Conference South, is one of the second divisions of the National League in England, immediately below the top division National League. Along with National League North, it is in the second level of the N ...
team
Newport County for one month to regain full fitness after breaking his leg last year.
This was followed up with a 1–0 win at
Wrexham
Wrexham ( ; cy, Wrecsam; ) is a city and the administrative centre of Wrexham County Borough in Wales. It is located between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley, near the border with Cheshire in England. Historically in the count ...
.
On 16 September, it was announced that the 68 clubs playing in the Conference would each receive a share of £1,000,000 from the
Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
. A 4–0 win against
Eastbourne Borough sent United eight points clear at the top of the table,
before they fell to their first defeat of the season, away at
Mansfield Town
Mansfield Town Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in the town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England. The team competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Nicknamed 'The Stags', they ...
.
Oxford next travelled to the North East, where they beat
Gateshead
Gateshead () is a large town in northern England. It is on the River Tyne's southern bank, opposite Newcastle upon Tyne, Newcastle to which it is joined by seven bridges. The town contains the Gateshead Millennium Bridge, Millennium Bridge, Sage ...
1–0 thanks to a
Matt Green Matthew Green may refer to:
* Matthew Green (British politician) (born 1970), British Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for Ludlow
*Matthew Green (Canadian politician) (born 1980) NDP Member of Parliament for Hamilton Centre and former Hamilton ...
goal.
The U's rounded off September with a 3–1 win over
Crawley Town.
October
At the start of the month Chris Wilder was once again awarded manager of the month, with
Ryan Clarke awarded player of the month after keeping five clean sheets out of seven games. The lead at the top was reduced to 6 points after a 1–1 draw at
Barrow
Barrow may refer to:
Places
England
* Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria
** Borough of Barrow-in-Furness, local authority encompassing the wider area
** Barrow and Furness (UK Parliament constituency)
* Barrow, Cheshire
* Barrow, Gloucestershire
* Barro ...
.
A behind-the-scenes friendly was played against
Watford
Watford () is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, 15 miles northwest of Central London, on the River Colne.
Initially a small market town, the Grand Junction Canal encouraged the construction of paper-making mills, print works, a ...
mid-week to give players without game time a run out, the result being 1–0 to Oxford.
The biggest winning margin of the season followed, with a 5–0 thrashing of
Grays Athletic
Grays Athletic Football Club is a football club based in Grays, Essex, England. They are currently members of the and play at Parkside in nearby Aveley.
History
The club was established as Grays Juniors in 1890, before merging with former S ...
.
A late equaliser from
Simon Clist
Simon James Clist (born 13 June 1981) is an English footballer who plays as a midfielder. He began his career at Tottenham Hotspur and went on to play for Bristol City, Torquay United, Barnet, Hereford United, Oxford United and Forest Green Rov ...
gave United a 1–1 draw away at
York City.
The fourth qualifying round of the FA Cup followed, with a 2–0 win over
Thurrock.
Damian Batt
Damian Alexander Nathaniel Batt (born 16 September 1984) is an English footballer who most recently played for Dagenham & Redbridge.
Career
Batt was born in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire. He started his career in the youth system at Norwic ...
's first goal for the club gave the U's a 1–0 win over
Altrincham
Altrincham ( , locally ) is a market town in Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, south of the River Mersey. It is southwest of Manchester city centre, southwest of Sale and east of Warrington. At the 2011 Census, it had a population o ...
.
Before the FA Cup tie against Yeovil Town, Oxford beat
Leicester City 4–0 in a behind-closed-doors friendly,
and on the same day
Shane Killock
Shane Adam Killock (born 12 March 1989) is an English footballer who plays for Stalybridge Celtic as a defender. He played in the Football League for Huddersfield Town.
Career
As a youngster, Killock was released from Huddersfield Town's youth ...
and
Alex Rhodes left the club.
November
This was followed, at the start of November, by progress into the second round of the FA Cup after taking the League scalp of
Yeovil Town Yeovil Town may refer to:
* Yeovil Town F.C., an English football team based in Yeovil, Somerset
* Yeovil Town L.F.C.
Bridgwater United Women's Football Club are an English women's association football club based in Bridgwater, Somerset who wer ...
