Oxford United Chairman Grant Ferguson wrote the following notes for the programme for United's Sky Bet League One game against Northampton Town
Thank you for coming along tonight for a rearranged game against Northampton Town. The original game wasn’t possible due to circumstances beyond anyone’s control, but there are no such challenges tonight with the pitch looking it’s immaculate self due to the skill and care of Kieron Jennings and the groundstaff team. As always, a big thank you to them all.
The last game we played here was an exciting one, certainly the second half where the team played some exceptional football. It’s not coincidental that we now have a more complete squad available for selection, providing opponent-specific options and creating competition for places. We still have some key players to come back from injury, but the bench is already capable of making far more impact and I think we showed that again on Saturday at Wycombe, where we looked the more likely team to win the game in the last 20 minutes.
Overall, mixed feelings about that one. It certainly wasn’t a classic but games against Wycombe rarely are. We rode our luck at times, but the guys fought hard to ensure we got something out of the game. We play some great football in pretty much every match, but I think that at times we collectively and individually need a little more consistency. However, a prerequisite to dealing with a challenge is recognising it, and I know Des and the boys are working hard on this aspect of the game. Overall, it was a bit frustrating but then you look at the league table, a point away from home kept us in the play-off places so we take it and move on.
The new stadium project also moves on at pace and we made some key announcements recently, with hopefully more to come over the next few weeks. As part of our pledge to deliver a state-of-the-art, sustainable venue, we have outlined plans to use low-carbon energy supplies to create an ‘all electric’ stadium, including 3000m² of solar panels on the roof. This will also be a major contributor to meeting our commitments under the UN Sports for Climate Action Framework that we recently joined to underscore our belief that sport has a role to play in achieving a low-carbon future.
Back to football, and we have two important home games this week as we are right there on the shoulder of the pack as we go into the finishing straight. Now is the time to start making our move and be sure, Des and the boys are up for it.
Thanks again for your support across the whole club. COYY!
Grant
You can read the whole programme at www.matchdayfix.com/oufc