Oxford United’s players will be looking to end their wretched league record at the County Ground on Sunday, having not won there for 38 years.

The intense rivalry between the two sides started on August 21, 1965, when the game at the County Ground ended goalless.

Since then, Oxford have met Swindon at the County Ground 24 times, losing 16, drawing eight and winning only once.

That solitary victory came on February 24, 1973 when the U’s triumphed 3-1, thanks to goals from Dave Roberts, Nigel Cassidy and Hugh Curran. Mick McGovern replied for the Robins.

United last travelled to Swindon for a league game on October 10, 2000 when they lost 2-1 in the old Division Two. Alan Reeves’s opener for Swindon was cancelled out by loan signing Guy Whittingham, only for Giuliano Grazioli to score the winner for Town.

The U’s last netted a point at Swindon on August 30, 1995 when Paul Moody equalised in a 1-1 draw.

U’s centre back Dave Roberts, who scored in the one and only win in 1973, has fond memories of that day.

“It was an unusual goal for me as it was a left-footed volley,” said the ex-Welsh international.

“I hit it so hard that the ball was picking up speed off the ground.

“I was just going up as a centre half to make a nuisance of myself.

“I’m not sure the game meant as much in those days as it does now.

“I had a look on some message boa-rds last night. It is a big game and something they have been waiting for for a long time.

“I think it was more of a friendly rivalry. Oxford had come out of the non-League, while Swindon had been around for a long time and had won the League Cup in 1969.”

Playing for the U’s was the highlight of Roberts’s career.

“I think I played my best football there and was at my fittest. It was only when I left Oxford that I started picking up injuries.

“I couldn’t have gone anywhere better at that time in my career.”

Roberts, now 61, still follows the fortunes of his old team.

He said: “Even when they went into non-league, I always kept tabs on them. I still have my wife’s family in Oxford.

“My brother-in-law rang me up during the summer and said I got a mention on Radio Oxford. It is great people still remember me.”

Dick Lucas, who was right back that day, said: “We used to think about the game weeks before.

“I live in Bampton, where there are quite a few Swindon fans, so I used to get a fair bit of stick from them and from our fans saying ‘make sure you beat them’.

“These are the most important games to the fans and they were great games to play in. It would be great to win on Sunday.”