1998/99
League:
Level
Nationwide League Division 1
Position:
23rd - Relegated
FA Cup:
Fourth Round
League Cup:
First Round
Chairmen:
Robin Herd, Firoz Kassam
Manager:
Malcolm Shotton
Top Scorer:
Dean Windass (18)
Notable Players:
Nicky Banger, Joey Beauchamp, Jamie Cook, Kevin Francis, Phil Gilchrist, Matt Murphy, Paul Powell, Mark Watson, Phil Whitehead, Brian Wilsterman, Dean Windass.
Kit Manufacturer
New Balance were a relative newcomer in the football world and began a 3 year 'official' partnership with Oxford United.
Sponsor
Football League Branding
The were no changes to the competition sleeve patch.
Home Kit & Away Variation
Long
sleeves
New home kits were introduced for the 1998-99 season, featuring the New Balance brand. However, both the home and away shirts were clearly using the same templates as Leicester City’s 1996-98 kits, which bore the Fox Leisure brand.
As the season progressed, some match shirts required replacement. These new shirts featured a different sewn block style number and were used alongside the older printed-numbered shirts in the same matches.
Original
numbers
Replacement
Shirts
Away Kit
Long
sleeves
The white change strip remained unchanged in its design, with the only modification being the repositioning of the club crest and sponsor lower on the shirt to accommodate the New Balance motif.
Goalkeeper Jerseys
The jerseys remained unchanged, except for the addition of the New Balance motif.
Only occasionally would the matching keeper shorts/socks feature, it was more usual for the outfield shorts/socks to be worn.
Opponents Kit - Watford
In a rather embarrassing turn of events, Oxford United donned Watford’s away kit during their fixture at Vicarage Road after the yellow kit was mistakenly packed.
According to an inside source, the backroom staff feared the club was on the verge of being wound up, which resulted in a rather 'heavy' Thursday night out for the non-playing staff. A dreadful hangover was cited as the reason for the mix-up with the kits!
Kit Clash
Watford made a similar error for the return fixture (minus the hangover). They intended to wear their blue away kit, but the referee determined that both teams could not wear blue shorts and socks. As a result, Watford played in Oxford's away shorts and socks.
Match By Match
Bristol City
Away
D 2-2
Luton
Away
W 2-3
LC1
Wolves
Home
L 0-2
Luton
Home
L 1-3
LC1
C Palace
Away
L 2-0
Grimsby
Home
D 0-0
Barnsley
Away
L 1-0
Portsmouth
Home
W 3-0
Swindon
Away
L 4-1
Ipswich
Home
D 3-3
Sunderland
Away
L 7-0
QPR
Home
W 4-1
West Brom
Home
W 3-0
Huddersfield
Away
L 2-0
Tranmere
Home
L 1-2
Bolton
Away
D 1-1
Bury
Away
L 1-0
Sheffiled U
Home
L 0-2
Crewe
Home
D 1-1
Watford
Away
L 2-0
Birmingham
Away
W 0-1
Port Vale
Home
W 2-1
Norwich
Away
W 1-3
Bradford
Home
L 0-1
Birmingham
Home
L 1-7
Stockport
Away
L 2-0
C Palace
Home
L 1-3
Portsmouth
Away
D 2-2
Crewe
Away
W 1-3
FAC3
Bristol City
Home
D 0-0
Grimsby
Away
L 1-0
Chelsea
HomeD 1-1
FAC4
Barnsley
Home
W 1-0
Chelsea
Away
L 4-2
FAC4R
Wolves
Away
D 1-1
Swindon
Home
W 2-0
Ipswich
Away
L 2-1
Sunderland
Home
D 0-0
QPR
Away
L 1-0
West Brom
Away
L 2-0
Huddersfield
Home
D 2-2
Watford
Home
D 0-0
Crewe
Away
L 2-1
Sheffield U
Away
W 1-2
Bolton
Home
D 0-0
Tranmere
Away
D 2-2
Bury
Home
L 0-1
Port Vale
Away
L 1-0
Norwich
Home
L 2-4
Bradford
Away
D 0-0
Stockport
Home
W 5-0