'The sense of excitement is palpable around the club'
Welcome to our final league game before our trip to Wembley!
Tonight's opponents are Bury and we extend a warm welcome to their players, fans and officials. The reverse fixture earlier in the season was end to end and let's hope for an equally exciting game this evening.
Our draw at Northampton leaves us with a mountain to climb if we are to make a late run into the play-offs but a win tonight will leave us within six points with six games to go!
From tomorrow, the rest of the week will be focused on Wembley and rightly so! Wembley appearances are relatively rare for most clubs, so to reach the home of football in successive seasons is a huge achievement.
For Michael, the staff and players, it is business as usual. The preparation will be as professional and painstaking as always and I am sure the players will put on a performance to be proud of on one of football's greatest stages in front of over 70,000 people.
For the rest of us, it is a truly wonderful day out – a day to savour – where family, friends and communities unite to support their local team.
The general Wembley preparations began in earnest straight after our epic win at Luton.
The pressure on all the office staff has been immense and they have all worked tirelessly to ensure everything will be right on the day. All deserve our grateful thanks and appreciation for this.
The sense of excitement is palpable around the club and one of my highlights so far was the brilliant atmosphere in the club shop last Thursday evening. The trophy was present and the shop was full of youngsters excited to meet their heroes. My thanks go to John Lundstram, Curtis Nelson and Toni Martinez for being so accessible and helping to create an unforgettable experience for the youngsters.
We continue to build momentum ahead of the game and with your help, encouraging family and friends to join us on Sunday, I think we will take more than 30,000 fans again - a brilliant demonstration of support!
I would like to thank all the sponsors for their wonderful support at Wembley. They are:
- Main sponsor - Johnston Quarry Group
- Main shirt sponsor - Liontrust
- Anthem jackets and back of shirts - Polythene UK
- Shorts sponsor - Alycidon Capital
- Team bus - Pye Homes
- Posters - Textures flooring
- Mascot and Physio jacket sponsor - Oxford Brookes University
Johnston Quarry Group are also sponsoring the Oxford Man of the Match award and post-match reception. Our thanks go to Nicholas Jones for his generosity and we hope that he and his family have a wonderful day on Sunday.
There is huge media attention too this week. It really is an opportunity to showcase the club both across Oxfordshire and nationally. Michael's playing philosophy allied to a young squad of highly talented players really is promoting the club in the right way.
On Friday, we are still hoping to reinstate the Facebook phone-in, which will be live from Bisham where the team is based for its final preparations. Michael and I look forward to answering your questions and sharing in the excitement ahead of the game.
Enjoy tonight's game and, of course, have a wonderful day on Sunday. Bring friends, family and anyone you know and let's show Oxford United in its best possible light!
Best wishes and COYY!
Darryl