Our Guest of Honour against Bolton Wanderers on Saturday will be former defender Mark Creighton.
‘The Beast’ remains hugely popular with fans after playing a pivotal role in our return to the Football League in 2010
“It might not have happened at all” he confessed when we caught up with him this week. “I had another year left on my deal at Kidderminster and was happy there but shall we say the two clubs were heading in different directions? The Manager, Mark Yates, was brilliant and he just said to me that Oxford were interested and if I wanted to go and speak to Chris Wilder then I could. He said “we’d love you to stay but I’ll be honest and you will be playing with kids here next season, and you deserve to be testing yourself at the top of the table”
“So I came down and spoke to Chris and my mind was already set on playing for Oxford. I loved the club and loved being part of it. I had the best time of my career there and that day at Wembley in 2010 is something none of us will ever forget.
“It wasn’t straightforward though. We were coasting in the league and then the bad weather meant we didn’t play. We weren’t losing games, we just weren’t playing and Stevenage were relentless. Chris said himself he hit the big red panic button and suddenly we were going to be in the play-offs not gong up automatically.
“But I have never ever felt more confident than in the two play-off games. We were comfortable against Rushden in the semi-final and then against York at Wembley we had absolute belief in ourselves. York beat Luton in the other semi and an Oxford-Luton final would have been a very different story but on the day all you could see was a mass of yellow and blue and the whole experience was incredible.
“I think we had another advantage because we went up two days before and walked on the pitch and looked in the dressing rooms. For players in the Blue Square Premier we don’t get to play there very often! Me and Beano had played there for Kidderminster in the Trophy final but it was a great way of settling us all down and making us feel at home. Mind you we nearly never made it back out: we crashed the bus on the road under Wembley and I can still see Micky Lewis knocking the glass out of a broken window with the end of a broom! York didn’t travel down until the day of the match though and it all meant that Wembley felt like it belonged to us.
"The game was amazing, the night was fantastic and the Open Top Bus ride was just insane. There were people all along the route, right from the stadium to the centre of town. We couldn’t believe it and then when we turned the corner into Broad Street there were just thousands and thousands of people cheering and waving at us. I have never seen anything like it and will never forget the emotion of the day and how much it meant to everyone.
See a Gallery of the amazing Open Top Bus parade here as OUFC took over the city centre:
“I moved on to Wrexham and loved my time there but I can’t wait to see everyone for the Bolton game. The last time I was back was for Micky’s memorial game and seeing everyone again brought back so many memories. I’ve left it a year and the hamstrings have just about recovered enough. Beano is a matchday ambassador so I’m looking forward to seeing him again but lots of us stay in touch and have that very special bond- not just the players but the staff and especially the fans.”
Come and meet Mark in the Restaurant as we take on Bolton. Tickets are available HERE and by calling 01865 337533- book your place to come and meet Shandon Baptiste in the restaurant when we play Portsmouth next Tuesday by emailing commercial@oufc.co.uk
Get behind the U’s. You can buy a ticket for Saturday's game
- By CLICKING HERE
- By calling 01865 337533
- From the OUFC Ticket Office