AFTER hand-drawing the world's best footballers, two intrepid illustrators are finally immortalising Oxford United legends in their own unique way.

East Oxford couple Alex and Sian Pratchett have bowed to pressure and recreated 36 U's favourites from down the years.

The Panini Cheapskates have drip-fed the drawings on Twitter since Monday, producing their own take on players from 60s titan Ron Atkinson to local hero Joey Beauchamp.

The pair used their portrait of ex-striker James Constable to announce the project on Twitter, writing 'okay, we’ve put it off for as long as we could: time for our adopted hometown'.

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Mr Pratchett revealed the number of U's fans urging the couple to draw their favourite players meant they had to put pen to paper.

He said: "We tend to ask our Twitter followers what they want to see done.

"It was only a matter of time until we did Oxford - we couldn't escape forever.

"We didn't want any of the Oxford Ultras hunting us down."

Oxford Mail:

The pair have amassed almost 25,000 Twitter followers thanks to their bizarre designs, which began as a 'cost-saving exercise gone wrong'.

They expect to finish drawing all 36 United players by Friday evening and the prints will soon be available on their website.

Mr Pratchett estimates it will take up to 10 hours to finish the project, with each sticker needing 15 minutes drawing time.

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Supporters of other clubs may struggle to name 36 United players past and present, let alone those who have written their names in U's folklore.

But Mr Pratchett revealed this made the task more difficult, as they have had to give real thought over who would make the cut.

Oxford Mail:

He said: "When we ask Arsenal or Liverpool fans, we find 36 names and everyone's quite happy.

"But when we asked our Oxford United-supporting followers they had 60 or 70 suggestions.

"It depends which era you grew up in, although it's kind of whoever shouts loudest.

"We give the people what they want, and at the moment that's badly-drawn Oxford United players.

"We'd totally lose our appeal if we were any good."

Last summer, they recreated the entire World Cup 2018 Panini sticker album from scratch, finishing all 682 stickers before the last ball was kicked.

The Welsh pair, both 35, completed a similar feat for the World Cup in 2014 and European Championships in 2016.

Oxford Mail:

After filling their boots with international teams, the Iffley Road couple switched their attention to drawing the world's best club sides.

Prints of teams including Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United can be bought online, along with projects such as '90s icons' and 'Football Italia'.

The couple, who live on Iffley Road with their baby Nye, have raised £14,000 over the years for charities including Cancer Research UK, learning disability charity MacIntyre and LGBT rights group Stonewall.

Go to @CheapPanini.