Ken Oxford

Kenneth Oxford (14 November 1929 – 6 August 1993) was an English footballer. A goalkeeper, he played 296 league games in an 18-year career in the Football League. He spent time with Manchester City, Norwich City, Derby County, Doncaster Rovers, Port Vale, and Boston United.

Ken Oxford

Personal information
Full name	Kenneth Oxford[1]
Date of birth	14 November 1929[1]
Place of birth	Oldham, Lancashire, England[1]
Date of death	6 August 1993 (aged 63)[1]
Place of death	Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England[1]
Position(s)	Goalkeeper
Youth career
	Manchester City
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1947–1948	Manchester City	1	(0)
1953–1958	Norwich City	128	(0)
1958–1963	Derby County	151	(0)
1964–1965	Doncaster Rovers	16	(0)
1965	Port Vale	0	(0)
	Boston United
Total		296+	(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Playing career

Oxford started his career by winning a contract at Manchester City, playing one First Division game at Maine Road in the 1947–48 season. He later had a non-playing spell at Chesterfield. He eventually ended up with Norwich City, who finished seventh in the Third Division South in 1953–54. Norman Low's "Canaries" finished in joint-11th place in 1954–55. Oxford was selected to play for the Third Division South representative side on 16 March 1955, and kept a clean sheet in a 2–0 victory over their Northern counterparts. Norwich then finished seventh in 1955–56, before finishing in last place in 1956–57. New boss Archie Macaulay then took Norwich to eighth spot in 1957–58. In his five years at Carrow Road, Oxford played 128 league games. He moved on to Derby County, who ended the 1958–59 campaign in seventh place in the Second Division. Harry Storer's "Rams" went on to finish 18th in 1959–60, 12th in 1960–61, and 16th in 1961–62. New manager Tim Ward took County to 18th in 1962–63 and 13th in 1963–64. During his five years at the Baseball Ground, Oxford made 151 league appearances. He spent the 1964–65 season with Bill Leivers's Doncaster Rovers, and made 16 Fourth Division in a brief stay at Belle Vue. In March 1965, he moved on to Jackie Mudie's Port Vale.[1] He never played a game for the "Valiants", and remained on the sidelines as Jimmy O'Neill kept his first team place as the club were relegated out of the Third Division.[1] He left Vale Park on a free transfer to Boston United in May 1965.[1]

Post-retirement

After leaving the game, Oxford became a security guard.[2] He died of a heart attack on 6 August 1993.[2]

Statistics

Source:[3][4]

Club	Season	Division	League		FA Cup		Other		Total
			Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Manchester City	1947–48	First Division	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
Norwich City	1953–54	Third Division South	21	0	4	0	0	0	25	0
	1954–55	Third Division South	17	0	0	0	0	0	17	0
	1955–56	Third Division South	39	0	3	0	0	0	42	0
	1956–57	Third Division South	32	0	1	0	0	0	33	0
	1957–58	Third Division South	19	0	0	0	0	0	19	0
	Total		128	0	8	0	0	0	136	0
Derby County	1957–58	Second Division	22	0	1	0	0	0	23	0
	1958–59	Second Division	38	0	2	0	0	0	40	0
	1959–60	Second Division	30	0	1	0	0	0	31	0
	1960–61	Second Division	17	0	0	0	0	0	17	0
	1961–62	Second Division	17	0	0	0	3	0	20	0
	1962–63	Second Division	27	0	2	0	2	0	31	0
	Total		151	0	6	0	5	0	162	0
Doncaster Rovers	1964–65	Fourth Division	16	0	2	0	3	0	21	0
Port Vale	1964–65	Third Division	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Career total			296	0	16	0	8	0	220	0

References

1. Kent, Jeff (1996). Port Vale Personalities. Witan Books. p. 222. ISBN 0-9529152-0-0.
2. Fissler, Neil. "Port Vale – O". where-are-they-now.co.uk. Retrieved 1 November 2011.
3. Ken Oxford at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)
4. "Stats". neilbrown.newcastlefans.com. Retrieved 3 February 2013.