http://www.ouafc.com/news Oxford University Association Football Club | Latest News en-gb webmaster@ouafc.com http://www.ouafc.com/news/393 The University's best female footballers are set to clash in their forthcoming BUCS league campaign. Both the Blues and Furies will compete at the same level of university competition in 2010-11, in what promises to be one of many keenly fought encounters in the coming BUCS season. Both teams will be looking to stamp their mark on the Midlands Women's 2B league, and any sense of squad camaraderie will no doubt be put to one side for 90 minutes of tense and frenetic football! The first of such 'derbies' occurs on the 27th October, although the Blues will have to overcome the University of East Anglia 1sts in their opening league match before taking on their more local rivals. The Furies will travel to the University of Warwick 1sts on the opening day, but both the Furies and the Blues will be keeping a close eye on Cambridge University. The Cambridge ladies join Bedfordshire and Worcester in a league fraught with historic rivalry and which is sure to produce some fascinating contests throughout 2010-11. Mon, 06 Sep 2010 15:30:29 +0100 http://www.ouafc.com/news/393#timestamp:1283783429 News http://www.ouafc.com/news/392 The Blues, led by new Captain Elliot Thomas, have been handed a tough start to their 2010-11 BUCS league campaign with a lengthy away trip to Lincoln University 1sts on Wednesday 10th October. The Blues will be looking to build on last season's respectable 3rd place in the ever-competitive Midlands 1A league, where they missed out on the title by only a single point to eventual winners Nottingham Trent. Lincoln were the only team to vanquish the Blues in a competitive fixture last season, so many of the current squad will be aiming to exact their revenge in the opening fixture of the season. The Blues' first home match at Iffley Road does not take place until 3rd November, where they shall be looking for a big home crowd to support them against Nottingham University 1sts, who have recently been relegated from the country's top tier of university competition - the BUCS Premier. Meanwhile, the Centaurs will open their BUCS campaign with a trip to Wolverhampton University 2nds in what promises to be a tough league containing representatives from Warwick, Northampton and Coventry Universities. Mon, 06 Sep 2010 15:05:34 +0100 http://www.ouafc.com/news/392#timestamp:1283781934 News http://www.ouafc.com/news/391 OUAFC is pleased to announce that Predator Nutrition will be the men's club's official 'Sports Nutrition and Supplement' partner for the upcoming 2010-11 season. Supplements to aid recovery and promote optimal performance are becoming more widespread in sport in general and football is no exception to that and Predator offer Europe's largest range of sports and nutritional supplements. The partnership will enable the club to gain access to Predator's team of experts to help players to create an individual nutritional plan to enable them to perform at their peak throughout the busy BUCS season. 'Predator are keen to help out university players to perform at their best, as such we are delighted to be working with OUAFC this season and hope the relationship will be a long one.' said Hassan Muzaffar, Predator spokesman. For further information on Predator Nutrition, check out their website: www.predatornutrition.com Mon, 02 Aug 2010 16:47:26 +0100 http://www.ouafc.com/news/391#timestamp:1280764046 News http://www.ouafc.com/news/390 The OUAFC and OUWAFC captains for the 2010/2011 campaign have been appointed after the club's Annual General Meeting on Thursday evening. Elliot Thomas of Worcester College has been appointed as the men's captains while Roni Yadlin of Exeter College will be the women's captain for the coming season. Congratulations to them both, we look forward to another very successful season for the club under their leadership. Fri, 07 May 2010 13:01:11 +0100 http://www.ouafc.com/news/390#timestamp:1273233671 News http://www.ouafc.com/news/388 The Oxford Blues were victorious on Friday night in their Varsity match encounter against Cambridge to not only claim the bragging rights for the year against their fiercest rivals but also to claim the culumative lead in this historic annual contest. Neither side were considered strong favourites for the 126th Varsity Match as both had enjoyed superb seasons and whilst Oxford achieved success in a higher division the fact that the game was to be played in Cambridge was a massive boost to the Light Blues. Cambridge, perhaps unsurprisingly given the large crowd supporting them, settled the fastest of the two sides and set about trying to create chances to score a crucial early goal. The Oxford defence remained solid however and were able to deal with the long Cambridge balls that were peppering the backline. Oxford were soon into their stride however and nearly took the lead when Adam Zagajewski won a corner after a mazy dribble. An excellent James Kelly delivery was met by Laurence Ball whose header looked goal bound until Cambridge defender Mark Johnson cleared the ball off the line. Oxford continued to work their way into the match but soon found themselves trailing 1-0. A characteristic long ball from the Cambridge goalkeeper