Pow Kassam

Oxford United 1-1 Leganes (Friendly)

Only my second game of the month tonight, I’ve been busy cricketing and summer holidaying, so pre-season football has been well down the pecking order thus far, restricted to the odd TV viewing of the FIFA Club World Cup which Chelsea won earlier this month, and of course, the women’s Euros, which England won dramatically against Spain in Switzerland on Sunday.

It’s my first trip to the Kassam Stadium, ever, I’ve got a budget hotel in Swindon booked after as I’m off to Taunton for Somerset v Durham in the morning, another ‘England’ v ‘Spain’ encounter as two second tier teams take on each other in their pre-season friendly warm up schedule.

Oxford will begin their second season in the Championship after 25 previous years outside the second tier of English football. When I woz a lad they were in the topflight, Milk Cup winners in 86 they had the likes of John Aldridge, Ray Houghton, Dean Saunders, Kevin Brock, Billy Whitehurst, Gary Briggs, proper footballers who made use of the old Manor Ground slope to provide this small team known until 1960 as Headington United regular visits from the established and elite. They lasted three seasons in English football’s highest division between 1985-88.

Leganes are equally as small in size and stature, but established in 1928, they first appeared in the Spanish topflight, La Liga, as recently as 2016, and spent four seasons mixing it on a level with Real Madrid and Barcelona before relegation, in 2023/24 they won promotion back after winning the Segunda Liga but last season were relegated and they’ll try again in La Liga 2 during the 2025/26 campaign.

The Venue

I’ve arrived on the southern outskirts of Oxford, the suburb of Littlemore is filled of business parks and modern factory units, the ground appearing as I cross over the many roundabouts of Grenoble Road in between a Hollywood Bowl, cinema complex and Holiday Inn hotel.

It’s free to park (which surprises me) as I pull up behind the East Stand, the three-sided venue is one of those peculiar in the English game, unfinished, but impressive, modern in design, there’s a rumour Oxford are planning to move elsewhere though, its perimeter left to ruin slightly outside the venue, but inside it’s good, opened in 2001 it holds 12,500 but just a couple of thousand in today, including around 40 or 50 from Leganes.

The Game

Oxford in yellow and black do the early pressing against their opponents in camouflage green. I chat to an old boy next to me who has the odds up on his phone for the Championship next season. “What are the odds for Oxford to go up” I ask. “I haven’t come to those yet” he says. “I’m still on the relegation odds page. We’re second favourites to go down behind Sheffield Wednesday”.

Oxford finished seventeenth last season and under Gary Rowett play a simple but effective game, 4-3-3 in formation they have two old fashioned centre halves, solid full backs with pace and power, a three-man midfield with grit and physicality, two wingers chalk on their boots pacey and direct, but a striker with limited goal threat, hitting the onion bag mainly alludes them, Matt Phillips in attack today is yet to score a league goal having played 22 matches for the club last season.

That lack of goals aside (only six teams in the Championship scored less last season), I’m in the ‘Oxford will do ok’ camp, as they get the ball back to front quickly and in Siriki Dembele on the left, they have a wide man who’s a nuisance to defend against, whilst on the right, Tom Bradshaw is putting some good balls into the danger area, they have a couple of sniffs before they do score, when Leganes concede possession in their own half, Dembele feeds Bradshaw and he slides home all be it with a bobble or two past the goalkeeper.

It’s a deserved lead for the better, more physical team who play on the front foot, Leganes are neat, without really troubling the Oxford back-line, but a free kick awarded in the United half is floated into the box, and the hosts offside trap fails, Ignasi Miquel, once of Arsenal, is up from the back, he heads home and levels just after the half hour.

The Score

It’s had its moments, feisty in parts, there’s a couple of bookings a side and a flare up, but mainly it’s about stretching the legs and very little action in either area, Oxford hardly trouble the Leganes goal as the Spaniards unleash a couple of attempts from Cisse outside the box, one good save is made by Cumming who punches a shot over the bar after De Keersmaecker is caught in possession, the Belgian midfielder has a cracking game, but he’s subbed after his only error which is almost costly, perhaps caught out with a little fatigue.

On the whistle of Darren England I head straight for the stairs, I’ve had a steak and ale pie which was decent, but is repeating on me, time for the short trip to Swindon as I head down further south and west, ahead of the cricket tomorrow morning.

The Stars

Oxford impress across the park, Cameron Brannagan is that snappy style midfielder that 'every' Championship club needs, he floats passes left to right and is busy, hard-working in the centre, next to Brian De Keersmaecker who I really like, recently signed from Heracles in Holland, he's a Belgium born playmaker who looks and plays not-dissimilar to Kevin De Bruyne, he takes all the set plays, is thick set and solid looking, neat on the ball and is happy to put his foot in.

Out wide Dembele is a real pain as he tears the Leganes full back inside out for 45 minutes before he's rested at the interval, but he looks frustrating too, a couple of overlapping runs by left back Greg Leigh are ignored.

In defence, I really like Oxford, Cumming in goal solid, Long at centre back has good feet, Moore beside him no nonsense, in the wide areas, both Spencer and Leigh offer attacking alternative options.

For Leganes, neat is the word, defensively they all have good footballers who can play, 34-year-old wing back Ruben Pena providing an outlet out right, Marcel looks solid on the left, I quite like their captain Seydouba Cisse who gets it, and gives it, but is on occasion caught out in the centre of the park, but I'm mostly impressed with their number 26 Carlos Guirao who comes on as a second half sub, he's looking to get the ball off defenders and is really neat in possession, looking to make things happen, in the Isco mould (he did have a short loan spell at Betis last season), he's only 22 and is certainly one to keep an eye on.

Another youngster who i'm keen to see ahead of the game is Belgian winger Benjamin Pauwels, he has a stinker, gets taken off at half time and his replacement, the Cape Verde international Duk, is much better on the left, attacking at his opposite number all be it without much luck.

The Verdict

Another 'stadium' ticked off, there comes a point in life when you've been to most grounds in England, that you feel you must do those you've not yet been to. That was my main reason for visiting Oxford, but I did at least leave feeling impressed by the team in yellow, who are let's remember, a Championship team having survived relegation last year, their first year in the division this millennium.

I think under Gary Rowett, and I hope, Oxford will do ok. I like the way they play for the division, I like the players they have, just perhaps lacking that fifteen-twenty goal forward.

I'm not entirely sure how playing a team like Leganes, slow but neat in possession, frail in size, will help them in any way ahead of the new campaign of rough and rugged Championshipness, but getting minutes into legs is all important, and both teams will be better for it from a physical and fitness perspective at least.

The Teams

Oxford United: Jamie Cumming, Greg Leigh (Jack Currie 74), Elliott Moore, Sam Long (Luke Harris 68), Brodie Spencer, Brian De Keersmaecker (Louie Sibley 74), Cameron Brannagan, Matt Phillips (Peter Kioso 68), Stanley Mills (Leo Snowden 82), Siriki Dembele (Tyler Goodrham 46), Tom Bradshaw (Gaitlin O'Donkor 74).

Leganes: Sam Roman, Ruben Pena, Lalo Aguilar, Ignasi Miquel, Marvel (Said Imigene 74), Roberto Lopez (Naim Garcia 62), Seydouba Cisse (Sergio Fernandez 86), Andres Campos (Sebastian Figueredo 75), Benjamin Pauwels (Duk 46), Alex Millan (Carlos Guirao 62), Miguel del la Fuente (Alvaro Gonzalez 74 (Jorge Saenz 86)).

7:00pm Kick Off. Tuesday 29th July 2025, Kassam Stadium, Oxford (att 2,085).