SPOTLIGHT ON STEF
Posted on: Wed 11 Jun 2008
By Matt Cecil
As one of the Blues' longest-serving players heads for pastures new with Lincoln City, wwfc.com takes a look back at Stefan Oakes' three years with the Wanderers and pays tribute to the former Premiership midfielder.
A quick flick through the Q&A pages of this season's matchday programmes tells you everything you need to know about Oakesy's presence in the dressing room. The titles of 'funniest player', 'biggest moaner' and 'best (and worst) dressed player' have regularly been thrown his way by team-mates as proof of how big and popular a character he is within the playing squad.
But it's not just off the pitch that the 29-year-old has left a mark as he prepares for life at Sincil Bank. More than a hundred appearances in the Blues' midfield have seen Stef produce some stunning performances and goals in his three years at Adams Park and it's little surprise that he spent much of his early career in the Premiership with Leicester City.
Indeed, it was with the Foxes that he first encountered the Wanderers - and he hardly endeared himself to the Wycombe faithful with a blatant handball inside the penalty area during the FA Cup quarter-final in 2001 that could have cost the Blues that unforgettable semi-final appearance. Referee Steve Bennett and his assistant both failed to spot the misdemeanour but Roy Essandoh's late winner rendered the offence somewhat irrelevant in the end.
However, Stefan was to inflict more grief on the Blues in 2005 when he scored a stunning strike at Adams Park whilst playing for Notts County to put a large dent in the Wanderers' play-off aspirations as the Magpies clinched a 2-1 victory.
It was that goal, coupled with his fine performance in the clash, that persuaded John Gorman to bring the midfielder to Adams Park that summer as one of a number of impressive signings made by the club at the time. Tommy Mooney, Kevin Betsy and Will Antwi all arrived in South Bucks alongside Oakes, whose potent left-foot was well-known all over the Football League, and news of his capture was met with widespread approval by the Wanderers' supporters.
He certainly wasted no time settling into his new surroundings, winning the Player of the Month award in August 2005 for some excellent displays at the start of the season, and he was a regular fixture in the side that went 21 games unbeaten at the start of the campaign.
But despite his impressive midfield displays, there was one thing missing: a goal. It was certainly worth the wait, though, as in the televised match with Leyton Orient in December 2005, Oakes delivered a piledriver of a free-kick which flew past the keeper to give the Blues a 4-1 lead and open his Wanderers account.
His next strike came eight games later, when his fierce strike from inside the area claimed a point against Mansfield Town, and despite the Blues' loss of form towards the end of the campaign, Stefan kept hold of his first-team place and completed an impressive debut season for the club.
The arrival of new manager Paul Lambert in the summer of 2006 didn't affect Stefan's place in the first team, and his rocket of a free-kick against Swansea City in the Carling Cup first round helped set the Blues on their way to an unforgettable run in the competition. He repeated the trick in the third round against Doncaster Rovers but his night ended on a disappointing note with a red card for a professional foul.
Just two appearances later, Oakes found the back of the net in another cup competition - this time in an FA Cup tie with Oxford United. Just moments after the U's had equalised through Gavin Johnson's free-kick, Stef smashed home the winner to silence the visitors.
Arguably Stefan's best performance in a Wanderers shirt came in the Carling Cup quarter-final against Charlton Athletic, where he dominated the midfield against his Premiership opponents, breaking up the Addicks' attacks and creating chances for the Blues. After the home side had had the better of the opening exchanges, it was a ferocious shot by Oakes that won the Blues a free-kick in dangerous territory and sparked the beginning of Wanderers' dominance in the match.
Stef also starred in the two legs against Chelsea in the semi-final, providing evidence that the talent that had seen him make dozens of Premiership appearances for Leicester hadn't deserted him. In fact, if his last-minute free-kick in the first leg had been a couple of inches lower, he would have hit global headlines for being the man to sink Jose Mourinho's superstars.
But it was a different type of 'talent' that saw Stef pick up an unusual award at the club's end of season dinner. Oakesy saw off the competition of Sergio Torres, Tommy Mooney and Lewis Christon to pick up the Sasha Kane Cup for the Female Supporters' Favourite Player. To his credit, Stef accepted the award with modesty as when Wanderers World approached him for an interview to talk about his triumph, he declined the invitation.
The 2007/08 campaign saw Oakesy retain his place in the side despite a number of signings made by manager Paul Lambert throughout the summer, and his deflected long-range strike against Plymouth Argyle in the Carling Cup gave the Blues hope before succumbing to a 2-1 defeat. He continued to impress in the midfield and bagged another smart strike against Hereford United in December before missing two months of the campaign after sustaining an injury in January.
Stef returned to action with an excellent reserve team display against Millwall in March before starring for the first team over the Easter period, scoring a sensational free-kick against Morecambe and repeating the trick against Peterborough two weeks later. Impressive performances against MK Dons and Grimsby guaranteed his place in the team for the play-offs, and he made his final appearance in the quarters in the second leg defeat to Stockport County in May.
After three years for the Blues, Oakesy has decided to call time on his Adams Park career and move north to join Peter Jackson's Lincoln City, but the Wanderers would like to thank Stef for his excellent service with the club and look forward to welcoming him back when his new club face Wycombe next season.
