Oxford United used to have a great record of getting through the second round of the FA Cup and into the potentially lucrative third round.

The third round is the stage when clubs from the top two divisions come in, which means the chance of a glamorous home tie, or a money-spinning trip to somewhere like Manchester United or Arsenal.

Up until the turn of the century, Oxford had an outstanding record, managing to get through second-round ties nine times out of 12.

Invariably, it was rewarding.

In 1953-4, it took them on an epic Cup run which brought them their first competitive game against a top-flight club, as they faced Bolton Wanderers, the side beaten by Blackpool in the famous ‘Stanley Matthews FA Cup Final’ of 1953.

A record crowd of 16,670 packed into the Manor Ground to see Bolton win 4-2.

In 1962-3, a 2-1 win at King’s Lynn earned United a dream tie at Highbury against Arsenal, but because of that horribly harsh winter, the game was twice postponed, and was eventually played in the January.

The following year, the club came to national attention with a sensational run, which included a 2-1 win over non-League Kettering in the second round, and continued with perhaps the most famous home victory in the club’s history, as they beat Blackburn Rovers 3-1 with Tony Jones scoring twice.

Blackburn were second in the First Division and featured international players such as Ron Clayton, Michael England and Bryan Douglas.

The ground record was again broken, with 22,750 at the game, the Sunday Mirror awarded Oxford a special ‘Giant Killers’ Cup’, while the Lord Mayor of Oxford honoured the team with a civic reception.

It was to be 18 years, though, before United were to reach the third round again.

In 1981-2 they needed a replay in the second round to beat Aldershot.

But that then set them on the road to another famous day as they went on to defeat First Division Brighton & Hove Albion 3-0 at the Goldstone Ground – one of the biggest ever defeats for a top-flight club by a Third Division side.

In the Nineties, the U’s twice won second-round ties which eventually earned matches against Nottingham Forest, it needed a replay on both occasions before Forest triumphed.

Yet since the last of those, in 1999-2000, United’s record of success in the second round has not been great.

This is the sixth time in this round this decade, and only once before – in 2002-3, when they beat Swindon Town 1-0 at the Kassam Stadium with a goal from Jefferson Louis (pictured) – have they progressed.

That win, shown live by the BBC, was rewarded with a trip to Arsenal.

United scored in the second minute at Highbury, but the goal was disallowed (wrongly) for offside, and the Gunners went on to win 2-0, with Dennis Bergkamp scoring his 100th Arsenal goal.

What all of this shows is that, unglamorous though the second round can sometimes seem, the rewards for winning can be enormous.