http://www.ouafc.com/news Oxford University Association Football Club | Latest News en-gb webmaster@ouafc.com http://www.ouafc.com/news/262 An admirable performance from the OUAFC Blues limited Slavia Prague to just 5 goals and earned the acclaim of the 14618 fans on a glorious night in the Czech capital. The gulf in class was obvious from the outset as, before Oxford had even touched the ball, Patrick Berger was released down the left channel to clip an exquisite cross that Vladimir Smicer guided into the bottom corner of the net. Worse was to follow just 3 minutes later when an intricate passing move was swept home via 'keeper Nik Baker's fingertips. With the score at 2-0 inside 5 minutes, it appeared that the Blues may be about to be engulfed by a clearly superior side. However, the side were visibly lifted as the Slavia fans began to chant 'OXFORD, OXFORD!' and a combination of some heroic defending and goalkeeping managed to maintain the deficit until the half-time interval. In truth, the Blues could be considered unlucky not to have reduced their arrears, as James Kelly sent a shot whistling past the top corner, and then stung the palms of the Czech side's returning keeper, while Alex Toogood continued to be a nuisance, turning and running at the heart of the Slavia defence to the obvious delight of the crowd, although the centre backs always managed to keep him at arm's length. After the half-time wedding, the Blues and Slavia returned with sides almost unrecognisable from the first-half as the mass substitutions began. Self-proclaimed OUAFC all-time top goalscorer, Deji Davies, taking his turn up front in place of Toogood, displayed the kind of talent that used to terrorise St Ebbe's Parish XI as he bustled his way into a promising shooting position before unleashing a scuffed strike that trickled through to the keeper. Almost immediately Slavia showed him how to do it, with a goal of the highest quality. Lightning one-touch passing picked a way through the congested central area around the 'd', before a one-two tied Toby Hodgson in knots and in a flash the ball was dispatched into the bottom corner of the net. It was a goal that was quite simply a pleasure to concede! As the substitutions continued to break up the play, Oxford managed to force some further chances - the best falling to Kunal Desai, who found the side-netting. The elderly Slavia substitutes slowed the tempo of the match, but still managed to pick off the Oxford defence twice more. The fifth and final goal was fittingly scored by Ivo Knoflí�ek, a former team-mate of OUAFC coach Mickey Lewis. One of the biggest cheers of the night greeted the appearance of Blues coach Phill Heath for the final 5 minutes. Although lacking some of the pace that made him such a force for Stoke and Oxford United in his pomp, Heath nevertheless impressed with ability to dominate the area just beyond dugout, and to blame others when they attempted to pass to him. At the final whistle OUAFC joined Slavia and their fans in celebrating an unbelievable opening night at Stadion Eden, and one that will live long in the memory of everyone in the touring party. Mon, 12 May 2008 12:26:19 +0100 http://www.ouafc.com/news/262#timestamp:1210591579 Match report http://www.ouafc.com/news/261 A 30-man touring squad consisting of the best current members and recent leavers are finalising their preparations for their trip to Prague to participate in a friendly match against Slavia Prague which will mark the official opening of Stadion Eden. The team will be led in Prague by Tom Wherry, who was elected captain just a week ago. A match against a Champions League side surely must mark the most daunting start to any captain's tenure in the 136-year history of the club, but Wherry is keen to focus on the positives: 'This really is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for everyone involved, so we will head to Prague intent on enjoying every moment of it. Having said that, the tour will be that much more satisfying if we can do ourselves justice on the pitch so we will do everything possible to achieve this.' There have been four previous meetings between the clubs, the first a 3-0 victory to Oxford in Prague in 1899, the second and third in 1907 finishing in 0-0 and 2-2 draws respectively. Slavia finally recorded their first victory over OUAFC in 1936 with a comprehensive 8-2 thrashing. Slavia are currently lying 4 points behind their great rivals Sparta at the top of the Czech league, and are likely to field a very strong team for the event, boosted by some returning legends such as Patrick Berger and Radek Cerny. It seems set to be a great occasion! Fri, 02 May 2008 15:10:26 +0100 http://www.ouafc.com/news/261#timestamp:1209737426 News http://www.ouafc.com/news/260 Christ Church awarded a 3-0 victory Wed, 16 Apr 2008 13:09:30 +0100 http://www.ouafc.com/news/260#timestamp:1208347770 Match report http://www.ouafc.com/news/259 The annual OUAFC indoor 5-a-side tournament will commence on Monday 21st April. Matches will take place at Iffley Road sports hall on Mondays 2-6pm and Thursdays 2-4.30pm. Teams may be entered to represent any organisation within the University, with match squads consisting of a maximum of 8 players. THE DEADLINE FOR ENTRY IS FRIDAY 18TH APRIL. Entry fee is £10 per team. Please contact