2022/23 SEASON
League:
Level
Sky Bet League One
Position:
19th
FA Cup:
Third Round
League Cup:
Second Round
League Trophy:
Group Stage
Chairmen:
Sumrith Thanakarnjanasuth, Grant Ferguson
Managers:
Karl Robinson, Craig Short (caretaker), Liam Manning
Top Scorer:
Cameron Brannagan (12)
Notable Players:
Djavan Anderson, Lewis Bate, Billy Bodin, Cameron Brannagan, Ciaron Brown, Marcus Browne, Simon Eastwood, Stuart Findlay, Tyler Goodrham, Kyle Joseph, Sam Long, Marcus McGuane, Elliott Moore.
Kit Manufacturer
Macron became Oxford United's new kit supplier, with a 4-year deal announced with the Italian sportswear giant.
Sponsors
Bangkok Glass began a 2-year deal as the club's primary sponsor. The company initially became the title sponsor of the club's training ground in 2021.
Polythene UK continued their long association as the back-of-shirt sponsor, with their logo repositioned at the shirttail.
'Pub Talk', a Mola TV platform devoted to raising awareness around mental health issues, became the back-of-shorts sponsor.
EFL Branding
The EFL introduced a new charity partner.
The British Red Cross logo featured a thankfully simplified version of the shirt numbers and names.
The EFL sleeve patches now featured a 3D embossed effect, presumably to make them harder to counterfeit. In addition, the right-sleeve gambling patch was refreshed with a new message, whilst the anti-discrimination message was simplified to "Together".
Home Kit & Away Variation
With Base
Layer
The new Macron shirts featured a pastel yellow colour, resulting in a slightly washed-out appearance compared to the club's traditional bright yellow. This particular hue was consistent across the entire Macron range.
The navy sleeves had a striking jagged pattern reminiscent of the 1993 Matchwinner shirt. The front panel continued with the jagged pattern, as a 3D embossed effect. (It is illustrated, but you'll need to zoom in to see it).
All of the 2022 kits featured the text "EST. 1893" positioned just under the collar neckline.
Like the home socks, the yellow change socks also feature the Minoan Ox on the calf.
Away Kit & Variation
With Base
Layer
Pleasingly, the all-white away kit featured navy and yellow trim, which meant that all kits could easily mix/match.
Whilst a relatively simple design, the shirt had a timeless quality, with shadow pinstripes and a contrasting v-neck, remansisant of the mid 1980s.
Third Kit
With Base
Layer
The third shirt took an unusual twist, with the shirt being a traditional polo shirt. The official explanation was it's a 'fans shirt' which could be worn both at the match, or out with friends.
As such, the sponsors were thanked for "foregoing" their inclusion. However, I speculate that this choice might be more attributed to the pique polo fabric's limitations in accommodating ink printing.
The shirt included a graphic of the 'dreaming spires' of Oxford subtly embossed on the shirttail.
Goalkeeper Kits
The keeper kits were straight from the Macron catalogue and lacked any real interest. However, there was a subtle maze effect pattern on the shirt front panel.
Remembrance Shirts
A simpler style of poppy was introduced, compared to the poppies previously worn by Oxford United.
The team wore yellow socks for this home fixture as Port Vale travelled with their blue away strip.
FA Cup Shirts
Round
1
Round
2
The FA Cup sleeve patches reverted to the design which first featured in 2020, except they now have the same 3D embossed styling as the EFL competition patches.
Manor Flooring was the left-sleeve sponsor for the first two rounds.
Televised FA Cup Shirts
Round
3
Round
3
For the FA Cup third round, Oxford United were drawn against Premier League leaders Arsenal, with the game televised live on ITV1.
The team unexpectedly wore yellow socks for this home fixture. I can only assume it was to ensure greater visibility for the players against tricky world-class opponents.
This high-profile fixture attracted further sponsorship interest, with Crep Protect returning to Oxford United as the match sleeve sponsor.
Match by Match
Derby
Away
Cambridge Home
Swansea
Home
Bristol Rov
Away
Lincoln
Home
Morecambe
Home
C Palace
Home
Cheltenham
Away
L Orient
Home
Burton
Home
Plymouth
Away
MK Dons
Home
Charlton
Away
ChelseaU21
Home
Wycombe
Home
Exeter
Away
Sutton
Away
Peterboro'
Home
Portsmouth
Away
Bolton
Away
Fleetwood
Home
Shrewsbury
Away
Port Vale
Home
Woking
Away
Forest Green
Home
Exeter
Home
Accrington
Away
Sheffield W
Away
Ipswich
Away
Charlton
Home
Exeter
Home
Arsenal
Home
Fleetwood
Away
Ipswich
Home
Wycombe
Away
Burton
Away
Barnsley
Home
Shrewsbury
Home
MK Dons
Away
Plymouth
Home
Cambridge
Away
Bristol Rov
Home
Lincoln
Away
Derby
Home
Morecambe
Away
Peterboro'
Away
Sheffield W
Home
Port Vale
Away
Bolton
Home
Portsmouth
Home
Barnsley
Away
Cheltenham
Home
Forest Green
Away
Accrington
Home
PRE-SEASON KitS
The new Macron kits were not ready for the first 5 pre-season fixtures. Temporary kits were provided using off-the-shelf garments. These featured the club crest and bespoke narrow numbers that featured a small Minoan Ox at the base of each character.
Yellow was worn for the first 4 fixtures. The navy kit was was worn once at Eastleigh. All shirts were later auctioned.
The keeper kits were the new 2022 design.