Sir, Re: your recent letter from Mr Montgomery (Headington United: aka Get your filthy football club off my hallowed portals'). I thought at first that this was a spoof and was in fact really rather pleased. Brightened up Friday morning anyway.

Then it occurred to me that he might be serious (although I am still not entirely convinced). Did, I wondered, Mr M miss the feverish lead-up to that sad final game, the passionate expressions of hope and desire, and the very real sadness when our hopes were unfulfilled. And most importantly did he not notice the obvious connection between the town and their football club.

Does he, I wonder, really think that if his college (so-named because the rich benefactor came from Worcestershire but didn't really want to found a college there so he bought up a bit of mouldering monastic real estate and added a couple of wings) was to cease to exist or in fact move back to Kidderminster, or wherever that there would be anything like the same reaction from the people of Oxford . . . that is those of us who live here and who follow the football club because it is a representation of our town and our hopes and desires.

Someone really ought to point out (without re-igniting the town and gown debate) that we were here first, here from the 9th century, long before the University deigned to drop in (because apparently Paris was getting a bit full) and certainly long before some dodgy builder indulged in a bit of 18th-century money laundering and self-gratification.

If Mr Montgomery doesn't like this city and its people maybe he should get his college off my city.

Ianto Wain, Oxford