1,526
viewing this page
Got a TV Licence?
You need one to watch live TV on any channel or device, and BBC programmes on iPlayer. It’s the law.
Live Reporting
Alex Hoad
All times stated are UK
-
‘The shackles are off’
Oxford 0-0 Stevenage
Peter Rhoades-Brown
Former Oxford and Chelsea winger on BBC Radio Oxford
Good game so far. It’s going to be both ends – both teams can play. The shackles are off and Oxford know they need to win tonight.
It’s a lovely atmosphere down at the away side considering Stevenage have only brought 300 fans.
-
Post update
Oxford 0-0 Stevenage
Just for a moment the ball landed at the feet of Jamie Reid, Stevenage’s 22-goal frontman, but he was unable to bustle his way into enough room to get a shot off.
A real buzz when he gets on the ball though, and he did break the deadlock when these sides met at the Lamex in September – though the Us roared back to win 3-1.
-
Post update
Oxford 0-0 Stevenage
The visitors have the first opportunity to send in a free-kick from deep but Harvey White’s cross is dealt with by the Us defence, who will need to keep an eye on Boro skipper Carl Piergianni from set-pieces tonight, that’s for sure.
-
KICK-OFF
Oxford 0-0 Stevenage
Away we go at the Kassam…
-
Teams are out…
Oxford v Stevenage (20:00 BST)
The first instalment of SEVEN STRAIGHT DAYS of EFL madness is upon us, you lucky, lucky people.
Strap in. I doubt it’ll be quiet…
-
Get Involved – Who is going up?
Get in touch using #bbcefl, via WhatsApp on 03301231826 or text 81111 (UK only, standard message rates apply).
Fans of several teams will have more than half an eye on this game tonight as it has such big play-off implications in League One.
Who do you think will take the final promotion spot and who will make-up the four play-off semi-finalists? Join our community and let us know using the #bbcefl hashtag on X, formerly known as twitter, and we’ll share the best ones right here.
-
Time to face facts…
Oxford v Stevenage (20:00 BST)
- Oxford are unbeaten in five league meetings with Stevenage (W3 D2) since a 1-2 defeat in March 2011.
- Stevenage are unbeaten away to Oxford in the Football League, drawing two and winning one of three such trips.
- The Us have lost just one of their last six league games (W4 D1), though that sole loss did come in a 1-0 defeat to Lincoln last time out at the Kassam Stadium.
- Stevenage have failed to win any of their last seven away league games (D4 L3), while they’ve failed to score in four of their last six league games on the road, having done so in just two of their first 16 such games in 2023-24.
-
Five changes for Boro
Oxford v Stevenage (20:00 BST)
Alex Revell has rung the changes in his first game in caretaker charge of Stevenage.
Only six players keep their places from the 2-1 defeat to Burton last Saturday as Nathan Thompson, Aaron Pressley, Elliot List, Finley Burns and the suspended Dan Butler miss out.
Stevenage XI: MacGillivray; Smith, VanCooten, Piergianni, Guinness-Walker; White, L Thompson, Freeman, Roberts; Reid, Hemmings.
Subs: Mitchell, N Thompson, Sweeney, List, Pressley, B Thompson, Evans.
-
Two changes for Oxford
Oxford v Stevenage (20:00 BST)
Des Buckingham makes two changes to the Oxford side which lost 1-0 at home to Lincoln ahead of tonight’s game.
Cameron Brannagan and Marcus Browne have been recalled with Josh McEachran and Owen Dale missing out, though Dale is among the substitutes.
McEachran failed a fitness test after picking up a knock in training yesterday but it’s a first start since Browne after a hamstring problem.
Oxford XI: Cumming; Stevens, Long, Brown, Leigh; Rodrigues, Brannagan, Goodrham; Browne, Murphy; Harris.
Subs: Eastwood, Thorniley, Bodin, Bennett, Smyth, Henry, Dale.
-
A week is a long time in football…
Oxford v Stevenage (20:00 BST)
Copyright: Rex Features
Image caption: Des Buckingham saw his Us side lose for the first time in six games on Tuesday night Oxford fans have probably been on something of an emotional rollercoaster in the past six days.
On Saturday the Us walloped promotion chasing Peterborough 5-0, their third straight win, their third straight clean sheet, with 13 goals scored along the way.
Fast-forward to Tuesday night and Des Buckingham’s men went down 1-0 to red-hot Lincoln who moved seventh, within two points of their hosts in the final play-off spot, with a better goal difference, and two games to come.
Oxford’s penultimate game is tonight, against a Stevenage side who would need to win both their final games, scoring a glut of goals, and hoping a succession of other results all go their way.
All that with their manager having walked away two days ago…
Where will the rollercoaster head tonight?
-
Stevenage begin life without Steve…
Oxford v Stevenage (20:00 BST)
Copyright: Rex Features
Image caption: Stevenage caretaker boss Alex Revell will be in charge for the first time tonight. Steve Evans left Stevenage for Rotherham on Wednesday after two highly successful years in charge in Hertfordshire.
He kept Boro up in League Two at the end of 2021-22 and then, improbably, guided them to automatic promotion last season.
They spent much of this campaign battling for a play-off spot in the third tier but Saturday’s home defeat by Burton all-but ended their top-six hopes.
Stevenage chairman Phil Wallace said Evans was leaving with the club “totally different” to how it had been two years ago.
“It’s not what we wanted, but compensation clauses are in place for a reason and these things happen in football,” he told the club website.
“The approach was unexpected but handled in the right manner by both clubs and we told Steve that, after all he’d done for our club, we would not stand in his way if the compensation terms were met and he wanted to leave.”
Evans now returns to a club he led to back-to-back promotions from League Two to the Championship between 2012 and 2014 while one of his predecessors and also former first team coach Alex Revell will be back in caretaker charge of Boro tonight.
-
Welcome to the weekend…
Oxford v Stevenage (20:00 BST)
Copyright: Rex Features
Good evening! What a week, eh? Ready for the weekend? I bet you are.
This is the first of SEVEN straight days of EFL action with issues still to resolve in the promotion race and relegation scrap in all three divisions.
Tonight all eyes are on League One where Oxford United are seeking to take a big step towards sealing a place in the play-offs with victory in their penultimate game of the season.
The visitors are Stevenage, reeling from a run of one win in 10 which has seen them slip to the very fringes of the play-off race and having lost manager Steve Evans to Rotherham on Wednesday.
The perfect way to kick-off a huge weekend of football on the BBC..
Latest Post
