Behind The Badge

On the eve of the new season, Dan and James are joined by the Oxford Mail's Chief Sports Writer Liam Rice to discuss the excitement ahead of United's first season back in the second tier of English football for a quarter of a century.We discuss new players, potential line ups, where the U's still need to strengthen and make (bold) predictions as to how United will fare!

Only the most optimistic Oxford United fans would have predicted that we'd be talking about promotion-winning bonus edition podcasts just a couple of months ago, but here we are.With great joy, pride and emotion, Dan and James look back on the unbelievable last couple of months of the season, taking you through their journey and the one that saw Des Buckingham's side win promotion to the second tier of English football after an absence of 25 years.What an end to an incredible season!

Dan and James bring the curtain down on a brilliant fourth series of Behind The Badge. We look back at some of the best bits from the past eight weeks and talk about the here and now at Oxford United.Our thanks to everyone who listens to our podcasts and engages on social media. We'd like to wish you all a Happy Christmas and prosperous 2024!

For the last time in Series 4, Behind The Badge is out and about - and this time Dan and James had the pleasure of meeting the former United goalkeeper and goalkeeping coach Wayne Brown.'Brownie' was on top form and gave up more than an hour and a half of his time to look back fondly on his time with the U's. He also had some fascinating insight into his career before joining United. Our particular favourite was his time in South Africa!We asked Wayne about his United exit, which he answered with unbelievable honesty.We know that we say this every week, but this really is an episode that you won't want to miss!

The penultimate guest of Series 4 of Behind The Badge is the former Oxford Mail photographer Dave Fleming.An Oxford lad, who grew up just around the corner from the Manor Ground, Dave is a lifelong United fan and landed what some would say is the dream job as a photographer capturing images of famous matches both home and away.Please check our social media platforms for the photos that we discuss with Dave, from fabulous derby wins and promotions to desperate times in the Conference.Find out the stories behind the stories and more!

This week, Behind The Badge speaks to a player that didn't spend long at United but will forever be remembered as part of the side that completed the double over Swindon in the 2011/12.Oli Johnson scored the second goal in a nail-biting 2-0 win at the Kassam Stadium, as the U's played 80 minutes with 10 men after James Constable's early red card.Oli tells us of his sharp rise into professional football and his equally rapid decline back into non-league, which began when he was told he would be leaving United. His insight into the dressing room at a time when Chris Wilder's team had just missed out on a play-off spot is interesting...to say the least!