List of Oxford United F.C. records and statistics
is an English professional association football club based in Oxford, Oxfordshire. They play in League One, the third level of the English football league system, as of the 2019–20 season. The club was formed in 1893 as Headington United, before changing its name in 1960, and has played home matches at two stadiums throughout its history, the Manor Ground until 2001, and the Kassam Stadium since. In 1986 they won their only major trophy, the League Cup. The club joined the Oxfordshire Senior League in 1921, before joining the Spartan League in 1947. Two years later the club moved to the Southern League, before being elected to the Football League in 1962. Oxford spent three years in the First Division between August 1985 and May 1988. At the end of the 2005–06 season, after 44 years in the League, United were relegated to the Football Conference. They returned to the League after winning the Conference National Play-off Final in 2010.
The record for most games played for the club is held by Ron Atkinson, who made 560 appearances between 1959 and 1971. John Shuker holds the record for the most appearances since they joined the Football League. Graham Atkinson is the club's record goalscorer, scoring 107 goals including 97 in the league. Jim Magilton holds the record for the most international caps gained as an Oxford player, having made 18 appearances for Northern Ireland. The highest transfer fee ever paid by the club is the £470,000 paid to Aberdeen for Dean Windass in 1998, and the highest fee received is the estimated £3,000,000 paid by Leeds United for Kemar Roofe in 2016. The highest attendance recorded at the Manor Ground was 22,750 for the visit of Preston North End in the FA Cup, while the highest attendance at the Kassam is 12,243 against Leyton Orient.
Honours and achievements
Oxford United's only major honour in English football is the League Cup, which the club won in the 1985–86 season, defeating Queen's Park Rangers in the final 3–0. The club has also won the Third Division championship twice and the Second Division championship once. The latter Third Division, Second Division and League Cup victories all occurred within the space of two years. United also achieved promotion from the Fourth Division after the 1964–65 season. Oxford's highest top-flight finish is eighteenth, which was achieved twice in two years, starting in 1986. The most recent promotion occurred after the 2009–10 season, when they beat York City 3–1 in the Conference National play-off final.Oxford's best performance in the FA Cup involved reaching the quarter-finals against Preston North End in the 1963–64 season. In doing so, they became the first team to reach that stage from the Fourth Division. Before the club were admitted to the Football League in 1962, they won the Southern Football League championship on three occasions, the final win occurring the season before election into the Fourth Division, and finished runner-up twice. They also won the Southern League Cup twice.
The Football League
- Before the Premier League
- *Second Division : Champions 1984–85
- *Third Division : Champions 1967–68, 1983–84
- *Fourth Division : Promoted 1964–65
- After the formation of the Premier League
- *Division Two : Runners-up 1995–96
Other honours
- Southern League
- *Premier Division: Champions 1952–53, 1960–61, 1961–62
- * Premier Division: Runners-up 1953–54, 1959–60
- Southern League Cup
- *Winners: 1952–53, 1953–54
- Football Conference
- *Conference National Play-off winners: 2009–10
National cup competitions
- FA Cup
- *Quarter finalists: 1963–64
- League Cup
- *Winners: 1986
Player records
Age
- Youngest first-team player: Jason Seacole, 16 years 149 days.
- Oldest first-team player: Michael Duberry, .
Appearances
| # | Name | Position | Years | Leaguea | FA Cup | League Cupb | Otherc | Total | Notes |
| 1 | Midfielder | 1959–1971 | |||||||
| 2 | Forward | 1962–1977 | |||||||
| 3 | Defender | 1978–1989 | |||||||
| 4 | Defender | 1966–1978 | |||||||
| 5 | Defender | 1959–1969 | |||||||
| 6 | Defender | 1990–2000 | |||||||
| 7 | Defender | 1959–1969 | |||||||
| 8 | Goalkeeper | 1971–1982 | |||||||
| 9 | Midfielder | 1989–1994 1995–2002 | |||||||
| 10 | Forward | 1959–1974 |
Goalscorers
- Most goals in a season: Bud Houghton, 43 goals in the 1961–62 season.
- Most goals in a season during Football League membership: John Aldridge, 34 goals in the 1984–85 season.
- Most Football League goals in a season: John Aldridge, 30 goals in Division Two in the 1984–85 season.
- Most goals in a Southern League match:
- *5, Bud Houghton.
