U’s face high-flying Oxford United as the Yellows remember the late Joey Beauchamp

While Saturday’s match between Oxford United and Cambridge United could have major permutations at both ends of the League One table, the afternoon may be better remembered for what takes place before kickoff.

On the evening of 19th February 2022, Oxford announced the tragic passing of one of their greatest ever players, Joey Beauchamp. Just hours before the statement was published, the Yellows had won a pivotal game away at Charlton Athletic thanks to goals from Matty Taylor, Sam Baldock and Cameron Brannagan, but the mood soon turned to one of shock and heartbreak once the news was confirmed.

Beauchamp, a natural midfielder, started his playing career at Oxford, going on to make over 100 appearances with them over a five year spell. A marquee move to West Ham United would follow in 1994, but Beauchamp felt homesick and never made an appearance for the Hammers, moving to Swindon Town in the same season. He returned to the Yellows for the following campaign, staying with them for seven years and making over 200 appearances.

The highs of Oxford’s 4-0 rout at The Valley last weekend soon became immense sadness. The Yellows would play away at Crewe Alexandra in midweek, winning 2-0, but the club announced plans to remember Beauchamp ahead of kickoff for the following game against Cambridge United at the Kassam Stadium.

While the cause of Beauchamp’s death is yet to be publicised, the club confirmed that £1 of every ticket sold for the clash would be donated to mental health charity Mind. Fans of both sides will come together before kickoff to celebrate his life, with an emotional and passionate atmosphere expected during the game itself.

Saturday will be a celebration of the life of a true Oxford United legend.

Be part of it. Let’s do it for Joey. ?

?? #OUFC | #COYY pic.twitter.com/P7nvjEUeft

— Oxford United FC (@OUFCOfficial) February 24, 2022

On the pitch, Oxford are flying. The Yellows come into Saturday’s match with two wins on the bounce, only sitting fourth in the League One table due to a minor blip suffered in early February when they lost consecutive games to Accrington Stanley and Bolton Wanderers. While Rotherham United and Wigan Athletic are in the driving seat for automatic promotion, Karl Robinson’s side are looking to capitalise if either side has a dip in form.

Oxford’s attack is in scintillating form, remaining the top scorers in the entire division after Tuesday’s win in Cheshire. Similarly, the Yellows have lost just one home game since mid-December, conceding late on to lose 3-2 against in-form Bolton two weeks ago.

They face a Cambridge side who themselves have won consecutive games after a dip in form earlier in the month. The U’s saw off Accrington last weekend before beating promotion-hopefuls Plymouth Argyle in a comfortable 2-0 win on Tuesday evening. Mark Bonner has struggled to reset his team following a plethora of injuries, but has seemingly found a winning formula, with a number of key players set to return from the sidelines soon.

Shilow Tracey, who hasn’t featured for Cambridge since their 5-0 win away at Cheltenham on 7th December, came off the bench to play the final 10 minutes against the Pilgrims. Greg Taylor was absent due to him playing for their under-23 side earlier in the day, while the likes of Lloyd Jones and Jensen Weir are within weeks of returning to the squad for the first time in 2022.

Jack Iredale and Joe Ironside are not particularly close to recovering from their respective ankle injuries, however, and Bonner has been forced to rethink his tactics as a result. Sam Sherring has stepped in for Iredale at centre-back, making a number of key blocks to deny Steven Schumacher’s side late on in midweek.

Elsewhere, an injury to Harrison Dunk in the latter stages of the win against Accrington meant that 20-year-old Liam Bennett, a natural right-back, was brought in at left-back to make his league debut. The U’s academy graduate went on to win the man of the match award, receiving a standing ovation as he was substituted in the second half.

But the biggest adjustment has been up front, where Sam Smith has had to fill in for Ironside since the end of January. Bonner has opted against giving Lorent Tolaj his first start, meaning that Smith has led the line in every game since Ironside’s injury against Crewe on the 18th January.

His performances, while sometimes inconsistent, have improved, and Bonner told Prost International that he was delighted with how the former Oxford loanee has adapted to new his new role.

“There’s an adjustment period for him [Smith] to change position and us to change the type of player in the team. But also, strikers aren’t going to score every week. He’s on 15 goals, the other lad [Ironside] is on 13. We went years without anyone who got into double figures and we’ve got two in League One.

“That’s brilliant, absolutely brilliant. He’s on a great target, he’s doing really well and we’ve had some tough games, but I’m so pleased with his effort and the work.”

Facing Oxford at the Kassam Stadium will obviously be one of Cambridge’s toughest games this season, but the U’s can take comfort in the fact that they’ve avoided defeat in their two clashes against the Yellows earlier in the season. Ironside scored a late equaliser from the penalty spot to earn a 1-1 draw on the opening day of the League One season, while they also sealed a comfortable 4-1 win against Robinson’s men in the group stages of the Papa John’s Trophy.

Oxford, however, are known for starting seasons poorly and finishing them with a flurry of wins. Similarly, there is much more on the line for the hosts, who are looking to nail down their place in the playoffs and move closer to the current top two. On the other hand, Cambridge are almost guaranteed survival in League One, while bridging the gap to the top six seems incredibly unlikely.

Bonner is adamant that his side aren’t looking at the table, but are simply focused on winning games instead. As a result, we should see a highly competitive game on what will be an emotional afternoon at the Kassam Stadium.

Follow us on Twitter @ProstInt