Nine black and white photos from the 1980s feature the U's

It was the decade when Princes Charles married Diana in 1981, and Oxford United won promotion to the top division in 1985, an achievement celebrated by fans in the city centre.

No team had ever won successive titles to go from the Third Division to the top flight, but ‘consolidation’ was not a word in manager Jim Smith’s vocabulary.

Steve Biggins had finished the previous season as United’s top scorer, but this was not a side which stood still.

Read again: Nine photos of life in Oxfordshire in the 1990s

By October he was gone, unable to get into the team as John Aldridge was partnered with fellow new signing Billy Hamilton to devastating effect.

The former hit seven goals in as many games to fire the Division 2 new boys second in the table at the end of September.

And while the cup runs could not quite match the previous year’s exploits, a 3-2 win against Arsenal in the third round deepened the Manor Ground’s love affair with the Milk Cup.

Kevin Brock said: “They were incredible times because we were playing such good football.

“I just remember attacking towards the London Road End and we were just battering sides.”

The goals kept flowing – 19 were rattled in during four successive home wins against Leeds United, Charlton Athletic, Cardiff City and Crystal Palace.

It needed something remarkable to stop them, which is exactly what happened in a 2-1 defeat at Fratton Park just before Christmas.

A fan dressed as Santa Claus ran on to the pitch and in the time added on for the stoppage Alan Biley scored twice.

Smith’s side bounced back with four straight wins at the turn of the year to lead a table where the top four had the same points.

Read more: Questions remain over 1930s St Clement's murder

United had up to four games in hand on those just below, but they frittered away the advantage in a five-game winless run.

It included their only home defeat of the league campaign, against promotion rivals Birmingham City, but Aldridge – who else – settled the nerves with a brace in a 4-0 win against Wimbledon in the following game at the Manor.

Another double from the striker helped down contenders Manchester City 3-0 to ensure United were firmly back on track.

It was the start of seven wins in the next eight, which ended with Dave Langan’s volley beating Shrewsbury Town 1-0 to secure promotion with four games to spare.

Aldridge’s 29th and 30th league goals of the season saw Barnsley routed 4-0 on the final day to ensure United were the first team to win back-to-back championships.

United’s supporters line the streets of Oxford for the celebratory bus parade.

In May 1983, 26 protesters were arrested during clashes with police at the start of a 'peace blockade'.

More than 1,000 Thames Valley Police officers manned the gates at the then-Upper Heyford air base.

Read more: Alternative proposal for 'stadium land'

A major confrontation between protestors saw 60 peace campaigners dragged away by 250 officers, who then linked arms to form a tunnel for cars and pedestrians to enter the base.

The Upper Heyford peace campaigners, who organised the blockade, saw thousands of demonstrators over four days.

There was anger from local villagers at the peace protest, however, with parish and church councils calling on police to ban the blockade.

Two Upper Heyford pubs even barred their doors to the demonstrators, the Oxford Mail reported at the time.

Help support trusted local news 

Sign up for a digital subscription now: oxfordmail.co.uk/subscribe 

As a digital subscriber you will get: 

• Unlimited access to the Oxford Mail website 
• Advert-light access 
• Reader rewards 
• Full access to our app 

About the author 

Andy is the Trade and Tourism reporter for the Oxford Mail and you can sign up to his newsletters for free here. 

He joined the team more than 20 years ago and he covers community news across Oxfordshire.

His Trade and Tourism newsletter is released every Saturday morning. 

You can also read his weekly Traffic and Transport newsletter.