IF OXFORD United need a lucky omen for Saturday’s FA Cup fourth-round tie against Blackburn Rovers, this picture may provide it.

This was the year the team reached the FIFTH round of the competition.

The United supporters pictured here at Oxford railway station were among 1,500 who boarded three special trains to support their heroes at Leicester City in 1971.

Altogether, 6,000 fans made the trip and were well rewarded, with United producing a first-class performance to force a 1-1 draw and earn a replay against their high-flying opponents.

Oxford Mail sports reporter Bill Beckett was full of praise for the underdogs, for whom Dick Lucas scored an 87th equaliser after Leicester had taken an early lead. He described it as “perhaps their best-ever performance of controlled football”.

He wrote: “A share of the spoils was rather less than this undaunted Oxford team deserved, for any side that hits the woodwork three times and has two penalty appeals rejected has cause to think that it is hard done by.”

The replay attracted huge interest, with 17,948 fans packed inside the tiny Manor Ground at Headington for the floodlit game. At one point before the match, club officials, on police advice, were forced to close the gates temporarily for safety reasons.

In those days, most fans stood on the terraces and having found a good vantage point, many stayed put, blocking the way in for many others behind them. Two people fainted in the crush and one man was taken to hospital with a broken arm and suspected broken ribs. The gates were reopened after fans answered a loudspeaker appeal to move around the ground away from the entrances.

United again battled hard, but sadly it was not their day, with Leicester always the better side. Skipper Ron Atkinson scored to cancel out an early Leicester goal and make it 1-1 after 90 minutes.

But in extra time, United flagged and Leicester’s superiority proved decisive.

They scored twice to win the tie 3-1 and earn a sixth-round home tie against Arsenal.

The United team that night was: Kearns, Lucas, Shuker, Smithson, Clarke, Evanson, Sloan, Graham Atkinson, Skeen, Cassidy and Ron Atkinson, with Clayton as substitute.

United manager Gerry Summers was disappointed with the result, but added: “I don’t think they could have done any more.”

Earlier, United had beaten the First Division bottom club Burnley 3-0 at home in the third round.

In the fourth-round tie against Watford at the Manor, a wall at the London Road end collapsed six minutes into the match and six spectators were taken to hospital.

The match resumed after a delay and ended in a 1-1 draw. United won the replay at Watford 2-1, but the players had to celebrate with tea, as no-one had thought to bring Champagne!