Oxford United's dream of playing at Wembley was beginning to feel like a distinct possibility, and on Wednesday 22 January 1986 they hosted Second-Division side Portsmouth in the quarter-finals, knowing a victory would set up a two-legged semi-final against one of Arsenal or Aston Villa.
Despite being entangled in a relegation battle in the First Division and struggling to pick up results, United were flying through the Milk Cup and approached their quarter-final against Pompey full of confidence. It was an opportunity for the Club to reach a senior cup semi-final for the first time in their history. Playing in just our second ever major quarter-final, the first having come in the FA Cup in 1963/64, this was a huge occasion for both the players and the U's supporters who were daring to dream of a big day out in London at Wembley Stadium.
Having played the role of underdog for most of the 1985/86 campaign in the top flight, the U's came into this game as hot favourites against a team in the division below. Add in home advantage and the weight of expectation fell upon yellow shoulders.
This particular game was fascinating in its demonstration of just how far Oxford United had come as a team after their exposure to half a season in the First Division. The Pompey side that was sitting top of Division Two when this quarter-final came about, simply could not get anywhere near the U’s who dominated the vast majority of the game.
That being said, they were able to start the game with a bang with a huge slice of fortune. With not even two minutes on the clock, Portsmouth defender Noel Blake looked to have cleared an early Oxford corner, only for Les Phillips to drive a shot at goal from the edge of the box. His effort was going wide of the target, but cannoned into the back of Gary Briggs’ head, who had returned from a two game suspension, and ricocheted into the Portsmouth net.
United were in control from there, and created a handful of chances that could have seen them double or even triple their lead in the first half. It took until the 44th minute to eventually double their lead. Ray Houghton robbed teenage full-back Lee Sandford of the ball and set up Phillips with a tidy pull back from the byline. Phillips was in the right place at the right time to drive the ball into the bottom corner to score his second goal for the Club and the team's second goal of the evening.
The U's remained firmly in control of the game in the second half, dominating possession and hardly allowing Portsmouth to get a kick of the ball. The victory was put beyond any doubt just over twenty minutes after the interval. John Aldridge's clever forward play drew a foul from Pompey's Gary Stanley on the edge of the penalty area, and Neil Slatter and Kevin Brock stood over the dead ball. It was Slatter who would take it, and not only did he take it, but he thumped the ball into the bottom corner to make the score 3-0.
Pompey did grab themselves a consolation goal with only seconds left on the clock through a fine Gary Stanley strike from distance, but the U's had dominated from the beginning and knew they had sealed a win that meant they were just one more round away from a trip to Wembley.
When asked after the game where the Club's priorities lay for the remainder of the season, survival in the First Division or Milk Cup glory, manager Maurice Evans claimed: “I would much rather stay in the First Division than go to Wembley.” Of course, that would not have been what Yellows fans were thinking at the time. In their minds, a cup final at Wembley was now a genuine possibility and could bring a once-in-a-lifetime experience, supporting their team from the stands of the national stadium.
All they needed to do was get past Aston Villa in the semi-final, a team that had won the European Cup just four years earlier.
Starting Line-Ups:
Oxford United: Judge, Trewick, Slatter, Phillips, Briggs, Shotton, Houghton, Aldridge, Charles (Jones 66 min), Hebberd, Brock.
Portsmouth: Gosney, Swain, Sandford (Stanley 45 min), Dillon, Blake, Tait, O’Callaghan, Kennedy, Channon, Wood, Hilaire.
Attendance: 10,334
Images: Steve Daniels
