The 2000–01 season saw Oxford United compete in the Football League Second Division where they finished in 24th position with 27 points and were relegated to the Third Division. It was also Oxford's final season at the Manor Ground before moving to the Kassam Stadium.
Season summary Any hopes that this season might mark a turn-around after two seasons of struggle were dashed right out of the gate, with Denis Smith's second spell as manager being brought to an end in early October after the team could only win one and draw one of their first ten outings. Club veteran Mike Ford took charge for the next five matches, but could manage a return of only one point. At the end of the month, the club announced a new management structure headed up by director of football Joe Kinnear, with Dave Kemp installed as manager.
Unfortunately, the change failed to result in any real improvement in results, and Kinnear departed shortly after the turn of the year to take over as manager of relegation rivals Luton Town. Ultimately, the team's terrible defensive record (they kept only three clean sheets all season, two of which were the result of goalless draws) meant that survival never looked realistically on the cards, and they finished in bottom place, with just twenty-seven points (half of what they would have needed to survive) to their name, and a hundred goals conceded.
Though chairman Firoz Kassam had initially indicated that Kemp would be allowed to remain for the following season and attempt to rebuild the squad, fan protests and a dreadful 6–2 loss to fellow strugglers Bristol Rovers soon changed his mind, and Kemp was sacked with two games remaining; his last game in charge would ironically result in a 3–1 victory over second-bottom Swansea City. Ford stepped in as caretaker for the final two matches, before Kassam appointed Mark Wright as the manager to lead Oxford into their first fourth-tier campaign since 1965.
Final league table
Results Oxford United's score comes first
Legend WinDrawLoss
Football League Second Division
MatchDateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceScorers112 August 2000Peterborough UnitedH0–15,870219 August 2000Port ValeA0–33,814326 August 2000BrentfordH0–14,756429 August 2000WalsallA2–35,678Beauchamp (2)52 September 2000Cambridge UnitedH1–14,479Jarman68 September 2000Wycombe WanderersA1–35,831Tait713 September 2000Stoke CityA0–49,600816 September 2000BuryH1–03,676Cook923 September 2000MillwallA0–58,5651030 September 2000Bristol CityH0–15,308118 October 2000Swindon TownA1–27,975Whittingham1214 October 2000WrexhamH3–43,884Tait, Beauchamp, McGregor (o.g.)1317 October 2000Luton TownH0–04,5371421 October 2000Rotherham UnitedA1–33,938Lilley1524 October 2000Wigan AthleticH0–24,0301628 October 2000ReadingA3–416,022Lilley, Viveash (o.g.), Richardson174 November 2000Bristol RoversH0–15,4071811 November 2000Swansea CityA2–14,892Beauchamp, Andrews1925 November 2000Notts CountyH2–34,765Murphy (2)202 December 2000Oldham AthleticA2–33,986Gray, Innes (o.g.)2116 December 2000Northampton TownH3–14,899Anthrobus, Murphy, Hackett2222 December 2000Colchester UnitedA2–33,695Beauchamp, Gray2326 December 2000BournemouthH1–26,200Fear241 January 2001BrentfordA0–35,0202513 January 2001WalsallH2–15,184Gray (2)2627 January 2001Colchester UnitedH0–15,0642730 January 2001Peterborough UnitedA2–44,004Fear, Murphy2810 February 2001Wycombe WanderersH1–25,384Hackett2917 February 2001BuryA1–33,320Beauchamp3020 February 2001Stoke CityH1–14,856Patterson3124 February 2001MillwallH0–25,795323 March 2001Bristol CityA0–09,681336 March 2001WrexhamA3–53,009Gray, Powell, Murphy3410 March 2001Swindon TownH0–27,4803524 March 2001Rotherham UnitedH4–34,493Quinn, Omoyinmi (2), Scott3627 March 2001Cambridge UnitedA0–13,5023731 March 2001Northampton TownA1–06,115Tait383 April 2001BournemouthA3–43,747Quinn, Gray (2)397 April 2001Oldham AthleticH0–14,2174010 April 2001Luton TownA1–16,010Scott4114 April 2001Wigan AthleticA2–35,322Scott, Beauchamp4217 April 2001ReadingH0–26,8864321 April 2001Bristol RoversA2–67,554Scott, Richardson4428 April 2001Swansea CityH3–14,148Omoyinmi, Brooks, Murphy451 May 2001Port ValeH1–17,080Scott465 May 2001Notts CountyA1–25,513Folland
FA Cup
MatchDateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceScorersR118 November 2000Macclesfield TownA1–02,141GrayR29 December 2000Chester CityA2–32,798Gray, Murphy
Football League Cup
MatchDateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceScorersR1 1st leg22 August 2000Wolverhampton WanderersA1–09,399MurphyR1 2nd leg5 September 2000Wolverhampton WanderersH1–34,676Shepheard
Football League Trophy
MatchDateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceScorersR15 December 2000BrentfordA1–41,517Anthrobus
Squad statistics
No.Pos.NameLeagueFA CupLeague CupOtherTotalAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals1GK Richard Knight3302020003702DF John Robertson37(3)010201041(3)03DF Paul Powell15(5)100100016(5)14MF Peter Fear14(6)220000016(6)25DF Jon Richardson4122020104626DF Ian McGuckin6(1)00000006(1)07MF Matt Murphy37(3)6211(1)11041(4)88MF Paul Tait22(4)300200024(4)39FW Steve Anthrobus13(6)110200(1)116(7)210FW Andy Scott000000000010FW Derek Lilley15(4)0100(2)00016(6)011MF Joey Beauchamp32(11)7201(1)01036(12)712FW Jamie Cook4(5)10000004(5)113GK Hubert Busby0(1)00000000(1)013GK Neil Cutler11000000011014FW Emmanuel Omoyinmi16(8)30(1)0201019(9)315MF Simon Weatherstone6(1)00000006(1)016MF Rob Folland1(4)1000(2)0001(6)117DF Jon Shepheard000000000018DF Chris Hackett10(6)210000(1)011(6)219DF Lee Jarman15(6)120200019(6)120GK Phil Wilson1(1)00000001(1)021MF Jordan Holder0(2)00000000(2)021DF Neil McGowan11000100012022DF Wayne Hatswell26(1)000001027(1)022DF Mickey Lewis000000000023DF Ross Weatherstone100000001024GK Jimmy Glass100000102024FW Guy Whittingham110000001125FW Phil Gray21(2)722001024(2)925FW Ben Abbey000000000026DF Simon King200000002027MF Dean Whitehead16(4)00(1)0200018(5)028DF Sam Ricketts13(1)000001014(1)029FW Leon Mike1(2)00000001(2)029MF Keith Andrews410000105130DF Mike Ford100000001031FW Jamie Brooks3(1)10000003(1)132FW Leon Mike000000000032DF Garry Monk500000005033DF Andy Linighan12(1)020000014(1)034MF Rob Quinn12(1)200000012(1)234DF Keith Brown302000106035DF Darren Patterson181000000181
References
External links Oxford United 2000–01 at Soccerbase.com (select relevant season from dropdown list)