Oxford United Chairman Sumrith 'Tiger' Thanakarnjanasuth wrote the following notes for the match programme for the Sky Bet League One game against Ipswich Town:
Every week is a good one to be involved with Oxford United, but this week in particular has put a smile on my face.
First of all, the team went to Shrewsbury and won in very difficult conditions. I spoke to Karl on the Friday and he told me that Sam Long and Ciaron Brown were out, as well as all the injuries. Then I looked at the teamsheet when the team news came out and Jack Stevens was also missing! If the last two years have taught us anything it is never to underestimate this amazing group of players. They didn’t see it as a problem, they saw it as an opportunity and Simon Eastwood, Steve Seddon, Nathan Holland and John Mousinho all rose to the challenge superbly.
I want to single out Mous and Simon if I may: what great characters to have around our football club. If there are any young footballers looking for a role model, then come and meet them because they are fantastic ambassadors for our club. I think Mous was probably happy that there was no midweek game though and the free week has allowed one or two players to get over their illnesses and injuries and be available today.
There was more good news in the week. with Gavin, Ciaron and Oisin getting international recognition. By the time you read this I hope one or two more have been confirmed.
And then on Tuesday came maybe the biggest good-news story of the week when the County Council agreed to continue to talk to us about the new stadium at Stratfield Brake in Kidlington. I think some fans were hoping that a green light would go on and diggers and builders would suddenly arrive on the site and start building us a new home. That was never going to happen. We have always known it would be a long process and Tuesday was just part of it.
A lot of hard work has gone into finding a possible new home and I want to publicly thank Niall McWilliams for all that he has done to get us to this stage. He was key in building a training ground and has been the driving force behind a new stadium. He will not thank me for telling fans this, but he is an incredible man who this club should be very grateful to.
Finally, I want to mention one more thing. It is our game to support the work that Level Playing Field do, making sure that disabled fans can enjoy watching the team home and away with suitable access and facilities. We do our best to be inclusive, and whether it is at our current ground or at our new home in the future, we will always do our best to look after disabled supporters and will work with the Supporters Panel to make sure every fan who comes to a match feels safe and welcome.
Tiger
You can read the full programme online at www.matchdayfix.com/oufc