Oxford United will pay tribute to Joey Beauchamp as they welcome Cambridge United to the Kassam Stadium on Saturday in Sky Bet League 1
Joey's death had overshadowed a week which saw the U's win away at Charlton and Crewe to leave them fourth in the table.
We ask fans to take their places inside the ground a little earlier than usual to join us in celebrating the life of one of Oxford's greatest ever players.
Joey was one of our own and the Academy will line the side of the pitch to join the minute's applause. The under 18s' game at AFC Wimbledon has been postponed tomorrow to allow the players to be present. Wreaths will be placed before the game and a very special display is planned for the Jim Smith Stand.
£1 from every ticket will be donated to MIND
You can join the hundreds of fans who have signed a Book of Condolences for Joey's family HERE
TEAM NEWS
United could be bolstered by the return of James Henry and Marcus Browne. Henry scored on his return in a friendly against QPR in midweek while Browne has trained all week and stands by for his first appearance since signing for the club permanently in January.
Both may need to be patient though with the U's having won their last two games with an unchanged side. Elliot Moore limped off during the win at Crewe and is a doubt but Ciaran Brown came on as a replacement and scored the winner in that game.
See Karl and Mark Sykes previewing the game in iFollow plus we have a special Preview Show in which former Oxford/Cambridge captain Paul Wanless gives us his best XI.
THE OPPOSITION
First Team Coach Barry Corr says his side face one of their “biggest challenges” of the season on Saturday
“They’re such a good side. I think Oxford away is probably one of the biggest challenges in the league,” the former Southend striker said. “It’s really exciting to go there and see how we get on. It’s definitely a really tough task, but one we’re really excited about. They’ve been such a good side in this division for a while now, with really good players and a really good manager. It’s exciting for us, and a really good challenge.
“They have really good players, and they make the pitch really big. It’s a really good challenge, and we’re always excited for these ones.”
The other U’s are in good form
“We’ve come in and we’re new to the league, and I think we’ve done well” Corr said. “I think if you told supporters that we would have 44 points at this stage, they’d be really pleased with us".
Left-back Harrison Dunk is expected to be available after injury
TICKETS
With another big crowd expected we advise fans to book as early as possible. Tickets are available in advance from oufctickets.co.uk or by calling 01865 337533 and from the Ticket Office on matchday.
The gate behind the Planet IT North Stand will not be in place so fans can move from one end of the ground to the other behind that stand
Click here for a full away fan guide: 2021 away guide.pdf
GETTING HERE
The Football Special bus services, including the Didcot/Abingdon service, are running as normal and offer easy and affordable transport to home games. CLICK HERE for a full guide to public transport to the game.