- *5, Tony Jones.
- Most goals in a Football League match: 4 goals, achieved by 6 players.
Top goalscorers
| # | Name | Position | Years | Leaguea | FA Cup | League Cupb | Otherc | Total | Notes |
| 1 | Forward | 1959–1974 | |||||||
| 2 | Forward | 2008–2014 | |||||||
| 3 | Midfielder | 1959–1967 | |||||||
| 4 | d | Forward | 1984–1987 | ||||||
| 5 | Forward | 1975–1983 | |||||||
| 6 | Midfielder | 1989–1994 1995–2002 | |||||||
| 7 | d | Forward | 1961–1963 | ||||||
| 8 | Forward | 1994–1997 2001–2002 | |||||||
| 9 | Forward | 1955–1959 | |||||||
| 10 | Midfielder | 1993–2001 |
International caps
- First capped player: David Sloan, for Northern Ireland on 10 September 1968 against Israel.
- Most international caps while an Oxford player: Jim Magilton, 18 for Northern Ireland
| Player | Country | Caps while at club | Total caps |
| Ireland | 7 | 69 | |
| South Africa | 11 | 67 | |
| Wales | 2 | 19 | |
| Wales | 2 | 7 | |
| New Zealand | 7 | 85 | |
| St Kitts and Nevis | 2 | 2 | |
| Northern Ireland | 2 | 26 | |
| Northern Ireland | 6 | 41 | |
| Republic of Ireland | 12 | 73 | |
| Republic of Ireland | 1 | 18 | |
| Northern Ireland | 7 | 9 | |
| Republic of Ireland | 11 | 25 | |
| Northern Ireland | 18 | 52 | |
| Wales | 11 | 65 | |
| Republic of Ireland | 1 | 5 | |
| Wales | 6 | 17 | |
| Wales | 6 | 75 | |
| Wales | 12 | 22 | |
| Northern Ireland | 2 | 2 | |
| Canada | 12 | 78 | |
| Northern Ireland | 5 | 5 | |
| Wales | 0 | 10 |
Transfer fees
Record transfer fees paid
Progressive transfer fee paid
Progressive transfer fee shows the chronological order in which the record transfer fee was set, and the transfer that set it.| Date | Player | Bought from | Fee |
| July 1949 | Norman Aldridge | Northampton Town | £750 |
| August 1949 | Bert Kay | Bury | £1,000 |
| March 1961 | Bud Houghton | Southend United | £2,000 |
| August 1962 | Maurice Kyle | Wolves | £5,000 |
| December 1962 | Bernard Evans | QPR | £5,500 |
| November 1963 | Bill Calder | Bury | £8,500 |
| June 1967 | Mick Bullock | Birmingham City | £10,000 |
| September 1968 | Ray Gaston | Coleraine | £12,500 |
| November 1970 | Nigel Cassidy | Scunthorpe United | £20,000 |
| September 1972 | Hugh Curran | Wolves | £50,000 |
| July 1974 | Andy McCulloch | Cardiff City | £75,000 |
| March 1982 | Trevor Hebberd | Southampton | £80,000 |
| January 1984 | Peter Rhoades-Brown | Chelsea | £85,000 |
| August 1984 | Billy Hamilton | Burnley | £95,000 |
| February 1985 | Jeremy Charles | QPR | £100,000 |
| July 1985 | Neil Slatter | Bristol Rovers | £100,000 |
| September 1985 | Ray Houghton | Fulham | £147,000 |
| December 1985 | Dave Leworthy | Tottenham Hotspur | £200,000 |
| September 1987 | David Bardsley | Watford | £265,000 |
| February 1988 | Colin Greenall | Gillingham | £285,000 |
| July 1998 | Dean Windass | Aberdeen | £470,000 |
Record transfer fees received
| # | Player | From | Fee | Date |
| 1 | Leeds United | £3,000,000 | ||
| 2 | Leicester City | £1,600,000 | ||
| 3 | West Ham United | £1,000,000 | ||
| 4 | Derby County | £1,000,000 | ||
| 5 | Bradford City | £1,000,000 | ||
| 5 | Bristol City | £1,000,000 | ||
| 7 | Liverpool | £825,000 | ||
| 8 | Liverpool | £775,000 | ||
| 9 | Southampton | £600,000 | ||
| 10 | Leicester City | £500,000 |
Progressive transfer fee received
Progressive transfer fee shows the chronological order in which the record transfer fee was set, and the transfer that set it.| Date | Player | Bought from | Fee |
| January 1951 | Cliff Nugent | Cardiff City | £2,500 |
| October 1963 | Bud Houghton | Lincoln City | £6,000 |
| February 1968 | George Kerr | Scunthorpe United | £7,000 |
