Away Days: Oxford United
Stevenage is getting ready for their last game of the season as they embark on a trip to Oxford United for a match on a Friday night...
The cameras of Sky Sports are ready for action once more, as Boro strive to triumph again tonight, with the match commencing at 8pm. Alex Revell will be assuming responsibility for the team's final two games of the year, consequently he is eager to secure a significant victory at the Kassam Stadium.
Alex Revell is very familiar with the Stevenage team because he has been coaching them all season. Therefore, he understands what it takes to win tonight's game against Oxford United. However, it's worth mentioning that Stevenage hasn't had great success against Oxford United in the past. Out of the 17 times they have played against each other, Stevenage has only managed to win three times.
At the moment, Stevenage is positioned at the 9th rank in the League One with a gap of six points from Oxford United, who presently occupy the last spot for play-offs. It's been a remarkable season for them as they have competed exceptionally well with the major teams in the league, which is a matter of pride for them.
Oxford United only have two more games left and they really need to win them both if they want to secure their place in the playoffs. Lincoln City and Blackpool are very close behind them, so it is crucial for Oxford to get a victory tonight, especially considering this game is being televised on Sky Sports.
They just had an incredible stretch of three games where they won all of them. In two of those games, they won by a score of 4-0 and in the other game, they won by a score of 5-0 versus Peterborough United. However, the streak ended on Tuesday when they suffered a sudden 1-0 loss against a team that was down to 10 players, Lincoln City.
At present, the U's are ranked fourth highest in League One when it comes to goals scored, with a total of 76 goals scored throughout 44 games. Their leading scorer, Mark Harris, has successfully scored a total of 15 goals, whereas their standout player Cameron Brannagan has notched up both 10 goals and 10 assists in all competitions.
The initiative was launched by Oxford with Liam Manning at the helm, but he left for Bristol City in November. Des Buckingham took over and has been leading the charge ever since.
Buckingham is taking on his initial managerial position in England. Before this, he was a coach in India, Australia, and New Zealand. However, he began his professional journey at Oxford by working as a coach in the academy. Later, he coached the first team under Chris Wilder.
Oxford United has been playing at the Kassam Stadium since its opening in 2001, which can hold up to 12,500 people. Usually, opposing fans are seated in a particular area of the North Stand.
For the upcoming match tonight, Tom Nield is taking on the role of Match Referee. He will be receiving assistance from Rob Smith and Bhupinder Singh Gill as his Assistants. Alex Chilowicz, on the other hand, is assigned to be the Fourth Official. Nield's track record for this season includes 108 yellow cards and one red in the 27 games he has supervised.
