Oxford United welcome Blackpool in the first leg of the League One play-off semi-final on Tuesday night. The U’s snuck into the top six on the final day of the season with a win over Burton after Portsmouth lost at home to Accrington. Blackpool finished the season in third place, six points above Oxford.
Read: Preview – Oxford vs Blackpool
It’s not the first time these two sides have been involved in a battle for promotion. Back in the 1995/96 season, Oxford welcomed the high-flying Tangerines to the Manor Ground. Blackpool arrived in Oxfordshire sitting second in Division Two with the U’s some way behind their opponents.
However, a narrow 1-0 win, courtesy of arguably the greatest goal ever scored at the Manor as Joey Beauchamp volleyed home from the best part of 30 yards, lifted the fourth-placed U’s to ten points behind the opposition.
The Blackpool win may not have been the turning point but it was a key moment in the push for promotion as it pegged back one of their key rivals.
The U’s would go the final six games of the season unbeaten, winning their last four, and finishing one point and one place above the Seasiders. As a result, Oxford claimed the second automatic promotion spot while Blackpool lost out in the playoffs. The team that joined the U’s in achieving promotion was Bradford City – the club that, like Oxford this season, finished sixth in the playoffs.
