Oxford's 12th Man

We have had a difficult start to March but with "The 12th Man Initiative" having parted with £25,000 this season, it is time for the wonderful fans of Oxford United to continue to "roar" on our side over the next six weeks.

Chris Wilder and Kelvin Thomas will be more determined than ever to deliver success this season and the 12th Man will once again play its part, as it has done all season!

It is just getting exciting!

Come on You YELLOWS!

The 12th Man assisted Oxford United's transfer business once more today when they secured the services of Aldershot striker, John Grant.

Grant joins the U’s on loan until the end of the season with a view to the deal being made permanent in the summer. He becomes the fifth player to have been signed this season with the help of the 12th Man fund, following Jamie Cook, Onome Sodje, Anthony Tonkin and Ashley Cain.

John, born in Manchester, is a lethal striker whose scoring ratio for Aldershot is quite remarkable, having bagged 57 goals in 150 appearances. He signed as a pro for Crewe Alexandra in July 1999 and made his debut against Crystal Palace. He was later loaned to Hyde United, Rushden and Diamonds and Northwich Victoria before signing for Hereford United in June 2002.

He went on to play for Shewsbury Town in July 2004 but soon after made the move to Chris Wilder's Halifax Town. He was a regular in the Shay side's march up the Conference and scored in their defeat by (his former club) Hereford United in the 2006 Conference (National) Play-Off Final. He finished the 2005-06 season as the club's top scorer with 14 goals.

In July 2006, he made the move to Aldershot Town and scored twice on his debut. The season ended with John being top scorer (23 goals) and voted 'Player of the Year'. He also made his England 'C' debut against the Republic of Ireland in May 2007 and was in the squad that won that year's Four Nations Tournament. In February 2008, he committed himself to Aldershot on a contract until the end of the 2009-10 season.

He ended the 2007-08 season as top-scorer (25 goals) as the Shots won the Setanta Shield and were crowned Blue Square Premier champions. Subsequently, Grant was named in the Blue Square Premier 'Team of the Year'.

Speaking on behalf of 12th Man, Simon Bradbury said "We are delighted that the 12th Man has been able to make a further contribution to Oxford United's Promotion Push, with the capture of a prolific striker such as John.

The 12th Man has been a phenomenal success this season and goes from strength to strength. The fans deserve huge credit for raising over £25,000 so far, and we hope this latest signing will excite everyone who has generously donated to the fund. To sign quality players like Tonkin, Cook and Grant is down to the hard work of Kelvin Thomas, Chris Wilder and every supporters.

We wish John every success for the remainder of the season, one which we hope will see us return to the Football League"

Ashley Cain is the latest 12th Man signing

Oxford United's 12th Man once again made its mark today when it contributed to the short-term emergency loan signing of Coventry City winger, Ashley Cain.

The 19 year old has immense speed and can play on either flank. Whilst only making a handful of senior appearances for the Sky Blues he is a product of the Coventry City Youth set-up. He joins in time to face Kidderminster Harriers in the FA Trophy Quarter-Final and will play a part in a hectic League programme.

Chairman Kelvin Thomas said: “Once again the 12th Man has come to the clubs help. At this stage of the season we have to make sure that we have enough quality players at the club to get us through a probable 20 games in nine weeks. Having the 12th Man Fund has given us the ability to do that, so well done to the fans once again!”

January Transfer Window Update - Thursday 28th January

With the January Transfer Window coming to a close, the "12th Man Fund" continues to grow. As of Thursday 28th January the supporters of Oxford United have raised £25,574.00 with money still streaming in.

The fund has contributed to three Oxford United signings this season, supporting the transfers and loan signings of Anthony Tonkin, Jamie Cook and Onome Sodje. To date, the 12th Man Fund has passed over £18,142.00 to the club, leaving a balance of £7,432.00.

With NEW and FRESH 12th Man projects in the pipeline, make sure you keep an eye out for details in the Local Press, Websites and Internet Forums.

The 12th Man Fund is ready to support Chris Wilder and Oxford United when the call is made.

The 12th Man Fund Latest News - Monday 11 January 2010

The amount raised by the 12th Man Fund has now risen to a remarkable total of £24,800as of Friday 8 January 2010.