| October 1968 | Mick Bullock | Leyton Orient | £10,000 |
| June 1970 | Jim Barron | Nottingham Forest | £35,000 |
| February 1974 | John Evanson | Blackpool | £40,000 |
| February 1975 | Dave Roberts | Hull City | £70,000 |
| November 1980 | Les Taylor | Watford | £100,000 |
| March 1982 | Keith Cassells | Southampton | £115,000 |
| March 1982 | Mark Wright | Southampton | £115,000 |
| January 1987 | John Aldridge | Liverpool | £775,000 |
| October 1987 | Ray Houghton | Liverpool | £825,000 |
| October 1988 | Dean Saunders | Derby County | £1,000,000 |
| January 1997 | Matt Elliott | Leicester City | £1,600,000 |
| July 2016 | Kemar Roofe | Leeds United | £3,000,000 |
Managerial records
- First professional manager: Harry Thompson
- Longest serving manager: Arthur Turner, managed the club from 1959 until 1969
- Most spells as manager: 3, Darren Patterson and Jim Smith
Club records
Goals
- Most Football League goals scored in a season: 91 in 46 matches, Division Three, 1983–84.
- Fewest Football League goals scored in a season: 34 in 42 matches, Division Two, 1968–69.
- Most Football League goals conceded in a season: 100 in 46 matches, Division Two, 2000–01.
- Fewest Football League goals conceded in a season: 36 in 42 matches, Division Two, 1984–85.
- Most league goals scored in a season at any level: 118 in 42 matches, Southern Football League. 1961–62.
Points
- Most points in a Football League season:
- *Two points for a win: 61 in 46 games, Division Four, 1964–65.
- *Three points for a win: 95 in 46 games,a Division Three, 1983–84.
- Fewest points in a Football League season:
- *Two points for a win: 33 in 42 games, Division Two, 1975–76.
- *Three points for a win: 27 in 46 games,b Division Two, 2000–01.
Matches
Firsts
- First match: Headington 1–2 Cowley Barracks, friendly, 25 November 1893.
- First FA Cup match: Headington United 2–8 Hounslow, extra preliminary qualifying round, 5 September 1931.
- First Spartan League match: Marlow 1–2 Headington United, 30 August 1947.
- First Southern League match: Hastings United 2–5 Headington United, 20 August 1949.
- First Football League match: Barrow 3–2 Oxford United, Division Four, 18 August 1962.
- First Football League Cup match: Torquay United 2–0 Oxford United, first round, 1 September 1962.
Record wins
- Record Football League win: 7–0 against Barrow in Division Four, 19 December 1964.
- Record FA Cup win: 9–1 against Dorchester Town, first round, 11 November 1995.
- Record League Cup win: 6–0 against Gillingham, second round first leg, 24 September 1986.
- Record win in any match: 9–0 against Wisbech Town in the Southern League, 10 December 1960.
- Record Football League away win: 6–0 against Lincoln City in the EFL League One, 21 September 2019.
Record defeat
- Record Football League defeat: 0–7 against Sunderland in Division One, 19 September 1998, and against Wigan Athletic in League One, 23 December 2017.
- Record League Cup defeat: 0–5 against Nottingham Forest, third round, 4 October 1978.
Attendances
- Largest home attendance
- *Manor Ground: 22,750 against Preston North End, FA Cup quarter-final, 29 February 1964.
- *Kassam Stadium: 12,243 against Leyton Orient, Football League Two, 6 May 2006.
- Highest home Football League attendance: 18,740 against Birmingham City, Division Two, 31 March 1972.
- Highest attendance played in front of anywhere: 90,396 against Queen's Park Rangers at Wembley Stadium, League Cup final, 20 April 1986.
Footnotes
A. In this instance a major trophy refers to either the First Division/Premier League, the FA Cup or the League Cup.
B. Maurice Kyle was previously on loan from Wolves.