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Match Preview: Oxford United v Barnet

Oxford United v Barnet

The Kassam Stadium

Saturday 24th October 2015

Kick Off: 15:00

Barnet: It’s been a good week for the Bees. After beating York City 3-1 on Saturday, Martin Allen’s men then secured their first point on the road this season at Hartlepool. There were a lot of positives to take from Tuesday night’s game; John Akinde has now scored in back-to-back to matches and Andy Yiadom excelled after starting in a somewhat unfamiliar left-sided role. Barnet’s challenge is now to try and continue improving their away form, in order to match their impressive home performances this season. The Bees will certainly be buoyed by the arrival of Nicky Bailey at The Hive – the midfielder was always a popular figure with Barnet supporters during his first spell at the club. 

Martin’s View: "I watched Oxford play a couple of weeks ago against Swindon. They dominated the game from start to finish; it was the best atmosphere that I’ve seen at Oxford for many a year. The crowd really got behind their team – it’s a very exciting team and they’ve got some fantastic players. I was chatting with the Plymouth manager on Wednesday night down at Exeter. They are a good team, and we’ll have to be at our absolute best to go up against them and give them a game.”

Read more from the manager’s pre-match interview here.

Oxford United: Things couldn’t be going much better for Oxford. The U’s are flying high in League Two, and currently occupy 3rd place in the table. They are currently unbeaten at the Kassam Stadium this season, and have only lost once away from home – a 1-0 defeat to Northampton Town in September. United have now gone seven games without losing, of which they have won four. A solid defence has been crucial to Oxford’s success so far this season; they have only conceded 11 goals, which is the joint second lowest in the division.  

In The Dugout:Michael Appleton’s managerial career is enjoying something of a revival at Oxford this season. The 39-year-old’s first spell in the dugout came when he took over as Portsmouth boss in 2009. Pompey were struggling financially, and the club were relegated to League One while Appleton was in charge. He then enjoyed a short 11 game stint at Blackpool, before moving on to Blackburn Rovers in 2013. His time at Ewood Park was almost as brief; the former Preston midfielder spent 67 days managing Rovers, but was relieved of his duties after winning only 4 of his 15 games in the hot seat. Appleton then took over from current Bees assistant head coach Gary Waddock at Oxford. The U’s finished 13th last season, and are currently performing well in the league this year.

Dangerman: It’s hard to ignore the form of attacking midfielder Kemar Roofe – the 22-year-old has found the net on seven occasions this season. Roofe began his career at West Bromwich Albion but never broke into the first team; he had brief loan spells at Vikingur Reykjavik, Northampton Town, Cheltenham and Colchester. However it was a loan at Oxford where the Walsall-born midfielder really found his feet; 6 goals in 16 games last season prompted the U’s to make Roofe’s stay permanent earlier this year. 

Last Meeting: The Bees last faced the U’s in March 2013. 5027 people witnessed Oxford record a 1-0 victory at The Kassam Stadium, courtesy of a Michael Raynes strike. Recent loanee Max Crocombe was on the bench for the home side, while former Bee Damien Batt was in the starting line-up. Of the Barnet players to play in that match, six remain at the club; Graham Stack, Elliott Johnson, Bondz N’Gala (in his second spell at The Hive), Mauro Vilhete, Luke Gambin, and Andy Yiadom. United went on to finish the 2012-13 season in 9th place, narrowly missing out on a play-off spot by four points.  

Ticket Details: Barnet supporters will be housed in the stadium’s North Stand, where admission prices are: Adults – £20.00, Students – £13.00, Over 65’s – £13.00, Under 18’s – £13.00, Under 13’s – £5.00, Under 7’s – FREE. Tickets are available on the day of the match, but must be purchased at the cash only North Stand Ticket Office. Supporters can book in advance from the Oxford United Ticket Office on 01865 337533. You can find out more here.

Travel: The supporters’ coach leaves The Hive at 11:30 and costs £24 return. You can also get a shuttle bus to The Hive for just £1 each way. For more details click here.

Follow The Match: If you can’t get to the Kassam Stadium, you can listen to full commentary of the match on Bees Player HD. We’ll also have live twitter updates throughout the game here, and a match report & post-match reaction on barnetfc.com.