U's Chairman Grant Ferguson wrote the following notes for the programme for the visit of Forest Green Rovers in Sky Bet League One:
Firstly, a very warm welcome to the representatives of our Armed Forces who are with us today for Military Day. We have distributed hundreds of tickets to our local bases, and we have invited the Army, Navy and RAF to come along and provide demos and examples of the tremendous work they do. We absolutely want the club to be at the heart of its local communities and today is one way we can demonstrate that.
On a similar topic, thank you all for the immaculate minute’s silence last weekend for Remembrance Day. That came before one of the best performances of the season and a comprehensive win over Port Vale. I will leave the tactics and football to Karl and the players, but my feeling had been that a decent win at home had been on the cards. Performances have improved, results have naturally followed and last Saturday was the perfect illustration of the progress the team is making.
That was further illustrated at Woking on Wednesday night. We have been very focused on a good FA Cup run and the players showed real heart to win what was a proper cup tie. I thought we put in a thoroughly professional performance in what was always going to be a tricky challenge, compounded by pretty grim conditions on the night. An all-round good team performance, including the contribution of the incredible travelling Yellows. We now have a home tie against Exeter next weekend and a realistic chance of progressing to the third round.
Cup dreams can wait a week though. It’s back to the league today and I’d like to welcome Forest Green Rovers, a club that sets a fantastic example because they challenge the expectations of what a football club can and should do, including their pioneering initiatives to make football more environmentally sustainable. This week I read of a ‘Planet Earth’ competition where 76 clubs had become demonstrably greener, so where Forest Green went, others are following.
Of course, success on the pitch will always be the priority, but when we talk of plans to operate sustainably, we don’t just mean financially. We have a fantastic opportunity here at Oxford where we are at the heart of a city of learning and where we aspire to build a new football stadium for the club and the community. Let’s challenge things. Let’s make sure that when we talk about building a stadium for the next generation to be proud of, we truly mean it. I loved the line in a recent stadium announcement we made: ‘Yellow and Blue = Green’.
Enjoy the game
Grant
You can read the full programme online at: www.matchdayfix.com/oufc