Oxford United retained their Championship status with a game to spare and finished 17th following an entertaining 3-3 draw at Swansea City in the last game of the season.

It has been a campaign of thrills and spills from the first to the very last minute.

Dan and James round up the season with the Oxford Mail's chief football writer Liam Rice, who soundly predicted back in August that things would go as swimmingly as they did (in the end!).

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The fifth full series of Behind The Badge wraps up with a fascinating chat with the former Oxford United striker Peter Foley.

Born and raised in Bicester, Foley went on to represent his boyhood club more than 300 times and scored 90 goals in the process. He played in an era when football was changing and that was certainly true at United, as the club went from a Third Division also-ran to flying up the pyramid.

Peter talked in depth about his time after leaving the Manor, including his spell as manager of non-League Marlow and the infamous FA Cup match against United in 1994!

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On many levels, Paul Simpson could be regarded as one of the best players to have pulled on an Oxford United shirt. A shrewd signing from Manchester City after United tumbled out of the First Division in 1988, 'Simmo' found his feet under the stewardship of Brian Horton and David Fogg and quickly became a huge crowd favourite.

Some of his strikes are among United's greatest of all time and he recalled some fantastic stories of a wonderful friendship with Mickey Lewis. After leaving the Manor, Simmo went on to have a stellar career in the Premier League with Derby County, before going into management and international coaching.

A fascinating listen!

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Behind The Badge had the pleasure of spending well over an hour in the company of the former Oxford United defender Eddie Odhiambo.

Eddie's football journey started in the parks of Oxford with his brothers, before he was 'poached' by Southampton just as he was beginning to make his way through the ranks at United.

Returning to his boyhood club under Jim Smith during the club's tumultuous first season in the Conference was an 'experience' for Eddie, before he enjoyed recalling a roller-coaster spell playing for Graham Westley at Stevenage.

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Level with Bud Houghton on 75 goals, only six players have found the net more times for Oxford United than Paul Moody.

A true goalscoring legend, Moods is as much remembered for the different types of goals he scored as the sheer number.

As well as being a crucial part of the 1995-96 promotion winning team, the striker's goals in his second spell probably saved the club from back-to-back relegations during a torrid first season at the Kassam Stadium in 2001-02.

Dan and James spoke to Paul about everything, both on and off the pitch, the majority of it good but some of it not.

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During the 1980s Oxford United developed some of the greatest homegrown players they have ever produced. Some went on to have fantastic careers at United, others found their feet elsewhere.

Behind The Badge had the pleasure of speaking to former midfielder Robbie Mustoe, who still considers Oxfordshire his home despite spending more than a decade at Middlesbrough, where he won promotions, played in major cup finals and established himself in most supporters' all-time best XIs.

He's now a familiar face to all football fans on the other side of the pond, having covered the Premier League for more than 10 years as a pundit on US sports channel NBC.

Quite simply one of the most fascinating pods that Dan and James have ever done!

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In a special episode of Behind the Badge, Dan and James speak to Leo Ackerman and Alex Urwin, the authors of Mad Dog: The Mickey Lewis Story.

On the fourth anniversary of Mickey's passing, it was our pleasure to speak to two people with such a strong connection to Mickey and to hear the stories behind their book and a true legend of Oxford United.

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There wasn't a single job that Les Taylor didn't do at Oxford United during an association with the club that spanned five decades. After moving down from his native North East in the early 70s, the combative midfielder quickly became a cult hero with his full-blooded displays.

Les then moved to Watford, playing in the top flight and captaining the Hornets in an FA Cup final, and he recalled some fantastic stories - including some about his relationship with Sir Elton John!

He returned to United in the early 90s and went on to help bring through some of the greatest players the club has produced through the school of excellence, YTS scheme and academy.

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Behind The Badge is back! Ahead of a new series packed with incredible guests, Dan and James are joined by Scott Walkinshaw - aka Oxblogger - as we reveal the six former players you'll hear from in the coming weeks.

We also speak to Scott about his brilliant new book, 'The Glory Years: The Rise of Oxford United in the 1980s', which looks back at what can only be described as the best time to be a U's supporter.

Available in all good book shops and of course online, 'The Glory Years' has so many stories, so many good times, and so many trophies. Click here to find out more: https://www.pitchpublishing.co.uk/shop/glory-years

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It’s been a dramatic week at United so Dan and James chew the cud over Des Buckingham’s departure and what to expect from new manager Gary Rowett.

Des will always be remembered fondly by us fans for leading us to promotion as a hometown boy and also for the exemplary way that he conducted himself on and off the pitch.

One of us, he will always be a Yellow.

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