I HAVE tried to avoid writing about football too often in this column. I know that for non-football fans it’s a bore and, indeed, probably for the fans too.

Yet it would be utterly remiss of me not to talk about events last Saturday afternoon at the Kassam Stadium.

Football and Oxford United offer Oxfordshire a rare rallying point. Some places in the UK have a very certain sense of identity. They take great pride in yelling to all and sundry where they come from.

We are a little more reserved. I like to think we let the beauty of Oxfordshire speak for itself – that people unlucky enough to not live here or, even worse, have never visited – still know exactly what our county is about.

Where we live is synonymous with beautiful countryside, welcoming people, as a centre of world education and, of course, home to the most talented broadcaster known to man. Well, the first three anyway.

Yet sometimes I feel we are too shy to proclaim how wonderful it is to come from or live in Oxfordshire. That’s why Oxford United holds such an important place in the county. It allows us to vocally express our pride and passion for the place we live.

Last Saturday’s derby game against Swindon was the perfect example.

On the day I was lucky enough to broadcast my breakfast show from the Priory pub, just a stone’s throw from the ground – I can’t believe the powers that be agreed to the idea either.

As the crowds grew and the match came closer there was a palpable sense of pride and identity I have not seen replicated anywhere else in the county.

Some will say this visceral show of support is more to do with alcohol consumption and an unhealthy dislike of other ‘foreign’ areas of the country. Certainly there is a small mindless section of people who feel like that.

However, to hold that point of view is to insult the many, many thousands who do not.

When I see Oxford United in their bright yellow kit, I see the pride of a county manifest. It is Oxfordshire brought alive.

Being a fan often reflects life’s daily struggles. There are many days of toil where nothing seems to go your way. There are periods when you can’t seem to do right for doing wrong. There are times when even trying your best doesn’t seem to work.

Life, like football, is full of disappointments, but only through living those disappointments can we truly enjoy the success.

On Saturday it wasn’t about one team beating another, nor about one county gaining bragging rights over its neighbour.

No, Saturday was a reward for everyone in Oxfordshire who loves where they live.

Not because we were better than Swindon (we were, and in August too) but because it allowed us all to be proud of where we live and shout about it.

  • Joel can be heard every Saturday, from 6am to 9am, on BBC Radio Oxford