[9] Their crest showcases an ox, symbolizing both the name and historical background of the city, which was initially established as a market town for cattle located adjacent to a ford on the River Isis.

[1] In April 1983, Maxwell proposed merging United with neighbours Reading, to form a new club called the Thames Valley Royals,[25] to play at Didcot.

Smith moved to Queens Park Rangers shortly after the promotion success,[30] and made way for chief scout Maurice Evans, who, several seasons earlier, had won the Fourth Division title with Reading.

As winners, Oxford would have qualified for the following season's UEFA Cup, had it not been for the ban on English teams that had resulted from the previous year's Heysel Stadium disaster.

[32] After beating fellow First Division side Aston Villa in the semi-final 4–3 on aggregate,[33] Oxford faced Queens Park Rangers in the final, which was held at Wembley Stadium on 20 April 1986.

Perryman left to become player-manager of Brentford, while Aldridge scored 15 times in 25 league games but was sold to Liverpool mid-season for £750,000 while Dean Saunders joined from Brighton for £60,000 and Martin Foyle was signed from Aldershot for £140,000.

[36] The cup-winning team continued to break up however, as captain Malcolm Shotton was sold to Portsmouth, Kevin Brock joined former manager Jim Smith at QPR and Welsh international Charles was forced to retire due to injury.

[39] Denis Smith brought in two strikers who were experienced in the top division: Southampton's Paul Moody and Nottingham Forest's Nigel Jemson.

Despite Smith's departure to West Bromwich Albion in December 1997, United finished twelfth the following season under his successor, and former captain, Malcolm Shotton.

Former Liverpool and England defender Mark Wright was given the manager's job, but resigned in late November, after being accused of making racist remarks to referee Joe Ross.

[citation needed] Atkins's replacement, Graham Rix, could only manage a ninth-place finish at the end of the season, and was sacked the following November.

[53] During his time at the club, Diaz brought in a number of South American players including his own sons, and Juan Pablo Raponi.

On 21 March 2006, Firoz Kassam sold the club, including its debts, for approximately £2 million to Florida-based businessman Nick Merry, who had played for United's youth team in the mid-1970s.

[59] Jim Smith was retained as manager for the following season, and it started positively for Oxford, with 14 wins and 8 draws from the opening 25 games.

On Boxing Day 2006, a crowd of 11,065 watched United draw 0–0 with Woking at the Kassam Stadium, the largest-ever attendance for a Conference match (excluding play-offs).

[63] In a lacklustre season which included defeats to Droylsden and Tonbridge Angels, camouflaged by a belated run of eight wins in the last eleven games,[64] Oxford finished ninth in the Conference National in 2007–08, 10 points off the last play-off place.

[83] Waddock's surprise sacking ensured he had the worst record of any Oxford manager, winning only once and losing seven times in his eight games in charge of the club.

[94] After a lengthy period under caretaker-manager Derek Fazackerley during which the team slipped to within 4 points of the relegation zone,[95] Karl Robinson, former manager of Milton Keynes Dons and Charlton Athletic, was appointed on 22 March 2018.

[97] In the final behind closed doors at Wembley, Oxford lost 2–1 to Wycombe Wanderers, Joe Jacobson's penalty proving decisive in the tie.

During the season, the club's ownership changed hands again, with Indonesian businessmen and minority shareholders Erick Thohir and Anindya Bakrie taking control after a series of transactions.

When playing as Headington and during the early years of Oxford United, the crest included a full ox crossing the ford, as well as the initials H.U.F.C.

In 1979, zoologist Desmond Morris, who at the time was a club director, designed the current ox-head logo which was based on a Minoan-style bull's head.

[118] The capacity at closure was 9,500, but hosted United's record crowd of 22,750 against Preston North End in an FA Cup sixth-round match on 29 February 1964.

[148][149] Oxford United's fiercest rivalry is with Swindon Town; matches between the two are referred to as the A420 derby, a primary road between both cities, which are only 30 miles (48 km) apart.

[23] Jim Smith started his first spell as manager in 1981, and led Oxford into the top tier of English football after consecutive promotions as champions in 1984 and 1985.

[30] New manager, former chief scout Maurice Evans, had immediate success winning the 1986 League Cup, beating his predecessor's new club in the final.

Gary Waddock was appointed head coach in March 2014, but was sacked in July following a change of shareholding in the club, to be replaced by Michael Appleton.

[83] In his three seasons in charge, Appleton oversaw promotion to League One and two losing finals in the EFL Trophy, before leaving to become assistant manager at Leicester City.

The largest recorded home attendance was during a match against Preston North End in the sixth round of the FA Cup, at the Manor Ground, on 29 February 1964.

The largest amount of money Oxford have received by selling a player was an estimated £3,000,000 for Kemar Roofe's transfer to Leeds United in July 2016.