Revisiting The Manor 25 years after final whistle

During Oxford's time at The Manor Ground, the club changed its name and rose through the English football leagues [Steve Daniels] "You just close your eyes and just remember what this ground meant to so many people in Oxford. " It's now been a quarter of a century since Oxford United played their last game at The Manor Ground, but the stadium still lives on in the heart of U's fans. The football against Port Vale on that May evening in 2001 might not have been the most memorable, but the full-time whistle marked the end of a 76 year journey for the club.

In 1925, then Headington United began playing on a field next to the Bowls Club and weren't even the biggest football club in the city. But the club changed its name and slowly rose through the leagues to the top-flight of English football. Then came the Milk Cup win in 1986.

At the core of all of those successes was The Manor, which created an atmosphere and memories that are still spoken about 25 years on from the club's move to the Kassam. Nick Harris is a lifelong U's fan and commentates on their games for BBC Radio Oxford [BBC] Taking a trip down memory lane, boyhood U's fan and BBC Radio Oxford commentator Nick Harris says: "[It was] a pilgrimage every Saturday to come here. " To mark the the 25th anniversary since the team left The Manor Ground, Nick revisited the Headington site where the ground once stood - which is now home to a hospital.

"Anybody who came to the Manor, anybody who supported Oxford United for a long, long time, could stand here like I do now, close their eyes and they're there. " He explains that the ground had been "all bits and pieces" before adding: "But what it did do of course was create this incredible atmosphere. " Oxford United moved to The Manor, in Headington, in 1925 [Getty Images] The ground was nestled in amongst leafy residential streets in the Headington suburb of Oxford.