Oxford City Women v University of Oxford Women

The MGroup Stadium – Tuesday 4th March – 4:30pm

Oxford City Men v University of Oxford Men

The MGroup Stadium - Tuesday 4th March - 7:45pm

THE MANAGER'S THOUGHTS - CONNOR WALTON

Oxford City Women’s Manager Connor Walton expressed his desire to continue the momentum his side has built up over the last few weeks. He said: “It’s a game that we have to make sure we prepare ourselves in the right way and we have done over the last couple of days.

“With the Woodley game, we were postponed and we managed to get the girls in yesterday which allowed us to get more minutes in the girls and keep our momentum going.” 

The fixture takes place with International Women’s Day on the weekend and Walton is keen to highlight the significance of this. He said: “It’s about raising awareness for this and making people as aware as we possibly can do. It deserves all the recognition that the Men’s game gets and hopefully it will be a great game on Tuesday. 

“With a mixture of players playing it will be really good to see who needs minutes and involving everyone for the final push of the season. 

“It’s a great opportunity to see some of the development players who are pushing toward the first team and reincorporating some of the more senior girls who are returning and pushing for minutes. 

“It will be a great occasion and one which we are looking forward to a lot.” 

MEN'S FIXTURE

Oxford City were cruelly eliminated from the FA Trophy on the weekend after Woking managed to scrape through after a dramatic penalty shootout. 

Despite the loss, City put in another outstanding performance to back up the outings against Scunthorpe and Chester and will look to impress with a visit from Buxton looming. 

The University’s Men’s side are also coming off the back of a defeat as they hosted Derby University. A tough 3-2 loss will act as motivation for a Blues side who will be desperate to get something from the game. 

The Men’s fixture will be played following the Women’s game as will take place in the MGroup Stadium at 7:45pm. 

THE PLAYERS' THOUGHTS

“Growing up in Oxford you are very aware of the University and the history” long-serving midfielder and local boy Josh Ashby told us.

“Obviously as a kid you walk down the High Street and there is all this history either side of you and I think it’s easy to take it for granted. I grew up in one of the most historic cities in the world but you don’t always appreciate it.”

Josh may know all about the Town and Gown history but for some of the younger players in the squad this will be a real learning curve. 

“As soon as I told people I was coming to Oxford on loan people were telling me what a beautiful city it is.” Freddy Wilcox told us. 

“I’ve not had a chance to go round the city centre too much because we have had three games a week but it’s definitely something I want to do.

Fellow loanee Rohan Vaughan agrees. 

“Everyone knows about the University and Tuesday night’s game will be really interesting” the QPR youngster said. “Coming on loan is all about gaining experience so it’s something to look forward to and I’d love to be involved.”

“It’s a friendly” fellow QPR loanee Jaiden Putman chips in “but it will be a game with a competitive edge I’m sure. The Uni side will be up for it, we know that, but its also a chance for us to work on a few things, get minutes and play for places in the league side so it should be a good game for the fans to enjoy.”

The last word goes to another local lad, with Zac McEachran summing up the occasion: “Someone showed me a trophy in the Boardroom and the Town name is on it more than the Gown over the years. We want to keep that going - the Men’s and Women’s sides will both want to win their matches - but at the same time it’s hopefully the start of an even closer connection for the club with a world famous institution and that should make it a very exciting night on and off the pitch.”

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