The accompanying 'thermometer' shows that, with the payments already made, £6,658 now remains in the Fund and the amount which has been paid to the football club is £18,142. This is made up of £5,000 for the transfer fee for Jamie Cook in his move from Crawley, £3,142 towards the cost of the loan spell of Onome Sodje from Barnsley, and a payment of £10,000 made today, 11 January, to support the acquisition of Anthony Tonkin from Cambridge United.

Thank you all for your ongoing support.

3rd Signing arrives - Anthony Tonkin

Anthony Tonkin today became the third player to be signed with financial support from the 12th Man scheme, following his capture from our BSP rivals Cambridge United. This signing is made at a crucial stage of the season. He is an experienced, talented player who we sure will do well for the club. The fund is expected to contribute a significant amount.

Anthony is described by Cambridge United as an elegant, attacking left-back who is a former England C international. He has played for Yeovil, Stockport, Crewe, Grays Athletic and Forest Green during his career, having signed for Cambridge in the summer of 2008. His transfer from Stockport County to Crewe was for a fee of £150,000.00. Only this weekend he has been regarded as one of the best left-backs in Non-League by the Non League Paper.

The 12th Man Group which includes a cross section of Oxford United fans' organisations are very pleased that the fund has been instrumental in securing Anthony's transfer, and we look forward to seeing him for the Us in weeks and months ahead as we all aim for a successful conclusion to the 2009-2010 season.

Chris Davis, a spokesman for the 12th Man said:

“We'd like to thank all the supporters who have contributed £25,000 to the fund since its inception, a sum massively in advance of what was originally envisaged by the organisers. Anthony’s purchase is now the third squad addition the supporters have helped to fund.

“The 12th Man will continue to grow over the coming months and we encourage fans to continue to raise funds so we can aid the club to sign players of a similar calibre in the future.”

All fans will welcome Anthony and wish him every success in his time at Oxford United.

The 12th Man - How it works

The 12th Man Initiative was set up at the start of August 2009 and is run by a collective of supporters, not attributed to one group or organisation.

During the last six months, Oxford United Supporters have spent remarkable time and effort in building a fund to help Chris Wilder and Oxford United strengthen the first team squad. The initial target was only to raise £10,000 over the course of the season to help supplement the playing budget.

It is with great pride that as of 1 January 2010 the fund has raised over £24,000 in five months. £5000 secured the signing of Jamie Cook and a further payment of £3142 was paid last week, as a contribution to the cost of Onome Sodje's loan.

Unfortunately for both Oxford United and Onome, lack of games prevented the fans from seeing more match time and possibly goals from our loan signing. However, his goal at Salisbury may yet yield a significant point in our quest to win promotion.

With two transactions having been made, the fund currently stands at circa £16,760.00with further deposits due to be made. This is a truly remarkable effort from all our supporters.

It is important to try and explain how the fund works once the fund-raising and donations have been made. A brief explanation is below.


The Process

The process works by the Club Chairman (Kelvin Thomas) applying to the Fund Management Committee, for either a Transfer Fee, Player Wages, a Loan Fee or Loan Wages. The three-man Fund Management Committee is made up of two supporters (currently Rob Newton and Neil Carter, The OxVox Treasurer) and Mr Thomas, where the amount is discussed and approved (the fund is used to supplement, not replace, the managers budget). Payment is then made to the Football Club with receipts being required.


A Contract of Understanding between OxVox, Oxford United Supporters and Oxford United Football Club was signed before the 12th Man Initiative was launched. We will be putting this document in the public domain in the very near future so that everyone can see the thorough terms and conditions which must be adhered to at all times. It will be available to view at the numerous supporting websites which include RageOnline, OxVox, the official 12th Man Blogspot (link below) and OxKits. Any other supporter group who would like to publish the details on the website just need to get in touch with the 12th Man at twelfthman@oxvox.org.uk

We have now are entered the January 2010 Transfer Window and the 12th Man Fund is ready to support Oxford United Football Club, Kelvin Thomas and Chris Wilder at this important stage of the season.

The Future

Within the near future, we will be hosting a 12th Man meeting for supporters who would like to remain part of or join the fund-raising and planning of future 12th Man events in 2010. We will announce details on the websites and forums when we have organised a date.