34 years ago today

Brockys free kick at Old Trafford took some beating too, but as said earlier it was a wonderful time to be an oxford fan
 
Brockys free kick at Old Trafford took some beating too, but as said earlier it was a wonderful time to be an oxford fan
I'll never forget that feeling of almost disbelief when the 'Brockbuster' hit the net.
 
Came over all emotional watching that, was in the packed London road where the atmosphere was, as they say, electric!! :D
 
The first year I started going. My Dad worked Saturdays so my first game was against Newcastle. It was rammed in the Beech Rd so my Dad lifted us on to the pitch and we walked around the ground to go in the top corner of the Cockoo Lane/Osler Road! Had no idea that this wasn't the sort of thing people did!!! Got spat at by Newcastle fans but squirted a tomato sauce bottle through the fence to get our own back!!!

Went to the Leeds game and sat in the Beech Road, randomly next to Ian Botham!!! Got chased down Headington hill by a load of Leeds fans after the game who had smashed the back window out of their coach.

Then we missed the first Man Utd game but went to the second replay and could barely see as we were again crammed into the Beech Road. What I remember most was being so excited after getting the winner but feeling how anxious everyone was around.

It honestly felt like we would never lose and as I missed the Everton game, I maintained a 100% record until we were in Div 1!!!

Sadly those days are gone and defeat has become far too common - but it is those experiences that keep me coming back no matter how bad we are!!!!
 
Could sit here forever reminiscing about the LRT and its iconic status it had. Weirdly though being a younger LRT supporter at the time I sort of loved it when the moat was built as it somehow elevated my parochial league club into a ground that other football league clubs and their fans sort of feared visiting. The ground even when only half full could make many opposing players fear on simply just retrieving the ball or on taking a corner from the close-fitting mish-mass of stands. This was ol' school at its best.

Going back before the moat was built the LRT was a real sight line of beauty when this terrace was full and I was lucky enough to see this stand packed to the rafters for some really big games when there were gates of 12/13/14/15/16/17 and on a few lucky occasions, an extraordinary 18k that somehow squeezed into the Manor.

I remember lots of times climbing onto mesh at the back of the LRT terrace and seeing what seemed like thousands upon thousands of heads and hands punching the air and clapping and generally just really giving their all for the team. This was the LRT. This was my life. This was OUFC.

However, a period that also held some great memories for me was when for an unknown length of time a large group of us squeezed along the Osler Road stand through the Gestapo gate and onto the open end of the Osler Road terrace to give the club a bouncing 100 to 150 'young buck' fans backing the club I thought fantastically during some of the great mid-eighties games....and of course giving it large to the away supporters in the CLT.

The Biggins goal against Man Utd was perhaps the highlight for me standing on this part of this crumbling terrace as it was especially special seeing one or twenty- two local-ish Man Utd 'supporters' within there terrace well and truly pissed off big time. This was my club and I suppose this was my time as well......

I can also say that from talking to one or two of the players from that era that they certainly enjoyed the backing they got from this little bit of terrace during this magnificent era.

I'm still hanging on in there supporting the U's and was there again yesterday (Gillingham) after saying B*****s a few times after the Wigan match but I'd like to personally say thanks to the many young geezers and girl geezeretters who might just be reading this ol' geezers tales (and possibly groaning a little for the reminiscing and for that I apologise) for continuing to support this great club of ours and hopefully their future children will also be bought into the fold so that OUFC lives on forever. It is a hard choice committing support to a club at times but I'm sure there are some decent times ahead and that I only wish the fans had from the club just a little bit more information given at times.
 
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