By Jon Murray THE Class of '96 gathered together yesterday to pay their final respects to one of their own, Martin Aldridge.

A great many of Oxford United's last promotion side joined with players and officials from Northampton Town, Blackpool and Rushden & Diamonds at the funeral of the 25-year-old who died in a car crash 11 days ago.

Along with family and friends, they packed St Augustine's Roman Catholic Church in Daventry to near bursting-point.

Denis Smith, the Oxford manager then and once again now, and Matt Murphy, his friend with whom he used to travel to the Manor, were among the pall-bearers.

They were joined by current United players and staff Les Robinson, Joey Beauchamp, Phil Whelan, Mickey Lewis, Mick Moore and Ken Ridley, and others from Aldo's time at the Manor . . . Malcolm Crosby, Matt Elliott, Phil Gilchrist, David Rush, Anton Rogan, Mike Ford, Martin Gray and Mark Angel. Many had experienced great times together during that 1995-6 promotion season, when the team swept everyone aside from February to May. Now, though, this February day, it was a time only for sadness.

Elliott, captain of Worthington Cup finalists Leicester and a Scotland international, was not the only one who must have been wondering where he might be but for Aldo's goals.

For that United team were going nowhere until the striker's late winner gave them a dramatic 3-2 victory over Walsall almost four years ago to the day.

And then at Carlisle, Aldridge did it again, a poacher's goal with the seconds ticking away to bring a 2-1 win that had the team believing they could achieve the impossible.

Aldo scored in successive home games against Bradford City, Swindon Town and Burnley that March and United were propelled headlong towards Division 1, on an unstoppable path that was to blast promotion favourites Blackpool out of the way. How ironic it was that Blackpool should be the club Aldridge would go on to join, though not before he had struck an amazing first-half hat-trick for Oxford against Sheffield United the following season.

And ironic, too, that Blackpool should be back at the Manor last Saturday, a week after his death following a head-on crash on the A45 near Wellingborough on his way back from a Rushden match.

Martin's brother, Peter, gave an emotional speech, saying Martin should be playing today, for "an Angels XI".

There were around 500 people at the funeral and Father Jerry White told the packed gathering how Martin had scored 117 goals for the local football team, Braunston. "But the greatest goal he has scored, is the witness of the number of people here," he said.

Story date: Thursday 10 February

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