Oxford United's Chairman, Sumrith 'Tiger' Thanakarnjanasuth, wrote the following notes for tonight's Sky Bet League One game against Shrewsbury Town:
Good evening everyone. I hope you are all well and looking forward to tonight’s game against Shrewsbury Town. Nothing should surprise us about this remarkable season but to have six games left and two of them against Shrewsbury is yet another strange thing in a season where nothing has ever been straightforward.
Ten days ago, I think a lot of fans were feeling as though the season was almost over for us. Losing at Sunderland was tough because I thought the team played well and battled hard even after going down to ten men, but then losing at home to Accrington left us six points outside the play-offs and I know plenty of people were doubting whether the team could close the gap.
I think Karl likes to prove people wrong. I watched the game at Crewe on iFollow and suddenly after half an hour the team went into a different gear! We scored three times before half time, two more in the first five minutes of the second half and then Sam Winnall’s goal equalled a club record away from home. It could have been even more goals, but we should not be greedy! Surely six goals from six different scorers is a record?
What a pleasure to sit and watch the football we played. I have seen games before where teams get three or even four goals up and get sloppy, maybe letting a goal in or just easing up and trying to overplay. We were so professional in the way we continued to play, and I think it just showed what we are capable of doing.
So, where does it leave us? I spent most of Sunday morning looking at the league table and wondering what might happen still and in the end I gave up worrying about it. There are 18 points available, we have four games at home and only two away, and a big away win has boosted everyone’s confidence. I like the idea that the pressure is off, and we showed on Saturday how dangerous that can make us. I think there is plenty of football left for us to play and I hope it is as entertaining as the 90 minutes at Crewe.
Off the field, I am pleased that Andy Taylor has accepted the role of Supporter Liaison Officer and I like the idea of a Fan Council very much. We have always been open and approachable, I hope, and the new council, with Andy’s guidance, will open up channels for all fan groups, so every supporter can have their say and talk directly to the club.
If you are reading this and would like to get involved, or have views on how the club is doing, then get in touch with Andy and get involved with the Fan Council. In particular we want to hear your views on fans returning to matches. That will be an amazing day for us all, whichever division we are in next season, and we are already working on next season.
Tiger
You can download the full programme online at www.matchdayfix.com/oufc