Aston Villa 2 Oxford Utd 2 Milk Cup Semi-Final 1st leg 1986

The Forgotten Highlander

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Would be interesting to read the memories of fans about this game. I was at the 2nd leg like so many but couldn't make the 1st leg mainly because I was still at school. That first goal really was something of beauty & is probably one of my favourite Oxford away goals. The highlights show we were all over them & how Peter Brackley thought the result was fair is beyond me. Funny watching the 80s adverts as well!!
p.s. pretty sure the date is wrong. The game was played early March after a number of postponements.
 
I was there, great night. Coach up to Birmingham from Thame via Oxford, this was before the M40 was completed. Don't really remember much of the game first hand though, all of my 'memories' have been aided by that coverage which we had on VHS and watched countless times.

The game was indeed delayed a handful of times because of weather, and I seem to recall Villa took a couple of goes to get past Arsenal in the previous round after the draw was made.
 
I was 15 at the time. My friend and I travelled up with a couple of my dad's friends. It was a great night. Most vivid memories are, of course, the penalty, then how long it took to get out of the car park afterwards! Still got the programme.
 
Remember going awol from Banbury college around lunch time and caught the train up , then hitting a few pubs , what a night , funnily enough I couldn’t get a ticket for the home leg .
 
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Me and my Villa supporting mate left work in Cowley at 5.30 (boss wouldn't let us leave any earlier). Took ages to get there in his Mark 1 Astra although him being a Brummie we took a few short cuts once we got to Birmingham. Missed the first 15 minutes. As we dumped the car literally outside the Holt End and pegged it to the away turnstiles (me, not him) I breathlessly asked a copper outside the ground what the latest score was. "One-nil to Swansea" he sarcastically replied in that way that only coppers can. Suffice to say, I was the happier out of the two between me and my mate on the long trek back to the 'Shire..
 
I took my son for his first away match that evening. He had never been to anything but the Manor ground till then. It really got to me the sight of his face when he saw that damn great terrace at the other end. His jaw dropped.
 
Thanx for putting that up, I haven't seen it for many a year. I still get nervous watching those games again, including the final - when we were 2-0 up QPR had a good spell of possession and had they scored it would have been a nailbiter
Many memories of the evening include locals offering to 'look after my car'.
For a split second I thought Aldo had slipped in his run up for pen. and had forgotten how quickly we equalised, 60 secs
What a good game Rosie had, v unlucky to be injured for the final.
Meaty tackles, no rolling over when touched, or timewasting in the corner.

What a time to follow the yellows
 
Right, OK. I went there on a coach from the Swan in Cowley, with my brother and his 8 or 9 mates. Everyone except me got rat-arsed. At the ground, the police frogmarched the United fans behind the goal. But us 10 decided to sit in the stand on the left, so we sneaked past the police. My brother was talking to some other mates and missed us sneaking away. By the time he saw us, the cops had told him to go behing the goal. He pleaded with the copper, who eventuall arrested him. It went to court in Birmingham somewhere, some time afterwards. The charge was something like, but I cant remember exactly: 'Inciting a riot!'. At court, he was found to be not guilty. I hated the police after that. Whilst us 9 were in the stand, the Villa fans tried to attack us, but we stood our ground, until we were totally outnumbered and the police told us to go with the Oxford fans. We all were applauded by the Oxford fans as we marched to where they were. The good old days, a? BTW I don't hate the police now.
 
Only watched the highlights on TV as I was allowed to stay up late and didn't know the score until the end. But did go to the 2nd leg and what a night that was.
 
I had to sleep in the waiting room at Reading station as the last train back to Newbury had already gone. In fact, it was only the good will of a train driver taking an empty train back to reading that got me back from Oxford.

Worth it.
 
Strange to think that Villa were European Champions just four years earlier. It was the only time in many visits to Villa Park that I sat in the upper tier of the Trinity Road (away) Stand. It felt a bit like the away trip to Newcastle this year - impressive stand but I would have much rather been closer to the action. Like most Oxford fans I left feeling pleased with the result, through a little disappointed that we hadn't won.
 
I went, but have absolutely no memory of the game, ....and I wasn't drinking..............apart from thinking of the disparity between us and them
 
I was a student at Manchester at the time. Caught the bus down for the original tie only to find out it was postponed when I got to Birmingham. Still seems to amuse a few of my friends ...
 
It was originally scheduled for Tuesday 11th February, then postponed to Wednesday 19th, then to Tuesday 25th then to Tuesday 4th March which is when it was played (that had been the date for the second leg which was postponed until Wednesday 12th March). I was working at the time but used to get one day's study leave each week - I remember having to keep changing my day off at short notice so as to be able to attend the game. I remember sitting in the main stand and thinking the ground was enormous. Still only my 2nd ever visit to Villa Park - the first being to see Villa 3 Man Utd 3 in March 1981 when I was at Uni.
 
I was a student at Manchester at the time. Caught the bus down for the original tie only to find out it was postponed when I got to Birmingham. Still seems to amuse a few of my friends ...
I was at Desbrough School Maidenhead at the time so couldn't go unfortunately.........
 
Thanx for putting that up, I haven't seen it for many a year. I still get nervous watching those games again, including the final - when we were 2-0 up QPR had a good spell of possession and had they scored it would have been a nailbiter
Many memories of the evening include locals offering to 'look after my car'.
For a split second I thought Aldo had slipped in his run up for pen. and had forgotten how quickly we equalised, 60 secs
What a good game Rosie had, v unlucky to be injured for the final.
Meaty tackles, no rolling over when touched, or timewasting in the corner.

What a time to follow the yellows
great point about Rosie - he had a superb game. Gave the Villa right-back a right roasting.......
 
I remember taking a big flag with a broom handle as a pole to wave it with. Got to the turnstiles and they wouldn't let me take my flag in because of the broom handle. So a steward confiscated the said broom handle. But over the top in my eyes ;) he wouldnt take my word on it that I couldn't use a proper stick to wave it about with lol.
Regarding the game all very fuzzy but I vividly remember a load of ticker tape being tossed in the air all around where I was stood when Aldo scored the penalty.
 
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