Football this week is mourning the sad loss of one of the great stalwarts of the local game with the news that John Shepperd, formerly of Oxford City, has passed away aged 84.

John had been the long-serving secretary of the club and then became Life Vice-President when he stepped down in July 2017.

It was rare over the last 50 years to watch Oxford City and not see John somewhere around the ground, usually preparing match notes to put in the local and national press. John joined the club in 1971 and took on the role of secretary 3 years later, going through many changes on and off the field over the next 43 years in the role.

Prior to that John had joined the club as a youth player at the age of 8 and moved up through the youth teams until he eventually turned out for the reserve team.

In 2013, John was one of 149 volunteers selected from the world of non-professional football to help celebrate the 150th anniversary of The Football Association and John received a medal from the President of The Football Association, HRH The Duke of Cambridge at Buckingham Palace.

In 2016, John received a long-service medal from The Football Association to mark his 50 years association with Oxford City

The thoughts of everyone involved in the game locally are with John’s family, friends and Oxford City at this time.