Ferguson found its way to the ever lively Matt Stock who turned Ball giving the Oxford centre back little choice but to pull the advancing striker down inside the box. Midfielder Baxter slotted the penalty with ease past Dwayne Whylly to establish a lead for the home side. Oxford appeared shook by this goal but after a period of loose play involving several poor passes the side gradually started to replicate some of the football they had displayed before the penalty decision and could have gone in at half-time level after a couple of goal mouth scrambles had been cleared away by the Cambridge defence. After a few words of encouragement from coach Mickey Lewis the side re-appeared with fresh vigour and self-belief for the second 45 minutes. The Blues started to dominate their Cambridge counterparts, spending long periods in the opposition's half. Despite being in the ascendancy the pace and skill of the Cambridge strikers, especially Stock was a constant threat to the defence and required centre backs Ball and Elliot Thomas to be fully aware to ensure Oxford didn't fall two behind. As full time approached it looked as if Cambridge were going to hold on to claim victory. They were unlucky not to have a second penalty in the last minute of normal time when Danny Kerrigan was tripped in the box by Matt Flood only for referee Lee Mason to wave play-on to what appeared to be a clear cut penalty. Oxford cleared the danger to striker Niko de Walden who was fouled 25 yards from goal. Dead ball expect James Kelly took responsibility on himself to strike the free-kick which he did with deadly accuracy as the ball bent over the wall and into the bottom corner of the Cambridge goal to spark wild celebrations amongst the Oxford players and travelling support. The game entered extra-time but it become clear that neither side could be separated and so penalties would be needed to decide the winner. Ben Quigley opened the scoring confidently for Oxford before Mark Baxter who scored for Cambridge in normal time stepped up. His penalty looked destined for the top corner only for Oxford 'keeper Dwayne Whylly to pull off a magnificent save to tip the ball onto the post and away from danger. Oxford continued to score their penalties through Austin, Farr and Kelly. It was left to Laurence Ball to step up for Oxford's 5th and decisive penalty which wouls give Oxford the win if he scored. Ball smashed the ball past Ferguson to send the entire Oxford contingent into wild celebrations as the Dark Blues regained the C.B. Fry trophy in the most thrilling of circumstances. Captain Leon Farr was delighted with the efforts of his players and claimed it was 'a fine reward for all the hard work and effort the lads have put into this season'. It was a performace that displayed a lot of character and self-belief to overcome a well drilled and skillful Cambridge side who were roared on by their fans. In the end however it was the Dark Blues who showed their class with an excellent performance to claim Oxford's 50th Varsity Match victory. Tue, 04 May 2010 15:27:28 +0100 http://www.ouafc.com/news/388#timestamp:1272983248 Match report http://www.ouafc.com/news/386 Tickets for the 126th Varsity Match which is to be played on Friday 30th April at the Abbey Stadium, Cambridge, kick off 7pm, are now on sale and can be purchased for just £5. Tickets can be bought from any member of the Varsity squad or from Cameron Knight (cameron.knight@sport.ox.ac.uk). Buses will be provided from Oxford at a cost of £10 return. Those travelling by these buses will be able to purchase match tickets on a special buy 1 get 1 free basis. For further information please contact Cameron Knight. Thu, 22 Apr 2010 11:41:36 +0100 http://www.ouafc.com/news/386#timestamp:1271932896 News http://www.ouafc.com/news/385 We are pleased to confirm that the 126th Men's Football Varsity Match will take place this year on Friday 30th April (Friday of 1st week) at the Abbey Stadium in Cambridge. Kick off will be 7pm and extra time and penalties will be used if required. We have not been able to use the traditional venue of Craven Cottage due to the run in Europe that Fulham are enjoying this season however we look forward to a exciting match in the impressive surroundings of Cambridge United's home ground. Travel will be provided from Oxford at the cost of £10 for a return journey directly to and from the stadium. Tickets for the match can be purchased for £5. To purchase a ticket or for further information please contact Cameron Knight at cameron.knight@sport.ox.ac.uk. Tue, 30 Mar 2010 12:26:58 +0100 http://www.ouafc.com/news/385#timestamp:1269948418 News http://www.ouafc.com/news/384 Jazz all round from the Hugh's boys today who played their hearts out. Great stuff from Matt Goldkeeper in giving away penalties and charging up the pitch, as well as some excellent saves. A wonder goal from the star of the show, Captain Fantastic, Ciaran Vinaccia brought the Hugh's team back into the game and at half time the tie was evenly poised at 1-1. Mike Wilson stole the show with a thunderbolt strike that definitely crossed the line after smashing the crossbar in half and Hugh's went into the last 30 minutes with a 2-1 lead, and we'll stop there. Luke Bailey played excellently in his last ever match for Hugh's and ensured that his name will go down in history as a demi-god of SHFC. Alex Jeffrey also played outfield lolz. