Oxford United’s FA Trophy tie against Chelmsford City on Saturday will bring back memories for some older supporters of the epic three-match FA Cup clashes between the clubs in 1967.

That season was to be a fantastic one for United, as they went on to lift the Third Division Championship after winning their final four matches.

But in the FA Cup, it was a somewhat ignominious exit against Chelmsford, who really rose to the occasion.

In the first match at the New Writtle Street ground in Essex, Oxford were behind three times, but fought back each time to earn a 3-3 draw to bring the Southern League side back to the Manor Ground for a replay.

Alan Collier, the former Luton goalkeeper who had defied Oxford United in two FA Cup games with Bedford the previous season, was on loan to Chelmsford and he turned in brilliant performances.

Despite this, Chelmsford trailed 3-1 down 51 minutes in the replay following goals from Ken Skeen, Mick Bullock and Graham Atkinson.

However, Peter Shreeves’s penalty brought them back to 3-2 and in the 90th minute, in front of a near-9,000 crowd, they equalised.

Extra time failed to settle the issue and a second replay was scheduled at the neutral venue of Brentford’s Griffin Park, where a goal after just 45 seconds by Bill Cassidy put Oxford out.

It remains the only occasion that United have had to play a second replay at a neutral ground.

FA Cup shocks were nothing new to Chelmsford, a club formed as long ago as 1878.

In the 1938-9 season, they knocked out both Darlington and Southampton to reach the fourth round before going out to Birmingham City at St Andrews in front of 44,494 fans.

Cup competitions have been less kind to them in recent years, though.

They lost to Wycombe Wanderers 4-0 after reaching the first round proper in 1994, and it was the same scoreline when they faced Oldham Athletic in 1999.

In 2006, they went out to Aldershot Town after a replay.

Chelmsford won their first Southern League title in the 1970s, and in 1977 they had a budding Nigel Spink in goal, and a not so young Jimmy Greaves in attack.

But that was when Greaves’s career was going downhill – he also turned out for Barnet, Brentwood and Woodford Town at a time when he was battling against alcoholism – and that season Chelmsford were relegated.