Oxford United

Tomorrow Oxford plays in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy tournament against fellow League Two side Aldershot Town. The tournament is the sponsored name for the Football League Trophy which is the trophy and respective tournament for League One and League Two divisions in England. These are the bottom two of the four professional teams in England (preceded by the Premiership League and the Championship league).

Now with me being thousands of miles away from Oxfordshire, how did I become and Oxford fan? Well, that’s a good question with a very random answer.

My Oxford loyalty really began on a whim. I was playing Fifa 11 on Wii and was trying to pick a League 2 team to play as, essentially a team I could raise through the ranks to the Premier League. I picked Oxford because I’m interested in word etymology and was currently reading a book about the history of the Oxford English Dictionary. Yes, a very dorky reason. I also liked the team crest. It reminded me of the bull head logo of the Chicago Bulls, a team that I was very much wrapped up in when I was younger. So no, I’ve never been to Oxford, have never seen the Yellows play (as they’re sometimes called), or heck, have ever heard or seen one of their matches.

To this day, I still haven’t seen or heard them play and won’t unless I find myself in Oxfordshire. Because they’re in such a low division, The Us (as they’re also sometimes called) are not even on television in Oxford. They of course are on BBC radio there in the area, but the live web feed is blacked out for anyone else. I could pay 36 Pounds a year for a web channel type service from the club that does offer live audio match commentary as well as other exclusive content. However, that’s a little too steep right now. A few years from now though…

Even though I can only follow Oxford United on match trackers and in forums, I probably follow them the most. I can’t say why really. It may be that they have a nice small-town feel them when compared to the giants of the Premiership. They also have the most promise of any team I follow. Of course that’s because they are also in the lowest division of any team I follow. Oxford cannot get too much lower in standing, but they have lots of room to rise.

With that said, I really hope they get achieve promotion to League One this year. I also wouldn’t mind if they won a cup or trophy on their way there. Heck, I’ll simply be happy with a win tomorrow and to progress further in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy. With all that said, COME ON YOU YELLOWS!!