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 16:26:12 +0000 http://www.ouafc.com/news/384#timestamp:1268324772 Match report http://www.ouafc.com/news/382 In radiant March sunshine, the two dominant teams of the JCR Second Division took to the pitch, knowing that victory for either would almost certainly guarantee a unique double promotion (owing to impending league restructuring). With both teams having played 11 games prior to the fixture and deadlocked on 30 points and +26 goal difference, it is surely the tightest JCR league since records began. The pre-match talk was dominated by the “will they, won’t they shake hands” controversy between skippers Hardman and Thomasson after an incident of a personal nature, which cannot be discussed due to a High Court super-injunction. Thankfully they did to the relief of anxious spectators, who had feared ugly scenes. Unsurprisingly a tense early 15 minutes saw both sides struggling to construct anything creative. However, as the half progressed Queen’s fabled front three of Castro, Taylor and Edmiston started to stretch the game, and the away team were unlucky not to take the lead after a darting run and cross by Castro was powerfully headed wide by Queen’s token Blue Kelly. This counter-attacking style invited Lincoln into the game, with midfielders Biggsson and Simmondsson enabling the hosts to impose themselves. After 30 minutes, a quick interchange between the Icelandic Dunnberg and English winger Savigarsson left the hapless Hardman for dead, and only a quick reaction save by Freddie Johnson kept the score at 0-0 at half-time. Passionate team talks by both sides, with veteran Queensman Max Olds giving a rousing speech in his 100th game for the college, saw the second half start at a fearsome pace. As Lincoln pressed further, with the wind and slope to their advantage, it began to look like their possession would see them open the scoring. This Queen’s side however, with none of the mental fragility of last year’s Alfie Enoch regime, whose leadership resembled that of his famous namesake, Conservative legend – Enoch Powell – were more than willing to soak up the pressure. And it was on the cusp of the hour, when a rare mix-up between the Lincoln full-back Edwardsson and the keeper Nuttonsonsson, allowed the league’s top scorer, hot shot Harry Taylor to open the scoring, sending the travelling faithful into ecstasy. As Lincoln pushed forward for an equaliser, Queen’s were desperately unlucky not to double their lead, when a telepathic move between Edmiston and Kelly sliced open the Lincoln defence in a move reminiscent of Yorke and Cole in their pomp at the Camp Nou. The home team were grateful for a successful last-ditch challenge by Blues vice-captain Matty Floodsson. A second goal was however inevitable, and minutes later, diminutive Iberian, Tommy Lil’ Fidel Castro, scored what will surely go down as one of the goals of the last half-decade. Picking up the ball on the halfway line from Danny Williams, Castro jinxed past no fewer than twelve players before effortlessly rounding the keeper and sliding the ball home from 7 and a half yards, leading to magnanimous applause from Lincoln captain Joshy Thomason who later commented “Simply amazing, I’ve never seen anything like it!” Lincoln however have not reached the Cuppers Final for no reason, and it was to their credit that they responded by piling pressure on Queen’s defence, switching their formation to 3-4-3. The relentless bombardment was initially well dealt with by the Queen’s centre half Hunt Torres Davidson, on loan during the MLS off-season. Despite displaying the tenacity of a mandrill the extra striker began to show. With no more than 15 minutes remaining, Queen’s defence was finally breached, an over hit pass finding Thomasson at the back post who expertly guided the ball over the head of Johnson. This galvanised the home side, and wave after wave of attack was repelled, with Queen’s full-backs Murphy and Dalton working overtime to contain Lincoln wingers. The equaliser eventually came after a long throw bamboozled the Queen’s defence, leaving substitute Haleberg to tap in from close range, sending Lincoln in search of a winner. The remaining five minutes was played out with both teams seeking the elusive goal, with fatiguing referee Chrissy ‘Industrious’ Greenwood struggling to stay with the ferocious pace of the game. It was however to end 2-2, leaving the title going into the final day. With both teams agreeing to split the points for the return fixture due to Lincoln’s Cuppers commitments, it has meant that the title will be decided on Friday of 8th. Queen’s, at home to Hertford at their spiritual John Ogobe Riverside Ground are required to win by more goals than a Lincoln side notorious for its Scandinavian influence, who are playing Balliol in order to secure the title. With the incentive of double promotion, it is sure to be a nervous day for all involved, with Sky Sports 5 (only available online) showing split screen coverage from 1:30pm onwards. Tue, 09 Mar 2010 23:32:36 +0000 http://www.ouafc.com/news/382#timestamp:1268177556 Match report http://www.ouafc.com/news/381 In a match that can only be