1–0.
United then fell to only their second defeat of the season, losing 3–1 at
Kidderminster.
Oxford bounced back with 1–0 wins at home against
Barrow
Barrow may refer to:
Places
England
* Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria
** Borough of Barrow-in-Furness, local authority encompassing the wider area
** Barrow and Furness (UK Parliament constituency)
* Barrow, Cheshire
* Barrow, Gloucestershire
* Barro ...
,
and away at Forest Green Rovers.
[.] Strikers
Francis Green and
Onome Sodje were brought in on loan to cover for the slight shortages in strikers.
Neither loanee featured in Oxford's 1–1 home draw against Barrow in the FA Cup,
[.] which meant a replay at
Holker Street, the third fixture between the two sides in as many weeks.
December
At half-time on 1 December, United's long stay at the top of the table looked to be coming to an end. United were 1–0 down at
Crawley
Crawley () is a large town and borough in West Sussex, England. It is south of London, north of Brighton and Hove, and north-east of the county town of Chichester. Crawley covers an area of and had a population of 106,597 at the time of th ...
, and
Stevenage
Stevenage ( ) is a large town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, about north of London. Stevenage is east of junctions 7 and 8 of the A1(M), between Letchworth Garden City to the north and Welwyn Garden City to the south. In 1946, Stevena ...
, just two points behind at the start of play, were winning 1–0. But in an eventful last ten minutes United equalised in the 83rd minute, James Constable had a penalty saved and then made amends with a winning goal in the 4th minute of injury time.
[.] Meanwhile, Stevenage had conceded two second-half goals to lose their game,
leaving them five points behind United. Oxford maintained this lead, and their winning run, with a comfortable 4–2 home victory over Ebbsfleet,
[.] but in their FA Cup replay at Barrow they were comprehensively and uncharacteristically beaten 3–1, denying them a lucrative 3rd-round tie with Premiership side
Sunderland
Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...
.
[.] A home victory over Hayes and Yeading in the 1st round of the FA Trophy
[.] was scant consolation, though it provided competitive match action for some of United's squad players. Cold weather meant that the away fixture against
Cambridge United and the home game on Boxing Day against
Rushden & Diamonds were postponed, the latter somewhat controversially and with a large crowd expected.
[.] Wilder's first year in charge had ended with a remarkable record of 33 wins from 46 league games.
[.] In their final match of the year, and their first league game for more than three weeks, United drew 1–1 away at
Salisbury City
Salisbury City Football Club was an English football club based in Salisbury, Wiltshire. They were formed in 1947 and played at The Raymond McEnhill Stadium. Salisbury had gained back-to-back promotions in recent years, first to the Conference S ...
[.] to finish the year two points clear at the top of the table with games in hand over their nearest rivals.
January
This was a frustrating month for Oxford United.
Heavy snow and freezing temperatures meant that several of their games were postponed. Oxford played just one league game between 5 December and 16 January, the 1–1 draw with Salisbury. They ultimately lost top spot in the league, though gaining games in hand. Oxford's first game of 2010 was also their first home loss of the season, against
Tamworth.
[.] Despite beating
Grays Athletic
Grays Athletic Football Club is a football club based in Grays, Essex, England. They are currently members of the and play at Parkside in nearby Aveley.
History
The club was established as Grays Juniors in 1890, before merging with former S ...
in their second and last league game of January,
[.] Oxford failed to regain first position, due to
Stevenage's results.
They made progress in the
FA Trophy
The Football Association Challenge Trophy, commonly known as the FA Trophy, is a men's football knockout cup competition run by and named after the English Football Association and competed for primarily by semi-professional teams. The compet ...
, however, beating
Woking
Woking ( ) is a town and borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in northwest Surrey, England, around from central London. It appears in Domesday Book as ''Wochinges'' and its name probably derives from that of a Anglo-Saxon settlement o ...
at home
[.] and
Chelmsford City away
[.] to reach the fourth round. Oxford also progressed to the semi-finals of the
Oxfordshire Senior Cup
The Oxfordshire Senior Cup is the senior county cup of the Oxfordshire Football Association. The competition was first contested in the 1884–85 season.
