Scott completes his bike ride

Scott Humphries has completed his sponsored bike ride for the 12th Man from Hayes and Yeading to the Kassam Stadium over the Easter weekend. Scott is tired but very pleased to have finished the ride and achieved something for the fund.

There are chances to make donations today and Scott will be at the Priory before the match and it's planned that he will make an appearance at the ground, also he will be collecting cash after the match around the ticket office area.

Online donations can still be made at

http://www.oxvox.org.uk/news.aspx?id=161

Scott is pictured at Hayes with OUFC Chairman Kelvin Thomas and James Constable.

Here he is on his return to the stadium:

Collection for Dominic Hill

£150 has been collected for 12th Man in memory of Dominic Hill, a lifelong United fan who played for the Raging Fever fans' team.

We are very appreciative of Hayes and Yeading fans as well as United fans contributing to this collection to commemorate a fan who will be sorely missed.

John Matthews of Raging Fever has written as follows:

Dear Trevor,

Re: Collection for Dominic Hill

Raging Fever played Hayes & Yeading fans yesterday before the main match. Prior to our game we held a minute’s applause for Dominic Hill who sadly passed away last week. Dom was a lifelong fan of Oxford who played for Raging Fever on a number of occasions. He lived in Sheffield and so most of his appearances for us were on away trips in that area. His last game for us was in October at York where he featured in our largest win this year.

You will know Dominic’s brother Andy who is running the marathon on behalf of the 12^th Man fund.

After hearing the sad news, the Hayes fans asked whether they could contribute towards a fund of Andy’s choice. As a result, all of the match fees from both sides and some additional contributions from spectators were collected and we have £150 to put towards the 12^th Man in Dom’s memory. This is a wonderful gesture on the Hayes fans’ part and is in keeping with the ethos of what Raging Fever represents i.e. fans meeting up to enjoy football and assist each other where they can.

Scott Rides Out For The 12th Man

Oxford United fan Scott Humphries is the latest to come forward with a 12th Man fundraiser. He is 15 years old and he has set himself the challenge of a sponsored cycle ride over the Easter weekend to raise money for the first team squad.
Most fans will get in their cars or on the coach and travel back home after the match at Hayes on Good Friday. Not Scott - after cheering on the Us on at Hayes, he will get on his bike and set out for the Kassam Stadium in Oxford, over 60 miles away!

Scott says: “I will be cycling, wearing Oxford United kit, on mainly minor roads on a carefully planned route. I will spread the journey back to Oxford over the days of the holiday weekend, shadowed and supported by my family in a car. When I was thinking about what sort of organisation to do this for, I thought of the 12th Man straight away. I thought of Hayes to Oxford because of the weekend games, and I hope to finish just before the home game against Salisbury. I hope it will help the 12th man a little bit.”

We hope the timing will work out for Scott, so that the crowd at the Salisbury match on Easter Monday can welcome him as he arrives.

Scott is gathering his own sponsors, but he would very much like any United fan who wants to sponsor him to do so. OxVox will arrange a collection point for donations at the Kassam Stadium on Easter Monday, so look out for details. Also, online donations can be made by visiting the OxVox website at www.oxvox.org.uk and clicking on the donation button for Scott’s challenge on the front page of the site.

Trevor Lambert on behalf of the 12th Man said,“It’s great to see younger fans like Scott coming forward and helping the 12th Man fund. He’s taking on a significant challenge and fans will wish him well, and success in his fundraising. We’ll look forward to seeing him back on Easter Monday.”

United Chairman Kelvin Thomas added, "This is another great effort and we wish Scott the best of luck. It has been great to see so many fans, of all ages, getting behind the 12th Man Fund and we look forward to welcoming him back."

Marathon 12th Man.......whatever next?

Marathon 12th Man!

Oxford United fan and OxVox supporters’ trust member Andy Hill will be putting on his running shoes to raise money for the 12th Man Fund next month.

Andy has been fortunate enough to secure a coveted place in the Flora London marathon to be run on Sunday April 25th, just one day after the Us wind up their Conference league programme at Eastbourne Borough. Andy has run the Marathon several times and he is looking forward to the challenge. We will be following his progress in training and posting reports from time to time on the 12th Man blog and the OxVox website.

But fans can sponsor him now. You can make a donation by visiting the OxVox website www.oxvox.org.uk and clicking on the 12th Man Fund donation buttons. Or you can send a cheque payable to ‘The 12th Man’ to OxVox at 18 Harvest Way, Witney, Oxon OX28 1EG, indicating that your donation is prompted by Andy’s run. The OxVox site will carry updates of the total raised so far, and we trust Andy’s efforts will be well rewarded.

We are pleased to confirm that at Andy’s suggestion anyone who sponsors him for £20 or more will receive a free one year membership of OxVox.

Andy adds “I have been extremely fortunate to obtain an entry, in the official ballot, to run The Virgin London Marathon this year and am VERY proud to be able to use my run to raise funds for this excellent cause. The ballot for the race is always 3 or 4 times oversubscribed for the 35,000 places on offer so places are at a premium.

“I am a lifelong Oxford United supporter and watch the team home and away throughout the season. I also play for Raging Fever, the supporters’ team, who play opposition fans up and down the country on the morning of Oxford United matches, before cheering the team to victory in the afternoon!

“Whenever I run The London Marathon I wear an Oxford United shirt and always get support from Oxford United supporters as I pound the streets of the capital for 26.2 miles! Marathon running is very similar to the trails and tribulations of a football season, there are highs and lows, agony and ecstasy and the knowledge that you have a long hard slog ahead of you........but step by step you get nearer to the final prize.

“I hope that London based Oxford United supporters and people travelling back home after an overnight stay in Eastbourne will be kind enough to come along and offer vocal support. It is always a fun day out with bands playing outside pubs so come along and give me a cheer...............and afterwards everyone would be welcome to join me in for a celebratory beer in a pub somewhere not too far from the end of the course! Let’s hope that we are celebrating another successful occasion at the same time...............and that the 'P' word is no longer banned!”

Club Chairman Kelvin Thomas said: “We wish Andy the best of luck in the Marathon. It is another example of fans supporting the 12th Man Fund and we wish him success in his training and on the day.”

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!”