nicholas.baker@sport.ox.ac.uk to enter a team. Mon, 14 Apr 2008 12:00:46 +0100 http://www.ouafc.com/news/259#timestamp:1208170846 News http://www.ouafc.com/news/258 The Oxford Blues came from behind three times before losing to two late goals in what will surely go down as one of the greatest Varsity Matches of all time. Tom Brown's pictures from the match are available at: http://www.ouafc.com/photos/varsity08/ Matt Stock scored the first 4 goals for the Light Blues in an unbelievable individual performance. Oxford were able to reply to the first three through Homer Sullivan, James Kelly and Alex Toogood, but just as they seemed to have gained the ascendency and were pushing for a winner against a visibly fatigued Cambridge side, a defensive slip let in Stock with just 2 minutes to full-time. As Oxford pushed in vain for a fourth equaliser they were hit on the break as Stock crossed for Matt Amos to nod in at the near post to put the result beyond doubt. Varsity defeat marks a disappointing end to a season that the Blues can look back on with great pride. The only consolation being that they played a huge part in a classic Varsity Match, and one that will have done wonders for the future of the historic fixture. Sun, 30 Mar 2008 17:25:35 +0100 http://www.ouafc.com/news/258#timestamp:1206894335 Match report http://www.ouafc.com/news/257 Tickets for the 124th Varsity Match on Saturday 29th March are available from www.fulhamfc.com/tickets. Please come and support the Blues as they seek to round off a successful season with victory over the Tabs at the home of Fulham Football Club. The match kicks off at 1.15pm, meaning that it will finish in good time to watch the Boat Race after 5pm on the same day. We very much plan to make a day of it at Craven Cottage, where a £12 ticket for the Riverside Stand will get you a seat for the match, and the opportunity to take advantage of the great views from the Riverside Terrace in the company of the Blues and coach Martin Keown as the rowers go by. £8 tickets for the Johnny Haynes Stand are also available. Thu, 20 Mar 2008 11:19:58 +0000 http://www.ouafc.com/news/257#timestamp:1206011998 News http://www.ouafc.com/news/256 A goal from central midfielder Leon Farr was enough to give the Blues a victory over a strong Newport County side in their final preparation match before facing Cambridge at Craven Cottage on Saturday 29th March. Wed, 19 Mar 2008 16:54:04 +0000 http://www.ouafc.com/news/256#timestamp:1205945644 Match report http://www.ouafc.com/news/255 Two goals from Alex Toogood, one with the last kick of the match, secured the Blues a morale-boosting draw against their 'town' rivals Oxford City. In their penultimate match before meeting Cambridge in the 124th Varsity Match on Saturday 29th March, an obviously motivated Oxford Blues flew out of the blocks on a slick, bordering on boggy, Iffley Road surface. They dominated the opening half, exposing the flaws in Oxford City's 3-5-2 formation to create a number of clear-cut opportunities. However, a combination of the slippy surface and some wasteful finishing meant that the score remained level at half-time. The second half was an entirely different story, as City's switch to 4-4-2 brought them into the game. Just before the hour a two-minute slack spell from the Blues resulted in City snatching two goals, the first a screamer in the top corner from 30-yards, the second a near-post tap-in. The Blues were shaken, but gradually regained composure as the excellent Cameron Knight started to drive the team forwards with real purpose for the first time in the half. Alex Toogood halved City's lead with 20 minutes to go after some great work from Tom Howell down the left flank, before equalising with the very last kick of the match after James Kelly had danced away from a pack of defenders on the edge of the opposition's penalty area. Sat, 15 Mar 2008 17:00:20 +0000 http://www.ouafc.com/news/255#timestamp:1205600420 Match report http://www.ouafc.com/news/254 Slavia Prague have extended an invitation to OUAFC to play an exhibition match against their first team as part of the opening ceremony for their extremely impressive new stadium, the Stadion Eden (www.stadioneden.cz). OUAFC's relationship with the Czech club goes back to 1899, when Slavia hosted the Blues as the first English football club to travel to Prague. The players were met at the station by Slavia delegates and taken straight to the pitch, where they proceeded to secure a 3-0 victory before being entertained in the most expensive hotel in the city. A few days later, the Blues played Deutscher Club, with whom Slavia had such a heated rivalry that there had been no match between the teams for numerous years. Oxford's convincing 9-0 victory was thus well received by the Slavia contingent s it gave them the bragging rights within the city having secured the better result against the Blues! The opening ceremony itself is likely to take place on the 6th or 7th May, assuming that the project remains on schedule. More details will be posted in due course. Mon, 10 Mar 2008 16:47:37 +0000 http://www.ouafc.com/news/254#timestamp:1205167657 News http://www.ouafc.com/news/253 Score recorded as 3-0 win for St Hughs 2nds Mon, 10 Mar 2008 15:14:46 +0000 http://www.ouafc.com/news/253#timestamp:1205162086 Match report