Oxford United: Swindon Town antics helped establish cult hero status in less than two seasons | OneFootball

Chris Maguire's on-field antics endeared himself to the Oxford faithful in a way you rarely see

Oxford United fans - and supporters of anyone - always love it when a player puts their heart and soul into the club. And they love it even more when that player becomes hated by opposition fans.

Chris Maguire is a rare form of footballer who plays the game with one aim: have as much fun as possible. This can come in many forms, including outrageous pieces of skill or having a joke with opposition players during the game.

For Maguire, it's scoring a goal at home against your team's rivals and running over in front of the away fans to annoy them by any means necessary.

That is the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the Scotsman, whose time at the club has left behind iconic moments that fans still remember to this day.

From sensational free kicks, to mocking goalkeepers after scoring against them, this is how Maguire became a cult hero among Oxford fans.

Maguire's first experience against Swindon

The rivalry between Oxford and Swindon is a fierce one. Ask almost any fan of either, and they will say that the contempt they have for the other is far greater than for any other team.

Some Oxford fans of a certain vintage will still say they dislike Reading more, but that rivalry has dwindled over the years.

Maguire's first experience of derby day came in September 2016. United had been promoted from League Two just the season before and the midfielder had only been at the club for 11 months.

The day belongs to Maguire, who, on the stroke of half-time, stuck away a penalty against Lawrence Vigouroux. If the Oxford man was the protagonist of the day, the Swindon keeper would later become the pantomime villain, and an ironic U's fan favourite.

Maguire wheeled away in celebration, straight to the Swindon fans. A 180-degree turn revealed the name on the back of the shirt, which Maguire pointed at numerous times, just to rub salt into the wound.

20 minutes into the second half, Maguire chased down a Vigouroux clearance. It didn't look like the midfielder had a chance of getting a foot to the ball. But as he flew through the air, the ball deflected off his studs and straight into the net.

The Swindon keeper fell to his knees and held his head in his gloves, as Maguire ran off to the corner flag to celebrate a goal that ultimately put the game to bed.

Vigouroux's afternoon went from bad to worse after seeing red late into the game, compounding his and Swindon's misery. This was Oxford's sixth consecutive win against Swindon, which United fans were reminding their opponents of throughout the game.

Speaking to the Oxford Mail after the game, Maguire said: "It’s games like that you want to be involved in – the atmosphere was incredible.

"It’s a local derby, and you want to do well in them.

"Having a big crowd is one of the things I thrive on, with people coming out to cheer you on."

Oxford make it seven in a row v Swindon

Later on in the season, the two met again, this time at the County Ground.

Maguire wasn't on the scoresheet in this game. In fact, Swindon took the lead when Fankaty Dabo riffled home a strike 19 minutes into the game.

United fans were starting to worry that they might be losing their winning streak, until Liam Sercombe scored an equaliser in the 70th minute.

Maguire worked the ball beautifully down the left-hand side, and turned his defender to play a ball inside to Marvin Johnson. Johnson found Sercombe in the box for a goal to send the away fans behind the goal crazy.

Rob Hall scored a fantastic effort from way outside the box three minutes later to complete the comeback. Maguire screamed for the ball to be played to him, but could have no complaints about the finish.

Vigouroux had yet to have his say in the match so far, and managed to get yet another red card late in the game for fouling Kane Hemmings outside the box. And in doing so, completing his pantomime villain arc.

At the blow of the final whistle, the fans erupted with joy, and so did Maguire. Famous photos from the day will show the midfielder running around the County Ground holding up seven fingers, to signify the extension of their winning run to the Swindon fans.

For fans who were there that day, those images will live on forever.

Maguire the cult hero at Oxford

There was something about Maguire that Oxford fans took to instantly. He doesn't necessarily look like your stereotypical wide player. He's not particularly quick, he isn't a player with tonnes of flair, and his physique isn't one you often see in football. But his cleverness to use his body, and the passes he played, were fantastic. Not to mention his eye for goal.

He scored six free-kicks in his two seasons at the club, and nine penalties. He left the club with 23 goals and 15 assists, according to Transfermarkt data.

Other memorable moments include an infamous penalty against Peterborough United when Ben Alnwick was the only thing stopping Maguire from scoring a 93rd minute winner from the penalty spot.

Usually you see mind games between players leading up to a spot kick, but it went further than normal in this game. Alnwick kept pointing to his right side, and there were clearly words spoken between the two.

After Maguire slotted the ball the other side, the midfielder ran to the goal line to mimic Alnwick's mind games before diving into an empty net.

This behaviour epitomised Maguire, and why he was loved by Oxford fans. To put it simply, he was a player other fans loved to hate. And that always earns you more points among your own fanbase.