Rage Online Blog

Scots wahey

With United's pre-season tour to Scotland about to get underway tomorrow with the game at Dumbarton, followed on Tuesday with a visit to Livingston, I thought it might alleviate the boredom to have a quick squint at the club's previous visits north of the border. Or maybe it's just an excuse to update the blog with a lack of anything else of substance to discuss (newsy stuff like the fans forum gets its rightful place on the main site).

Oxford's first game in the land that spawned Rabbie Burns, Bill Shankly, Roy Barry, etc. was as recently as 3 August 1991, when the Us took on Saint Mirren. The Saints won 1-0 before a crowd of 1,200. This was followed three days later by a 2-1 win over Clydebank, with Oxford's goals scored by Mark Stein and Paul Simpson, witnessed by just 400 hardy souls.

The next trip to Scotland wasn't until 1999, when United lost 1-0 to Ayr United on 19 July. Two days later a Jamie Cook goal was enough to account for Saint Mirren, and on the way home Oxford beat Blyth Spartans 3-1 with goals from Matt Murphy, Steve Anthrobus (good grief), and Joey Beauchamp. However, as Blyth isn't strictly speaking Scottish it probably doesn't count.

Last season, of course, Oxford won 3-0 at Greenock Morton, just over the Clyde from tomorrow's venue, with strikes from Jack Midson, Sam Deering, and James Constable, watched by 869. Three days later, on 21 July, in a behind-closed-doors game, the Yellows were beaten 2-0 by a Rangers side that included Ross Perry and Steven Kinniburgh, the latter of whom recently signed for Oxford on a two-year contract and who is presumably in charge of translation duties and sorting out the best clubs to visit in the evenings.

Labels: Dumbarton, Scotland