Oxford United Chairman Sumrith 'Tiger' Thanakarnjanasuth wrote the following notes for the visit of Gillingham:
Good afternoon everybody and a warm welcome to you all, especially our visitors from Gillingham. We hope you enjoy your day with us.
We go back to league action today after the FA Cup last weekend against Forest Green Rovers. I flew in for that game and was around the training ground for four or five days, which is always something I enjoy. I like the team spirit and the tremendous feeling of camaraderie around that place; not just the players but all the staff and the players from the under 23s and 18s. Everyone is so welcoming and works so hard and there were some really productive meetings over the course of last weekend.
I felt that the game itself was a typical cup tie. We were maybe not at our best in the first half but improved after the break and should really have finished some very good approach play. Having said that, Forest Green hit the post in the last minute so a replay was probably the fair result and we look forward to the return game on Tuesday night.
Off the field, I am delighted to welcome Erick Thohir to the Board. I have known him for a long time now and he shares my passion for football; all sport really. He is a very astute businessman, a very humble and down-to-earth person, and I believe will be a major asset to this football club. We now have a completely new Board, assembled over the last six months, and we will work as hard as we possibly can to bring success to Oxford United.
We also welcome Tim Davies as Financial Director. Previously CEO at Leicester City, this was another key appointment, as was Chris Short, who takes over from Scott Daly as Head of Sports Science. Both have settled in straight away and slowly but surely we are building a new team behind the scenes.
Of course, I know, most fans are much more concerned with the team on the pitch! I believe we have now gone seven games unbeaten and defensively we definitely tightened up in the last few games. That is a good solid base to build from and then we scored three goals in each of the three games before Forest Green, so maybe things are clicking into place all over the pitch just at the right time.
What we would like everyone to do is to help us build the crowds and get more people involved every week. Not just to come to one game but to enjoy it and understand what it is that makes this club so special. Christmas is coming up, so may I urge you to help us make Boxing Day a big day? Bring your friends and family, make it part of your Christmas plans, and let’s end 2018 on a high. And if we can keep our run going with another important win today then everything keeps building and moving in the right direction.
Tiger
You can read the complete programme online at www.matchdayfix.com/oufc