Winners (up to 2022/23 season inclusive)
*Oxford City 36 (inc. one shared)
* Headingto ...
by beating
Kidlington.
[.]
February
A goalless draw at home to
Kidderminster[.] was enough to see United back to the top of the table on goal difference. After 90 minutes Oxford led 1–0 in the crunch fixture at
Luton
Luton () is a town and unitary authority with borough status, in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 census, the Luton built-up area subdivision had a population of 211,228 and its built-up area, including the adjacent towns of Dunstable an ...
, but two goals in injury time, the second direct from a corner kick, saw the home team gain an important victory.
[.] As before this season, Oxford followed a rare defeat with a run of good results, in this case home wins against
Histon,
[.] Rushden & Diamonds[.] and
AFC Wimbledon
AFC Wimbledon is an English professional Association football, football club, based in London Borough of Merton, Merton, London, that plays in the EFL League Two, after being relegated from the EFL League One following the 2021–22 EFL Leagu ...
,
[.] which saw them reopen some breathing space at the top of the table.
[.] During that league run United were, however, knocked out of the FA Trophy by Kidderminster.
[.]
March
United's fortunes dipped dramatically in March, though there had already been signs in 2010 that their dominance of the league was waning. A draw away at
Cambridge
Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...
[.] was followed by a shock home defeat to part-time
Hayes and Yeading
Hayes & Yeading United Football Club is an association football club based in Hayes, in the London Borough of Hillingdon, England. The club was formed in 2007 from a merger of Hayes Football Club (founded in 1909) and Yeading Football Club (f ...
(both Hayes goals scored by former Oxford striker
Steve Basham
Steven Brian Basham (born 2 December 1977) is a retired English footballer.
Career
Basham began his career at Southampton, playing nineteen Premier League games for the club. Basham's only goal for Southampton came in a 2–0 win away to Blackbu ...
),
[.] then further lacklustre draws with
Kettering
Kettering is a market and industrial town in North Northamptonshire, England. It is located north of London and north-east of Northampton, west of the River Ise, a tributary of the River Nene. The name means "the place (or territory) of Ket ...
,
[.] Tamworth[.] and
Rushden & Diamonds.
[.] A 2–1 home victory over
Gateshead
Gateshead () is a large town in northern England. It is on the River Tyne's southern bank, opposite Newcastle upon Tyne, Newcastle to which it is joined by seven bridges. The town contains the Gateshead Millennium Bridge, Millennium Bridge, Sage ...
on 27th
[.] was United's first win in March and boosted the supporters' hopes for the upcoming "six-pointer" against in-form Stevenage. These hopes were dashed when Stevenage won by a penalty, leaving United 8 points behind the new leaders.
United's poor form was compounded by impressively consistent results from their nearest rivals: United's return from the month was a mere 7 points from a potential 21, whereas Stevenage earned a maximum 21 from 21 and Luton 22 from 24. Luton also benefited from the confirmed expulsion of Chester City from the league on 8 March; having drawn home and away with Chester earlier in the season they dropped just 2 points, whereas Oxford lost 3 points, and Stevenage 6.
April
United lost again to Hayes & Yeading in the away fixture. The part-timers (beaten 8–0 by Luton in their previous fixture) thus completed an unlikely league double over the former league leaders.
This was the first time United had lost consecutive league games all season. They secured a much-needed home win over
Salisbury
Salisbury ( ) is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers Avon, Nadder and Bourne. The city is approximately from Southampton and from Bath.
Salisbury is in the southeast of Wil ...
with a late Alfie Potter goal on 5 April,
and were boosted by AFC Wimbledon's failure to beat York City on 7th, which meant United were mathematically certain of a play-off place, though their chance of automatic promotion as champions looked to be gone as the end of the season loomed. With the pressure eased, United's form improved as the month progressed; after the Salisbury match they won three of their next four fixtures (beating
Altrincham
Altrincham ( , locally ) is a market town in Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, south of the River Mersey. It is southwest of Manchester city centre, southwest of Sale and east of Warrington. At the 2011 Census, it had a population o ...
away
and
Mansfield
Mansfield is a market town and the administrative centre of Mansfield District in Nottinghamshire, England. It is the largest town in the wider Mansfield Urban Area (followed by Sutton-in-Ashfield). It gained the Royal Charter of a market tow ...
and
Wrexham
Wrexham ( ; cy, Wrecsam; ) is a city and the administrative centre of Wrexham County Borough in Wales. It is located between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley, near the border with Cheshire in England. Historically in the count ...
at home, and drawing at
Cambridge
Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...
