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History of Oxford City Football Club - (1988-1998) Oxford City FC (OCFC) were evicted from their previous home, the White House Ground, in May 1988 when the directors were deemed to have contravened the terms of lease. OCFC were then forced to withdraw from the Isthmian league and all competitions. All the directors of OCFC resigned, but a few people got together in an effort to keep the Club alive. A local petition - eventually signed by 14000 people - urged Oxford City Council to find the Club a new home. Fund-raising enabled the Club to pay off all debts incurred through having to withdraw from all competitions for the 1988-89 season. In 1989, using pitches hired from the council, the new committee decided to enter a team in the Oxfordshire Youth League. In 1990, with just £17.OO, OCFC decided to enter a senior side in the South Midlands League Division One using council facilities at Cutteslowe Park. Committee members guaranteed the cost of pitch hire, referees and kit. With former Oxford United favourite Peter Foley as their manager, the team was promoted at the end of their first season. The League ruled, at the start of the 1991-92 season, that facilities at Cutteslowe Park were inadequate for the South Midlands Premier Division and the Club had to move again - this time to Romanway at Cowley where, before the league would accept the facility, members of the Club had to obtain, erect and paint a full perimeter fence. As well as Senior and Youth teams, a reserve team was introduced. The Senior team were crowned 1992-93 champions of the South Midlands Premier Division and, with it, promotion back into the Isthmian League if a suitable home ground could be found. After many meetings, public meetings and council meetings, a site for a new stadium at Marston was made available. With money received from Oxford City Council (in return for planning gained for the former ground) and help from the Sports Council, it was a race against time to build it in only eight weeks to meet the League’s deadline. With council employees, numerous contractors and members of the Club working in harmony alongside each other, the deadline was somehow achieved - described in the local papers as “the best example of teamwork the City of Oxford has ever seen”. The 1993-94 season saw the ground officially opened in front of 1800 spectators when OCFC upstaged their football league neighbours Oxford United 3-1. At the end of the season, the first team won promotion from the Isthmian Division Three to Division Two. Under the new management of former Newcastle and Oxford United player Andy Thomas, the 1994-95 season saw the first team win promotion to Division One of the Isthmian League and making history in reaching the final of the national FA Vase competition at Wembley. More than 5000 locals followed the Club to Wembley. The 1995-96 season saw a junior team and another youth team introduced with OCFC now fielding five teams a week. For the first time in 100 years the senior side won an Isthmian League championship taking them into the Premier Division of the Isthmian League alongside some of the household names of non-league football. With assistant Alan Thorne taking over from Thomas, the team achieved its aim of consolidation after five years of unprecedented success. Early in the 1997-98 season former Oxford United, QPR and Newcastle United favourite Kevin Brock took over as manager, with former Chelsea and Oxford United player Peter Rhoades-Brown as his assistant. With diminished finances and low gate receipts, the two faced an ongoing struggle to keep OCFC in the Premier Division, which they eventually lost and City were relegated back into Division One at the end of the season. The 1998-99 Season saw Brock and Rhoades-Brown leave the service of OCFC and the appointment of Paul Lee as manager, and Kelvin Alexis as assistant manager and coach. It also saw the introduction of Chris Perkins as the new club physio. A season that had much promise fizzled out following the sale of Jermaine McSporran to Wycombe Wanderers for an undisclosed fee - believed to be in the region of £100,000 - which was easily a club record transfer. The season wasn't a wash-out though as the first team won the Oxfordshire Senior Cup, and the reserves won the Suburban League Cup. 1999-2000 The Millennium Season as the programme has announced. Many new faces and departures. Initially, Alexis was replaced by former Oxford Utd favourite Gary Smart as player/coach. A new stand has been built behind the top goal and improvements to the phsio room over the summer have shown a determination off the pitch to have a ground to attract players which will hopefully be matched by a determination for promotion on the pitch. The story continues... |
