STRONG finishes have been a common theme in Oxford United’s promotions, but even by their standards 1995/96 was ridiculous.
Chris Allen’s goal beat Chesterfield at home on the opening day, but just three wins from the next 14 games saw United end October going nowhere fast in 14th place.
It took until January for a first away victory, courtesy of Allen and Stuart Massey in a 2-0 success at Burnley.
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The turning point for Denis Smith’s side came in Cumbria on February 24.
Matt Elliott’s 40-yard thunderbolt was followed by a last-gasp effort from Martin Aldridge to claim a 2-1 win against Carlisle United.
Suddenly, everything clicked. Another six wins and a draw followed in the next seven games, including a 3-0 drubbing of Swindon Town at the Manor, where Joey Beauchamp scored against his former side.
A 4-2 defeat at Stockport County was United’s only setback in the final 17 games, but they quickly hit back over a very happy Easter.
Leaders Blackpool were downed by a special Beauchamp strike, before two days later a 3-0 win at Wycombe Wanderers saw the iconic image of Stuart Massey hanging on the Adams Park crossbar while Paul Moody cartwheeled in celebration.
Even at that point automatic promotion looked a long shot. They had a game in hand but still trailed Blackpool by seven points.
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However, while Sam Allardyce’s side hit the buffers, United were remorseless.
Shrewsbury Town were shredded 6-0, with all of the goals coming from headers, while a 2-1 victory at Crewe Alexandra in the season’s penultimate game saw them finally leapfrog the Tangerines.
It meant a win at home to a mediocre Peterborough United side on the final day would secure automatic promotion.
A packed Manor Ground saw a tense, goalless first half, but Giuliano Grazioli’s own goal early in the second half got the promotion party started.
Headers from Moody and Elliott followed, before David Rush completed the scoring, holding his shirt aloft with a corner flag.
They had finished just ahead of Blackpool, having collected a remarkable 12 more points than their rivals in the final nine games.
“We’ve done it by rights,” Massey said. “No-one can take this away from us, we deserve this and we’re going to enjoy it.”
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Smith, who wore a ginger wig in the celebrations, said: “It’s been a long time in the wilderness for me – since I left Sunderland, where people were talking about me being England manager to achieving something again.
“It’s very pleasing. I have never lost faith in my ability.
“It’s the first step back on the ladder. Hopefully next season we will go and achieve something in the First Division, because we’re not going there to make up the numbers.”
KEY GAME
April 6, 1996
Division 2, Manor Ground
Oxford Utd 1 (Beauchamp), Blackpool 0
Attendance: 7,875
WHILE at the time this was a result which only appeared significant for Oxford United, it also turned out to be the pivotal game for Blackpool.
Sam Allardyce’s Tangerines headed south to the Manor Ground top of Division 2 and a whopping ten points clear of the play-off places.
United were another four points back and with just seven games left anyone suggesting they could gatecrash the top two would have been treated for concussion.
The game was settled by one moment of jaw-dropping quality, which many felt was the best goal the Manor had ever seen.
There appeared little danger when a Les Robinson cross into the box was headed away.
But Joey Beauchamp collected the ball with one touch before crashing an audacious 35-yard shot which looped into the net for the only goal of the game.
United had already been in good form, but this victory turbo-charged their sprint finish.
They dropped just two points in the final six games, while Blackpool stalled, finishing a point behind United before losing in the play-off semi-final to Bradford City.
And during those games a postcard was delivered to Bloomfield Road, thanks to an off-the-cuff remark in the aftermath of the U’s clash.
Mike Ford said: “I remember Phil Brown, who was Sam Allardyce’s assistant, saying in his interview that he was sure Oxford would do well in the play-offs.
“It was the added bit of incentive we may have needed.
“We were sat on a beach in Majorca when Blackpool were playing the first leg of their play-off so we sent him a postcard.
“It said ‘to Phil, good luck in the play-offs, love Oxford United’.”
United: Whitehead, Robinson, Ford, Smith, Elliott, Gilchrist, Rush (Aldridge), Gray (Lewis), Moody, Beauchamp, Murphy, (Allen).
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