). An experimental eleven lost 1–0 to
Eastbourne
Eastbourne () is a town and seaside resort in East Sussex, on the south coast of England, east of Brighton and south of London. Eastbourne is immediately east of Beachy Head, the highest chalk sea cliff in Great Britain and part of the la ...
, ending a run of 5 matches without conceding, on the last day of the regular season.
United thus finished in third place in the table, behind Luton and promoted Stevenage, and due to play fourth-placed
Rushden and Diamonds
Rushden & Diamonds Football Club was an association football club based in Irthlingborough, Northamptonshire, England. Nicknamed "The Diamonds", the club played at Nene Park. The club's main rivals were county neighbours Kettering Town.
The ...
in the play-off semi-finals.
Play-offs
United took the lead through
James Constable
James Ashley Constable (born 4 October 1984) is an English semi-professional football coach and player who plays as a striker. He plays for and is the assistant manager at club Banbury United. He has played in the Football League for Walsall ...
in the first leg of their play-off semi-final away to
Rushden & Diamonds, before the home side equalised; the game finished 1–1.
In the second leg at the Kassam Stadium, second-half goals from Constable and
Matt Green Matthew Green may refer to:
* Matthew Green (British politician) (born 1970), British Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for Ludlow
*Matthew Green (Canadian politician) (born 1980) NDP Member of Parliament for Hamilton Centre and former Hamilton ...
confirmed Oxford's place in the
Wembley
Wembley () is a large suburbIn British English, "suburb" often refers to the secondary urban centres of a city. Wembley is not a suburb in the American sense, i.e. a single-family residential area outside of the city itself. in north-west Londo ...
final.
In the other semi-final, fifth-placed
York City beat league runners-up
Luton Town 1–0 in both legs.
Over 33,000 Oxford supporters travelled to Wembley to see
Oxford take on York on 16 May. United were two up after 21 minutes, through Green and Constable, before an own goal by goalkeeper
Ryan Clarke shortly before half-time made it 2–1. United sealed a 3–1 victory through a breakaway goal in stoppage time, scored by
Alfie Potter
Alfie James Potter (born 9 January 1989) is an English professional footballer who plays for Oxford City as a midfielder.
Career
Potter came through the youth team ranks at Peterborough United, after being released by Wimbledon at the age of 1 ...
.
Tens of thousands of fans turned up for an open-top bus parade through Oxford two days later.
Team kit
This season's team kit supplier was the American brand
Nike, via JustSport, this season being the first in a three-year deal.
The club's main sponsor was
Buildbase, a UK-based building company in their 9th year of sponsorship.
Match fixtures & results
Legend
''Oxford United results are given first''
Friendlies
Conference Premier
Oxford United's home games are played at the
Kassam Stadium
The Kassam Stadium (also known as Grenoble Road) is the home of Oxford United Football Club, and is named after the ground's owner and former chairman of the football club, Firoz Kassam.
The Kassam Stadium currently hosts League One (third t ...
.
Results summary
Chester City F.C.
Chester City Football Club was an association football team from Chester, England that played in a variety of leagues between 1885 and 2010. The club played its home games at Sealand Road from 1906 to 1991 and moved to the Deva Stadium in 1992 ...
were expelled from the league on 26 February 2010. Oxford, by this time, had already played Chester once. This match, which Oxford won 4–0 at home, was expunged from the records on 8 March 2010.
Results by round
*Chester City F.C.
