The Record Breakers

Oxford United’s amazing run continues to smash all club records.

Last night’s 3-1 win against AFC Wimbledon makes it nine wins in a row for the U’s in all competitions, breaking a record that previously went back to the 1982/3 season.

Can it really be 40 years since Jim Smith’s side swept all before them? Back then a 5-2 win over Folkestone in the FA Cup started an eight game winning run and a 4-0 win over Worthing in the next round was part of an eight game streak that saw the U’s beat Orient, Wigan, Bristol Rovers, Newport, Southend and Reading in the old Division 3.

Manor Ground legends Peter Foley, George Lawrence, Trevor Hebberd and Malcolm Shotton were among the scorers in those games, also setting the record for six straight Football League wins.

This current United team are past that already with seven in a row in Sky Bet League 1 and now have their sights on another record. In 1990/91 the U’s went 15 games unbeaten, a record for the club’s Football League days : United are now on 13 in all competitions.

There is a way to go before they break the all time unbeaten record though: that belongs to a Jim Smith team again. This time the Bald Eagle, back for a second spell in charge, guided his side to an incredible 19 game unbeaten run at the start on the 2006/7 season in the Conference.

And eagle-eyed stat lovers are right not to be getting carried away. Amazingly, in both the 1982/3 season and 2006/7 United didn’t win promotion despite setting those records!

Can the present day U’s go one better? Through to the semi-finals of the Papa John’s Trophy United now put their winning run on the line against a Doncaster side in equally good form: Rovers may have lost twice in their last 12 games but have picked up more points during that period than the U’s.

See what happens when League 1’s two in-form teams meet on Saturday. Match Passes are available right now in iFollow

*Current run
NB: whole seasons only – not season to season