PREVIEW Lincoln City v Oxford United

A full guide to tonight's Sky Bet League 1 game at the LNER Stadium

31 October 2023

Oxford United head for Lincoln City tonight in Sky Bet League 1 (7.45pm)

United, second in the table, grabbed a point with a dramatic late penalty against Wycombe on Saturday and look to bounce back after just a second away defeat of the season at Wigan seven days ago.

TEAM NEWS
United Head Coach Liam Manning will be in the dug-out despite a red card on Saturday. The club received an email from the FA late yesterday regarding the incident which the club is currently reviewing.

Cameron Brannagan returned to action on Saturday and there are no new injuries while James Henry returned to training yesterday as he looks to push on after injury has kept him out of action so far this season.

"James has been very unlucky" Liam told iFollow. "He has had a little run of injuries that have come one after another but he was out on the grass on Monday and hopefully the injuries are behind him now because we all known the quality he possesses and what he brings to the group."

You can see the full Liam Manning interview below plus the thoughts of Fin Stevens in iFollow right now.

THE OPPOSITION
Interim Head Coach Tom Shaw has helped The Imps put together a three game unbeaten run that has pushed them up the table:

“For me it was a brilliant week. This group of players have gone from 16th to 8th really quickly, and with that they should have some confidence" he said. “We’ve got to go into this game with real humility because Oxford are a top side, but we’ll be bouncing into this fixture.

“We’re trying to develop a style that players like playing in, that coaches like coaching in and that supporters can really get behind. With that will come a few errors, but we want to be a side that really backs ourselves.”

“We know it’s going to be a challenging game, but an exciting one - and what a place to play and watch football at the LNER Stadium under the lights. It’s a brilliant arena for everybody involved and hopefully we can put on a decent show.”

YELLOWS YELLOWS...
United will be wearing their yellow kit tonight. Order yours HERE

TICKETS
The original game was postponed due to the international break but tickets for that game are still valid. Please note, supporters with digital tickets for this match may need to re-download their ticket from their original email. Please contact the Ticket Office on 01865 337533 should you require assistance.

Pay on the night is available from the visitors ticket window located at the club store while advance tickets can be bought online from oufctickets.co.uk , over the phone (01865 337533) and in person.

Supporters are able to choose their seats from the LNER Stadium map, thanks to Ticketmaster. Tickets for this match will once again be digital/print at home.

Prices

Adult	£24
65 + Over	£19
18-21	£19
Under 18	£10

Ambulant disabled supporters are charged the age relevant price. Wheelchair users are charged the concessionary price of £19 (£10 for Under 18’s). A complimentary personal assistant ticket can be issued where needed.

Supporters with an original ticket who are unable to attend should contact the ticket office at the earliest opportunity.

London Road Club Travel
Original coach tickets are still valid. The coach now departs at 14:45pm from the Kassam Stadium with a pick up at 3pm from Kidlington Sainsbury's.

Prices

Adult Member	£27
Under 18 member	£25
Adult Non Member	£30
Under 18 Non Member	£28

Visit oufctickets.co.uk or call 01865 337533 to book your place on the coach, or to enquire about refunds.

London Road Club Membership saves you time on every away game. CLICK HERE to find out more

Under 14s must be accompanied by an adult on the coaches and no alcohol is permitted.

efl-ifollow-team-v-team-2324-general--0ea1aff5-195a-4aab-88fb-a420583f0f17.png

COVERAGE
You can see the game live in iFollow in the UK and overseas. CLICK HERE to buy your match pass.

Follow the game on @OUFCOfficial on X and we will have a full report and gallery right here on the final whistle.

Match Reports

REPORT Lincoln City 0 Oxford United 2

Oxford beat the Imps on Hallowe'en. Full time report

31 October 2023

Oxford United kept the Imps at bay this Hallowe'en as they kept up the pressure on leaders Portsmouth with a 2-0 win at Lincoln City.

A first-half header from Ciaron Brown and a Stan Mills drive deflected into his own net by home keeper Lukas Jensen after the break saw United win 2-0 at the LNER Stadium as their excellent away form continued.

And yet the night couldn't have started much worse, with Sam Long forced off with an ankle injury after just two minutes and having to make his way round the pitch on crutches. However, this spirited United team responded superbly.

Long was still en route for the dressing room, but hobbling that little bit more happily when he saw his team take the lead in the 13th minute.

311023 lincoln brown goal (1).jpg

A lot of goals this season have pleased the purists but this will have pleased the coaching staff just as much, as United made their first corner of the evening count. Cameron Brannagan flighted the ball to the near post and Brown flicked home beyond the flat-footed Jensen.

Liam Manning's side have yet to lose a game in which they have scored the first goal this season and never looked back after that moment. They might have doubled their lead through Mark Harris, Mills - on for Long - or the brilliant Ruben Rodrigues as they took control of the first half. Jensen made a flying save from the irrepressible Tyler Goodrham after 36 one-sided minutes, and Rodrigues didn't get enough loft on a lob soon after, but even so, the 446 away fans were more than pleased with their team's performance after 45 minutes.

It took a good block to deny Mills soon after the interval as the Lincolnshire fog rolled into the LNER Stadium, but United were dominant and all that was missing was a second goal.

311023 lincoln og (3).jpg

That arrived after 64 minutes and although Mills will claim it, Jensen was the man with the decisive touch. A perfectly weighted ball from Marcus McGuane inside the left-back set things up, and Mills rifled the ball across the face of goal. Jensen blocked, but in doing so merely diverted the ball behind him and saw it squirm inside the near post to make it 2-0 and end the game as a contest.

Lincoln came back into it for a while, and Mills got a vital touch at the other end to scoop a loose ball over the bar as it bounced towards the empty net, but the Yellows were still in control of the game and rarely troubled at the back, as Beadle and his back line took the sting out of the game.

Another terrific performance on the road from a team that is a pleasure to watch.

Att: 7,114 including 446 away

Report by Chris Williams, pictures Steve Edmunds and Rex Shutterstock, stats by OPTA