Chester City Football Club was an association football team from Chester, England that played in a variety of leagues between 1885 and 2010. The club played its home games at Sealand Road from 1906 to 1991 and moved to the Deva Stadium in 1992 ...
were expelled from the league on 26 February 2010 and their results were expunged from the record on 8 March. Oxford, by this time, had already played Chester once. The match result and details remain here, though they did not count towards Oxford's final league position
Play-offs
The first leg of the play-offs took place on 29 April, when Oxford took on Rushden & Diamonds at
Nene Park and drew 1–1. Oxford played Rushden at home on 3 May and won 2–0. This meant that Oxford went through to the
play-off final
The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...
against York on 16 May, when they won 3–1. As a result, Oxford were promoted back to the
Football League
The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...
for the first time since 2006.
League table
FA Cup
The draw for the fourth qualifying round took place on 12 October, pitting Oxford United against promotion chasing
Thurrock from the
Conference South
The National League South, formerly Conference South, is one of the second divisions of the National League in England, immediately below the top division National League. Along with National League North, it is in the second level of the N ...
.
A 2–0 win put United through to the first round proper, where they beat
Yeovil Town Yeovil Town may refer to:
* Yeovil Town F.C., an English football team based in Yeovil, Somerset
* Yeovil Town L.F.C.
Bridgwater United Women's Football Club are an English women's association football club based in Bridgwater, Somerset who wer ...
1–0. Oxford were eliminated in the second round replay by
Barrow
Barrow may refer to:
Places
England
* Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria
** Borough of Barrow-in-Furness, local authority encompassing the wider area
** Barrow and Furness (UK Parliament constituency)
* Barrow, Cheshire
* Barrow, Gloucestershire
* Barro ...
, thus missing out on the chance to play
Sunderland
Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...
in the third round.
FA Trophy
The draw for the first round took place on 23 November 2009 and the first round took place on 12 December. Oxford progressed by beating
Hayes & Yeading United
Hayes & Yeading United Football Club is an association football club based in Hayes, in the London Borough of Hillingdon, England. The club was formed in 2007 from a merger of Hayes Football Club (founded in 1909) and Yeading Football Club (f ...
1–0. The second round was expected to take place on 9 January, but was postponed twice due to
bad weather, the match eventually being played on 19 January. Oxford advanced by beating
Woking
Woking ( ) is a town and borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in northwest Surrey, England, around from central London. It appears in Domesday Book as ''Wochinges'' and its name probably derives from that of a Anglo-Saxon settlement o ...
1–0.
In the third round they beat
Chelmsford City 3–1
and faced
Kidderminster at home in the fourth round,
[.] a game which Oxford lost 2–1.
Conference League Cup
Due to sponsor
Setanta's GB division entering bankruptcy the
Conference League Cup was not contested during the
2009–10 season.
Oxfordshire Senior Cup
The quarter-final took place on 27 January. Oxford drew
Kidlington F.C.
Kidlington Football Club is a football club based in Kidlington, Oxfordshire, England. They are currently members of the and play at Yarnton Road.
History
The club was established in 1909. They initially played in village leagues and won the Lo ...
away and won 2–3 after extra time.
They subsequently faced
Oxford City in the semi-final and won 2–1, progressing to the final which they won 3–1.
Player details
:''As of 24 April 2010. (Does not include Oxfordshire County Cup matches or friendlies)''
Starting 11
:
''Most used team of 2009–10 Football Conference
The 2009–10 Football Conference season was the sixth season with the Football Conference consisting of three divisions, and the thirty-first season overall. The Conference covers the top two levels of Non-League football in England. The Confer ...
season.''
Transfers
In
Out
Loans in
Loans out
See also
*
2009–10 in English football
The 2009–10 season was the 130th season of competitive football in England.
The 2009 season officially began on August 8 for the Championship, League One and, League Two; and August 15, 2009, for the Premier League. The season finished on Sun ...
*
2009–10 Football Conference
The 2009–10 Football Conference season was the sixth season with the Football Conference consisting of three divisions, and the thirty-first season overall. The Conference covers the top two levels of Non-League football in England. The Confer ...
References
;General
Oxford United F.C. Official Website
;Specific
External links
Oxford Mail
{{DEFAULTSORT:2009-10 Oxford United F.C. season
Oxford United
Oxford United Football Club is a professional football club in the city of Oxford, England. The team plays in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. The chairman is Grant Ferguson, the manager is Karl Robinson and th ...
Oxford United F.C. seasons