Rage Online Blog

Dirty Harry?

The latest player to join United on trial is Harry Worley. The uncompromising 6'4" centre-back left Leicester City by mutual consent earlier in the week after completing two years of a three-year contract without getting to play a first-team game for the Foxes, coincidentally Oxford's next home opponents. Worley played the final 20 minutes of United's win at Dumbarton, and is likely to start in place of fellow triallist Leigh Franks at Livingston on Tuesday night.

In his post-match interview, Chris Wilder intimated that the club may possibly offer deals to both Worley and Franks, which would cast some doubt over the injured Rhys Day's continued presence in the squad. Worley, who had a successful loan spell with Crewe Alexandra last season, would go some way towards introducing a healthy return to good solid names of the 1950s that have been conspicuous by their absence in English football recently, and Harry would combine well with Alfie Potter in that respect. In fact, Harry and Potter could form a decent combination.

Meanwhile, United's third pre-season triallist, Ryan Crockford (whose name is obviously not in this tradition) didn't travel to Scotland, but Wilder has hinted that he may take a look at him in the Leicester game. Present at the Dumbarton game was United's former Rangers loanee Ross Perry, but it appears that despite Wilder's best efforts he is too highly thought of at Ibrox to be allowed to leave on loan again.

Labels: Crockford, Dumbarton, Franks, Perry, Potter, Worley

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