Good luck, Oakesy.
As one of the Blues' longest-serving players heads for pastures new with Lincoln City, wwfc.com takes a look back at Stefan Oakes' three years with the Wanderers and pays tribute to the former Premiership midfielder.
A quick flick through the Q&A pages of this season's matchday programmes tells you everything you need to know about Oakesy's presence in the dressing room. The titles of 'funniest player', 'biggest moaner' and 'best (and worst) dressed player' have regularly been thrown his way by team-mates as proof of how big and popular a character he is within the playing squad.
But it's not just off the pitch that the 29-year-old has left a mark as he prepares for life at Sincil Bank. More than a hundred appearances in the Blues' midfield have seen Stef produce some stunning performances and goals in his three years at Adams Park and it's little surprise that he spent much of his early career in the Premiership with Leicester City.
Indeed, it was with the Foxes that he first encountered the Wanderers - and he hardly endeared himself to the Wycombe faithful with a blatant handball inside the penalty area during the FA Cup quarter-final in 2001 that could have cost the Blues that unforgettable semi-final appearance. Referee Steve Bennett and his assistant both failed to spot the misdemeanour but Roy Essandoh's late winner rendered the offence somewhat irrelevant in the end.
However, Stefan was to inflict more grief on the Blues in 2005 when he scored a stunning strike at Adams Park whilst playing for Notts County to put a large dent in the Wanderers' play-off aspirations as the Magpies clinched a 2-1 victory.
It was that goal, coupled with his fine performance in the clash, that persuaded John Gorman to bring the midfielder to Adams Park that summer as one of a number of impressive signings made by the club at the time. Tommy Mooney, Kevin Betsy and Will Antwi all arrived in South Bucks alongside Oakes, whose potent left-foot was well-known all over the Football League, and news of his capture was met with widespread approval by the Wanderers' supporters.
He certainly wasted no time settling into his new surroundings, winning the Player of the Month award in August 2005 for some excellent displays at the start of the season, and he was a regular fixture in the side that went 21 games unbeaten at the start of the campaign.
But despite his impressive midfield displays, there was one thing missing: a goal. It was certainly worth the wait, though, as in the televised match with Leyton Orient in December 2005, Oakes delivered a piledriver of a free-kick which flew past the keeper to give the Blues a 4-1 lead and open his Wanderers account.
His next strike came eight games later, when his fierce strike from inside the area claimed a point against Mansfield Town, and despite the Blues' loss of form towards the end of the campaign, Stefan kept hold of his first-team place and completed an impressive debut season for the club.
The arrival of new manager Paul Lambert in the summer of 2006 didn't affect Stefan's place in the first team, and his rocket of a free-kick against Swansea City in the Carling Cup first round helped set the Blues on their way to an unforgettable run in the competition. He repeated the trick in the third round against Doncaster Rovers but his night ended on a disappointing note with a red card for a professional foul.
Just two appearances later, Oakes found the back of the net in another cup competition - this time in an FA Cup tie with Oxford United. Just moments after the U's had equalised through Gavin Johnson's free-kick, Stef smashed home the winner to silence the visitors.
Arguably Stefan's best performance in a Wanderers shirt came in the Carling Cup quarter-final against Charlton Athletic, where he dominated the midfield against his Premiership opponents, breaking up the Addicks' attacks and creating chances for the Blues. After the home side had had the better of the opening exchanges, it was a ferocious shot by Oakes that won the Blues a free-kick in dangerous territory and sparked the beginning of Wanderers' dominance in the match.
Stef also starred in the two legs against Chelsea in the semi-final, providing evidence that the talent that had seen him make dozens of Premiership appearances for Leicester hadn't deserted him. In fact, if his last-minute free-kick in the first leg had been a couple of inches lower, he would have hit global headlines for being the man to sink Jose Mourinho's superstars.
But it was a different type of 'talent' that saw Stef pick up an unusual award at the club's end of season dinner. Oakesy saw off the competition of Sergio Torres, Tommy Mooney and Lewis Christon to pick up the Sasha Kane Cup for the Female Supporters' Favourite Player. To his credit, Stef accepted the award with modesty as when Wanderers World approached him for an interview to talk about his triumph, he declined the invitation.
The 2007/08 campaign saw Oakesy retain his place in the side despite a number of signings made by manager Paul Lambert throughout the summer, and his deflected long-range strike against Plymouth Argyle in the Carling Cup gave the Blues hope before succumbing to a 2-1 defeat. He continued to impress in the midfield and bagged another smart strike against Hereford United in December before missing two months of the campaign after sustaining an injury in January.
Stef returned to action with an excellent reserve team display against Millwall in March before starring for the first team over the Easter period, scoring a sensational free-kick against Morecambe and repeating the trick against Peterborough two weeks later. Impressive performances against MK Dons and Grimsby guaranteed his place in the team for the play-offs, and he made his final appearance in the quarters in the second leg defeat to Stockport County in May.
After three years for the Blues, Oakesy has decided to call time on his Adams Park career and move north to join Peter Jackson's Lincoln City, but the Wanderers would like to thank Stef for his excellent service with the club and look forward to welcoming him back when his new club face Wycombe next season.
Good luck, Oakesy.
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