Joey Beauchamp: Former Oxford United, West Ham & Swindon winger dies, aged 50
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Joey Beauchamp made 428 appearances in two separate spells with Oxford United, scoring 80 goals
Oxford United have announced the death of club legend Joey Beauchamp, at the age of 50.
Oxford-born Beauchamp became a cult figure at his home-town club.
The talented winger joined West Ham for £1m in June 1994, but never played a game for the Hammers as he suffered from homesickness in the capital.
West Ham sold him to Oxford's Thames Valley rivals Swindon for £850,000 but after 49 appearances for the Robins, Beauchamp returned to the Manor Ground.
After rejoining Oxford in 1995, he added to his existing 145 appearances for the club by playing a further 284 times before kicking his last ball for the club in February 2002.
Beauchamp, who first signed as a YTS trainee in 1987 and was a ball boy at Oxford's League Cup final win over QPR at Wembley in 1986, was released by the U's in June 2002 after developing a career-threatening toe injury - and he never played professional football again.
He reached an out-of-court settlement with Oxford in 2003 over a contract dispute - and was then awarded a joint testimonial, external by the club in 2011, along with fellow former Oxford player Dave Langan.
After his unhappy two months with West Ham ended in August 1994, eight days after Harry Redknapp took over from Billy Bonds as manager, Beauchamp also made 60 appearances in his 14 months with Swindon under Steve McMahon.
He played under Brian Horton, Maurice Evans and Denis Smith in his first spell at Oxford, then also Mal Shotton and Mark Wright before his time at Oxford came to an end when Ian Atkins was at the helm.
In an Oxford United statement, the club said: "We will pay fitting tribute to one of the club's greatest ever players in due course, but for now we ask fans to allow Joey's family some privacy at this incredibly sad time."
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