2022/23
League:
Level
Sky Bet League One
Position:
19th
FA Cup:
Third Round
League Cup:
Second Round
League Trophy:
Group Stage
Chairmen:
Sumrith Thanakarnjanasuth, Grant Ferguson
Managers:
Karl Robinson, Craig Short (caretaker), Liam Manning
Top Scorer:
Cameron Brannagan (12)
Notable Players:
Djavan Anderson, Lewis Bate, Billy Bodin, Cameron Brannagan, Ciaron Brown, Marcus Browne, Simon Eastwood, Stuart Findlay, Tyler Goodrham, Kyle Joseph, Sam Long, Marcus McGuane, Elliott Moore.
Kit Manufacturer
Macron became Oxford United's new kit supplier, with a 4-year deal announced with the Italian sportswear giant.
Sponsors
Bangkok Glass began a 2-year deal as the club's primary sponsor. The company initially became the title sponsor of the club's training ground in 2021.
Polythene UK continued their long association as the back-of-shirt sponsor, with their logo repositioned at the shirttail.
'Pub Talk', a Mola TV platform devoted to raising awareness around mental health issues, became the back-of-shorts sponsor.
EFL Branding
The EFL introduced a new charity partner.
The British Red Cross logo featured a thankfully simplified version of the shirt numbers and names.
The EFL sleeve patches now featured a 3D embossed effect, presumably to make them harder to counterfeit. In addition, the right-sleeve gambling patch was refreshed with a new message, whilst the anti-discrimination message was simplified to "Together".
Home Kit & Away Variation
With Base
Layer
The new Macron shirts featured a pastel yellow colour, resulting in a slightly washed-out appearance compared to the club's traditional bright yellow. This particular hue was consistent across the entire Macron range.
The navy sleeves had a striking jagged pattern reminiscent of the 1993 Matchwinner shirt. The front panel continued with the jagged pattern, as a 3D embossed effect. (It is illustrated, but you'll need to zoom in to see it).
All of the 2022 kits featured the text "EST. 1893" positioned just under the collar neckline.
Like the home socks, the yellow change socks also feature the Minoan Ox on the calf.
Away Kit & Variation
With Base
Layer
Pleasingly, the all-white away kit featured navy and yellow trim, which meant that all kits could easily mix/match.
Whilst a relatively simple design, the shirt had a timeless quality, with shadow pinstripes and a contrasting v-neck, remansisant of the mid 1980s.
Third Kit
With Base
Layer
The third shirt took an unusual twist, with the shirt being a traditional polo shirt. The official explanation was it's a 'fans shirt' which could be worn both at the match, or out with friends.
As such, the sponsors were thanked for "foregoing" their inclusion. However, I speculate that this choice might be more attributed to the pique polo fabric's limitations in accommodating ink printing.
The shirt included a graphic of the 'dreaming spires' of Oxford subtly embossed on the shirttail.
Goalkeeper Kits
The keeper kits were straight from the Macron catalogue and lacked any real interest. However, there was a subtle maze effect pattern on the shirt front panel.
Remembrance Shirts
A simpler style of poppy was introduced, compared to the poppies previously worn by Oxford United.
The team wore yellow socks for this home fixture as Port Vale travelled with their blue away strip.
FA Cup Shirts
Round
1
Round
2
The FA Cup sleeve patches reverted to the design which first featured in 2020, except they now have the same 3D embossed styling as the EFL competition patches.
Manor Flooring was the left-sleeve sponsor for the first two rounds.
Televised FA Cup Shirts
Round
3
Round
3
For the FA Cup third round, Oxford United were drawn against Premier League leaders Arsenal, with the game televised live on ITV1.
The team unexpectedly wore yellow socks for this home fixture. I can only assume it was to ensure greater visibility for the players against tricky world-class opponents.
This high-profile fixture attracted further sponsorship interest, with Crep Protect returning to Oxford United as the match sleeve sponsor.
Match by Match
Derby
Away
L 0-1
Cambridge Home
W 1-0
Swansea
Home
W 2-2 (5-3)
LC1
Bristol Rov
Away
L 0-1
Lincoln
Home
L 1-2
Morecambe
Home
D 1-1
C Palace
Home
L 0-2
LC2
Cheltenham
Away
W 1-2
L Orient
Home
W 5-0
FLT
Burton
Home
W 2-1
Plymouth
Away
L 0-1
MK Dons
Home
L 1-2
Charlton
Away
D 1-1
ChelseaU21
Home
L 1-2
FLT
Wycombe
Home
L 0-1
Exeter
Away
W 2-4
Sutton
Away
L 0-2
FLT
Peterboro'
Home
L 1-2
Portsmouth
Away
D 1-1
Bolton
Away
W 1-3
Fleetwood
Home
D 1-1
Shrewsbury
Away
D 1-1
Port Vale
Home
W 4-0
Woking
Away
W 1-2
FAC1
Forest Green
Home
D 1-1
Exeter
Home
W 4-1
FAC2
Accrington
Away
D 1-1
Sheffield W
Away
D 0-0
Ipswich
Away
L 3-0
Charlton
Home
W 3-1
Exeter
Home
L 0-1
Arsenal
Home
L 0-3
FAC3
Fleetwood
Away
W 1-2
Ipswich
Home
W 2-1
Wycombe
Away
L 2-0
Burton
Away
L 2-0
Barnsley
Home
L 1-2
Shrewsbury
Home
L 0-1
MK Dons
Away
D 1-1
Plymouth
Home
L 1-3
Cambridge
Away
L 0-1
Bristol Rov
Home
L 0-3
Lincoln
Away
L 1-0
Derby
Home
L 2-3
Morecambe
Away
D 1-1
Peterboro'
Away
D 0-0
Sheffield W
Home
D 1-1
Port Vale
Away
D 0-0
Bolton
Home
L 0-1
Portsmouth
Home
D 1-1
Barnsley
Away
L 2-0
Cheltenham
Home
W 4-0
Forest Green
Away
W 0-3
Accrington
Home
L 1-2
Pre-season Kits
The new Macron kits were not ready for the first 5 pre-season fixtures. Temporary kits were provided using off-the-shelf garments. These featured the club crest and bespoke narrow numbers that featured a small Minoan Ox at the base of each character.
Yellow was worn for the first 4 fixtures. The navy kit was was worn once at Eastleigh. All shirts were later auctioned.
The keeper kits were the new 2022 design.