Oxford United chairman Sumrith 'Tiger' Thanakarnjanasuth wrote the following notes for the Wigan Athletic programme:
It has been far too long since I was able to come to the Kassam Stadium and today is a day I have been looking forward to for a year and a half as I finally come home to Oxford.
I have enjoyed watching the games on iFollow from my home in Bangkok, but there is nothing that can ever replace coming to games in person. It’s not just the game itself, it is more about seeing old friends and talking about the game with everyone else. To talk to my family about games when I am at home, I have to wake them up at 5am on Sunday morning!
I have been at the training ground this week and so happy to see the staff and players once again. They have done so well recently, and we are in a fantastic position. It was a pleasure to be around them this week and to see the smiles after winning at MK on Saturday. What a result and very deserved.
If you break it down into smaller steps, then we were doing very well and climbing up the league. At one stage we were affected by Covid and lost a lot of players against Fleetwood and Rotherham, but during that period other players came into the side and did so well; the depth that we have is very clear. But then the next stage was three away games in a week: Sunderland, Doncaster and MK. Seven points last week was excellent, 11 from the five games was amazing.
I hope you know what we are like by now. Nobody gets carried away. All we will do is say ‘good job, now let’s do more’. We are in our best position on and off the pitch for many, many years, but it is still not enough yet. We need to carry on and then in January strengthen again; all the clubs around us will be doing that, so it is important we keep moving forwards. The Board will support Karl, support the recruitment plans, and continue to invest in everything that is going on behind the scenes.
Having met with every department of the club this week, I can tell you that we have great people doing amazing work in all areas. And, of course, we have our amazing supporters. To take over 2,000 fans to Milton Keynes was incredible and you made so much noise when Mark Sykes scored the winning goal. What an atmosphere!
Make as much noise again today please, but also make sure you look after each other. Covid is real and remains a concern, so please respect those around you and follow the rules that are in place to keep everyone safe at matches.
Finally, on behalf of the Board I wish you all a very Happy Christmas. It is amazing to be able to come back and share it with you today.
Tiger
You can read the full programme online at www.matchdayfix.com/oufc