TODAY is a special day in the history of Oxford United as the club celebrates its 125th anniversary.

Tickets were cut to £12.50, there’s a terrific magazine the Oxford Mail have produced and tonight we will be marking the occasion with a special dinner in the city.

I know there have been stories from other teams about the managers taking down pictures of the ‘glory years’ at the club – I think it was Brian Clough who started that when he took over at Leeds United.

I don’t think like that though. I love to see the pictures from the past and learn who the heroes and stars are.

If you want to come and take a look outside my office at the ground then the walls are full of pictures of people like Ron Atkinson, John Aldridge, Ray Houghton and more recently James Constable and Kemar Roofe.

That can only be an inspiration, surely?

I want to see the walls decorated with pictures of Malcolm Shotton lifting the Milk Cup or players celebrating at Wembley in 2010.

I am so proud to be following in the footsteps of people like Jim Smith and Maurice Evans and if I can achieve half the things they did then I will be more than happy.

So today should be a celebration but at the same time we have a very big game against Shrewsbury to concentrate on.

Our form has picked up and I thought we played really well at Charlton on Tuesday, but nobody is shouting from the rooftops or thinking we have achieved anything yet. One look at the table should stop anyone getting carried away.

I do think that we have cut out some of the mistakes that were costing us.

And the return of Simon Eastwood, Jamie Mackie and even Samir Carruthers, who will get his chance very soon to show everyone what a good player he is, has all added that bit of experience to the squad and perhaps that little bit of stability you need.

There is a long way to go, but I honestly believe that we have stuck together through a really difficult period and if we can get a win this afternoon then those 125th celebrations are going to be just that little bit more special.

THE chairman flew in yesterday for this afternoon’s game against Shrewsbury Town.

I get on really well with Tiger, as do the staff and players, and we probably talk twice a day, every day. With modern technology it’s really not that hard to speak regularly.

He has been massively supportive and we have been speaking a lot recently about strengthening in January.

Remember, we have only had one transfer window so far and that saw the arrival of players like Ricky Holmes, Gavin Whyte and Marcus Browne.

It takes time to build a squad, and even more time to do the homework and research to get the right players, but that work is already under way.

It’s important to keep picking up points and climbing the table right now, knowing there is more to come from this squad, and then more to come in to it for the second half of the season.