We’re preparing for our first midweek night under the lights at the SEAH Stadium, with Oxford City heading up the M40 to face the Bucks on Tuesday, 8th September, in a 7:45 pm kick-off.
A first victory of the season at Scarborough Athletic has given the Bucks a welcome boost, and Kevin Wilkin’s side will aim to carry the confidence and performance levels from that game into tomorrow’s encounter.
The visiting Hoops will arrive as surprise table-toppers, with 16 points from their seven fixtures to date, and will provide a stern examination for the Bucks.
The visitors are now in their third consecutive season in the National League North, having been relegated from the National League in the 2023/24 season. It was a short stay at Step 1 for the Hoops, who won promotion through the playoffs that season, but from the National League South.
A last-place finish and relegation sent them North instead of South, and finishes in 20th and 17th place in the last two seasons perhaps underline the challenge that geography provides for the most southerly side in a northern division.
However, new ownership at the club could help rebalance some of those difficulties. Spark Strategic Partners acquired 100% of the Hoops in the closing months of last season, and their financial impetus and plans to take the club full-time have made Oxford a more attractive proposition.
Ins and Outs
The Hoops have undergone a notable transformation and player turnover since last season.
The highest profile arrival at The MGroup Stadium has to be Tyrone Marsh, last season’s top scorer in the National League North. His 26 goals for Bedford Town played a major role in keeping the Eagles at Step 2. His involvement in Tuesday’s game will be as a spectator only, as a red card in the Bank Holiday Monday victory at Worksop Town should mean he is serving a suspension.
Marsh’s Bedford teammate Ellis Brown, a promotion winner with the Bucks in 2024/25, made the same move to join the Hoops, and they have also added the experienced Scott Pollock. He was a member of Brackley’s National League North title-winning side but the goalscoring midfielder left the club following relegation last term.
Pollock was joined in making the same switch by goalkeeper Jonny Maxted, also a Brackley promotion winner, and defender Ludwig Francillette, who sought pastures new after being relegated to the North with Morecambe.
Two further notable additions were defender Dillon De Silva, who moved following his release by Sutton United, and midfielder Dejan Tetek. He, like De Silva, was at Step 1 last season but opted to depart Aldershot Town for a new challenge with the Hoops.
Form
The Hoops enter the fixture coming off back-to-back wins, including their biggest victory of the season on Saturday, when they defeated Chorley 4-0 at The MGroup Stadium. A 1-0 victory on Bank Holiday Monday at Worksop Town did cost them the services of Marsh for the meeting with the Bucks, after a second booking.
Oxford started the campaign with three victories in a sequence of four unbeaten games, recording two 1-0 wins over Bedford Town and Spalding United, then being held 1-1 by Harborough Town before storming to a 4-1 victory at Spennymoor Town.
Their only loss to date came in the first match of the August Bank Holiday weekend, when they suffered their first home defeat at the hands of Buxton. Marsh twice reduced the deficit but the visitors, having established a 2-0 lead, kept them at arm’s length to win 3-2.
Top Scorers
Tyrone Marsh 5
Scott Pollock 5
Briar Bateman 2
Ludwig Francillette 1
The Boss
Manager Ross Jenkins is in his second spell as the Hoops’ gaffer. He led them to promotion to the National League in 2022/23, and his status as a young manager on the rise earned him the opportunity to replace Luke Garrard when he stepped down at Boreham Wood. It was a relationship destined not to last, and Jenkins departed after only a few months when Garrard was enticed back to Meadow Park.
Returning to Oxford, Jenkins has overseen a period of stability for the Hoops and is now doubtless setting his sights higher with the additional investment into the club.
Colours
Bucks:
Shirt: White
Shorts: White
Socks: White
Hoops:
Shirt: Pink
Shorts: Pink
Socks: Pink
Match Officials
Referee: Kieran Chell.
Assistant Referee: Mitchell Cartwright.
Assistant Referee: Henry Gregory.
Fourth Official: Tazlim Alli.
Last Season
The Bucks took four points from the Hoops last season, defeating them 4-0 at the SEAH Stadium in November. Matty Stenson got things going with an early goal, but it was skipper Alex Fletcher’s first goal for the Bucks, early in the second half, that enabled them to stretch away from the visitors. Ricardo Dinanga added a late third, and there was still time for Oliver Cawthorne to score his own first goal for the club, nodding the ball down and in from a corner.
Goals were harder to come by for either side in a goalless draw in February’s return fixture. A low-key night’s only really notable event was the late dismissal of Alex Fletcher for a second bookable offence.
How to Follow
If you can’t be at the game, you can follow the events in several ways.
The Live Game Centre on our smartphone app and website will have live text updates.
Our X feed on social media will also carry text commentary, whilst our Facebook and Instagram feeds will provide updates on major events, such as team news, goals, and the half-time and full-time scores.
If you have the app, you’ll receive notifications of every goal, as well as the half-time and full-time scores.
Finally, BBC Radio Shropshire will provide live match commentary on DAB and on the Sounds app.
With all those options, there’s no reason to miss out.