Somewhere buried in the depths of Des Buckingham’s family’s photo album collections is a picture of the current Oxford United boss aged one complete with a sombrero at the 1986 League Cup Final at the old Wembley Stadium.

It was on that famous day that the U’s claimed their first and only major honour in the Club’s history, but it was clear where Buckingham’s allegiances had already been decided at a young age.

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"I’ve got that photo and I said I will show it – my dad sent me that picture when I got the job!” he laughed.

Fast forward almost four decades and Oxford fans rejoiced as Josh Murphy saw the net ripple for the second time that afternoon. It saw the U’s to take a huge step towards a second-tier return for the first time since 1999 and it meant much more to those supporters dressed all in yellow.

Had things taken a different turn, Oxford head coach Buckingham could well have been one of those 30,000-plus fans queueing up to take his seat at Wembley, as he did 14 years ago. Back in 2010 when the Yellows faced York City in the Conference Premier Play-Off Final as the Club bounced back following a four-year absence from the EFL and Buckingham was a face in the crowd cheering on his beloved team.

Chris Wilder – the man who gave Buckingham his chance in the first-team fold when he was promoted to the backroom staff ahead of the 2013/14 campaign – led the U’s back to League Two. However, it was quite a different experience this time around for the 39-year-old.

Buckingham said: “To put it into words, I simply can’t. Anyone that supports a Club when they’re successful knows what it means. I’ve shared that moment, not just with the fans, but most of my family are in the stands.

“The last time I was here, I watched James Constable, Matt Green and Alfie Potter score the goals that brought us back into the Football League in 2010 as a fan. So, to experience what I just have as the manager of this Football Club from the sideline is a very special moment.”

Born and raised in Oxford, he attended his first game in 1990 at the old Manor Ground with his grandma and hasn’t looked back since. Buckingham had a spell in the Club’s youth team but opted to pursue a career in coaching instead – an opportunity he was handed by his boyhood Club. At the age of 18, he began working with the Yellows’ age groups as he took his first steps into coaching.

His was a career that took him all around the globe, to New Zealand, Australia, India and back to Oxford. In November last year, Buckingham couldn’t turn down the opportunity to return home mid-way through the campaign.

Following the news of Liam Manning’s departure to Bristol City, the vacancy arose at the Kassam Stadium and Buckingham opted to swap Mumbai City for Oxford United. His credentials spoke for themselves. The Coach of the Year in 2023, as chosen by the Indian Players Football Association, and the Australian A-League’s youngest-ever manager was more than ready for the role he’d been dreaming of for his whole life.

“The last six months have been a whirlwind,” he noted. “I spent nine years overseas so it’s not just been about taking a job back in the English Football League, it’s about proving that you can coach at this level, firstly to the players and to the fans and thirdly to everyone else that’s in this level of football.

“There is that additional pressure because you know what it means to people and you also live in the area. You can’t walk anywhere around Oxford without someone coming to tell you what they think – good or bad!

“When we beat Peterborough the other day, I had somebody run across the street and I won’t share the language he used but he was very happy with the performance!”

It has been a season of highs and lows for the U’s, who were close to writing themselves off for a top six finish at one stage in the season. Nevertheless, their head coach repaid their faith and after overcoming a period of transition under the new boss, Oxford sealed their Play-Off spot on the final day of the regular campaign.

The Yellows saw off Peterborough United in a hard-fought Semi-Final to reach Wembley and the story was almost complete for Buckingham’s men, who would go head-to-head with Bolton Wanderers under the famous arch. But if Bolton’s status as favourites going into the game phased the U’s head coach in any way, he didn’t show it.

“I left the hotel this morning and you say to yourself, ‘when I walk back into this hotel room, you’re either going to be a League One manager or a Championship manager’. I’ll go to sleep tonight very content and very happy and when I wake up, I’ll hope it wasn’t a dream.”

The former youth coach was able to set aside his emotions for 90 minutes on the touchline and earned himself local legendary status in the city of Oxford. He took a well deserved moment to survey the scene from his vantage point in Wembley’s Royal Box as his players were presented with the coveted trophy and it’s a day that he will be hard-pressed to ever let slip his memory.

"This Club means so much to so many people,” he said. “I’m so proud to lead this team. When you come in it takes time and I’m grateful to the Club for giving us that time. In true Oxford fashion, we’ll go up the hard way, but it’s the best way to do it.

“The vision of the Club when I came back was they wanted to be a Championship Club. We are ready for that and the foundations and the backing is certainly there. I’ll keep trying to take us forwards.

“I’m going to enjoy myself. Tonight, I’ll spend time with family. They’ve travelled up in their droves and it’s cost me a fortune in tickets!”

His story will live on forever in the hearts of U’s fans, but one thing is abundantly clear – Des Buckingham is Oxford through and through.