1988/89
League:
Level
Barclays League Division 2
Position:
17th
FA Cup:
Fourth Round
League Cup:
First Round
Chairman:
Kevin Maxwell
Managers:
Mark Lawrenson, Brian Horton.
Top Scorer:
Martin Foyle (15)
Notable Players:
John Durnin, Martin Foyle, Colin Greenall, Richard Hill, Mickey Lewis, Robbie Mustoe, Jimmy Phillips, Dean Saunders, Paul Simpson, Gary Smart.
Kit Manufacturer
Although Oxford United had dropped out of the top tier of English football, their contract with Umbro secured another season with a 'fashionable' kit supplier.
Sponsor
This was to be the last of 4 seasons featuring Wang as the club's sponsor.
Home Kit & Away Variations
Long
sleeves
The shirts displayed subtle differences from the 1987 design. The crest no longer featured the 25th Anniversary text and the white stripe was now positioned in the centre, whereas the three yellow stripes had been centred previously.
1987
1988
Such attention to detail was not afforded to the fan's replica kit, with the replica shirt stripes not even positioned symmetrically, or aligning front and back.
Odd Shirts
Later in the season, replacement shirts began to appear, featuring a stripe pattern arranged in the reverse order. The pattern was also centred in the same position as it had been on the 1987 shirts.
Away Kit
Long
sleeves
Oxford United returned to their familiar all-red change colours, with a smart design with plenty of interesting detailing.
Until 1988, Oxford United rarely used away colours unless their opponents wore yellow or gold. However, from this point onward, the away kits began to be worn frequently, even in the absence of a colour clash.
Third Kit
Long
sleeves
Now in its fourth season, the white kit became the third choice and was worn just once at Watford. This version featured a slight change, with a new style of white socks.
Goalkeeper Jerseys
Borrowed Shorts - West Brom
For the away fixture at West Bromwich Albion, Oxford United arrived with their navy shorts, only to be asked to change due to the home side also sporting navy.
West Brom provided their white Umbro away shorts for Oxford to wear. The borrowed shorts featured blue piping that matched the Oxford shirts, so many spectators may not have even noticed the switch.
Kit Clash
Borrowed Shorts - Plymouth
For the away fixture at Plymouth Argyle, Oxford United once again found themselves with a kit mix-up, bringing their navy shorts, which were deemed too similar to Plymouth's black Umbro shorts.
This was a schoolboy error, as Oxford had a history of wearing alternative shorts when facing teams in dark shorts, such as Newcastle, Sunderland, and Southampton. Plymouth provided their white Umbro away shorts for Oxford to wear instead.
Kit Clash
Match By Match
Leeds
Away
D 1-1
Hull City
Home
W 1-0
Brighton
Home
W 3-2
Chelsea
Away
D 1-1
Leicester
Home
D 1-1
Oldham
Away
L 3-0
Bournemouth
Away
L 2-1
Bristol City
Home
L 2-4
LC1
Shrewsbury
Home
W 4-1
Swindon
Home
D 1-1
Portsmouth
Away
L 2-1
Bristol City
Away
L 2-0
LC1
Ipswich
Away
W 1-2
Blackburn
Home
D 1-1
C Palace
Away
L 1-0
Bradford
Home
L 3-4
Sunderland
Home
L 2-4
West Brom
Away
L 3-2
Birmingham
Home
W 3-0
Plymouth
Home
L 0-1
Ipswich
Home
L 2-3
FMC
Man City
Away
L 2-1
Barnsley
Home
W 2-0
Watford
Away
D 1-1
Walsall
Away
W 1-5
Stoke
Away
L 1-0
Chelsea
Home
L 2-3
Sunderland
Away
D 1-1
FAC3
Sunderland
Home
W 2-0
FAC3R
Sunderland
Away
L 1-0
Leeds
Home
W 3-2
Man Utd
Away
L 4-0
FAC4
Swindon
Away
L 3-0
Portsmouth
Home
W 1-0
Blackburn
Away
L 3-1
Ipswich
Home
D 1-1
C Palace
Home
W 1-0
Birmingham
Away
D 0-0
West Brom
Home
D 1-1
Bradford
Away
D 0-0
Oldham
Home
D 1-1
Brighton
Away
L 2-1
Walsall
Home
W 1-0
Leicester
Away
L 1-0
Hull City
Away
W 1-2
Stoke
Home
W 3-2
Shrewsbury
Away
D 2-2
Bournemouth
Home
W 3-1
Man City
Home
L 2-4
Barnsley
Away
L 1-0
Plymouth
Away
L 3-1
Watford
Home
L 0-4