described as ‘nail-biting’ and ‘thrilling’ by spectators and players alike, the Oxford Furies triumph over their Cambridge adversaries 3-2. Set on an unusual blue-lined and equally unusual blue-skied pitch, the Furies arrived at Christ Church sports ground on the 20th of February unfazed by a last-minute venue change, This season has seen a solid selection of players eligible for Varsity with great displays of skill, courage and teamwork in previous matches against testing opponents in the Midlands division. A scan of the league table throughout the season would show that statistically, Oxford were ahead of Cambridge on points and goals – surely a confidence boost for any team about to meet their rivals. However, a surprise defeat in an early-season league game with a newly formed Furies against a surer-footed Cambridge ensured that the Oxford 2nds would not be complacent about their opponents. Since that match, the Furies have gone from strength-to-strength under the diligent coaching and newly shaved head of Eddie ‘Tweet’ Finch whose incessant cries of ‘pressure/cover!” are sure to be heard echoing through all home and away changing rooms. The Varsity game is one which always elicits greater drive and passion from its players. With the home crowd and high stakes to play for, it was unsurprising that players old and new were feeling the jitters, Yet, in the back of each Fury’s mind was the simple and ingrained desire to play ‘sexy football’. The juggernaut of the Oxford offence was visible as soon as the home-team kicked-off. After a few chances on goal, just under the 20 minute mark, striker MacLachlan received the ball on the edge of the area after a poor clearance and capitalised immediately on the Tab’s mistake by hitting the back of the net. Any relief felt from the Oxford side at being ahead early in the game was short-lived as the tension was about to be raised at the 30th minute. A counter-attack on the left by Cambridge resulted in a superb 18 yard strike into the top-left corner from Eagles’ forward, Van Thorenburg. After the two goals, the momentum of the game was to swing back and forth between the teams. Oxford was unable to take advantage of three corners in the space of six minutes by set-piece specialist Kilmartin whilst Cambridge took a number of free kicks that never truly threatened the Furies’ defence. The equaliser seemed to kick Oxford back into shape as MacLachlan and centre-midfield, Butz forced several excellent saves in quick succession from Cambridge ‘keeper Booth to see out the first half for 1-1. Coach Finch’s half-time talk was enough to refocus the team for the first few minutes of the second-half until an unexpected goal by Cambridge at the 53rd minute. Adriaenssens tamely struck shot from 30 yards out unexpectedly bounced on a rough patch of the frosty 6-yard box, to roll in between the legs of Oxford ‘keeper, Parry, The nature of the goal left Oxford fans stunned and silent whilst Cambridge erupted into cheer. Determined not to be caught playing too defensively due to the last goal, Coach Finch introduced ‘super-sub’ midfielder, Silvennoinen for Wait, changing the Oxford organisation to a more attacking stance. The following ten minutes were very end to end with both teams. Right-winger, Campbell earned a warning from the referee when she made an ambitious challenge on the Cambridge left back who subsequently went down injured. Shortly afterwards Oxford scored the equaliser on the 67th minute when Butz made a marvellous run through the defence and received the ball from Silvennoinen. With a clear view on goal, Butz struck the ball over the advancing ‘keeper. The Furies were back in the game and more energised than ever before with the chanting of the Oxford Blues and supporters in the background. A shell-shocked Cambridge struggled to remain in the game for the last half hour. Oxford dominated the possession and soon executed a piece of ‘sexy football’ that involved threading the ball across the pitch between defence, midfield and attack. This sparked a run from Campbell (upon receiving a well-timed pass from Marjason) who slotted the ball home into the bottom right corner. The unique goal celebrations of Campbell bemused players and fans alike but was subsequently explained to us as being a rendition of “Fire’ Burnin’ on the Dancefloor” by Sean Kingston. Unusually, nine minutes of extra time was added during which Cambridge threatened to grab another equaliser but alert goalkeeper Parry prevented any such intentions by rushing out of her area quickly to clear the ball. The Eagle’s had one last attempt at goal when their attack found themselves through on goal as they outnumbered the Oxford defence. Furies centre-back Smith, was quick to swoop in and make a crucial last-ditch slide-tackle to prevent a shot on goal. The resultant free-kick awarded from upending the Cambridge player amounted to nothing and the referee blew the final whistle for 3-2 – a well-deserved victory for the Dark Blues. Oxford had dominated most of the match and it was a testament to the tenacity of the Cambridge side for keeping the score line close. Champagne celebrations all-round, let’s make it 3-in-a-row next year Furies. Sat, 06 Mar 2010 23:25:52 +0000 http://www.ouafc.com/news/381#timestamp:1267917952 Match report