Survival was mission accomplished for Oxford on their first return to the second tier since 1999, but with only one win on the board so far this season it’s proving a difficult second album for Gary Rowett’s U’s – Adam England is our oppo fan ahead of Wednesday’s meeting.

How was your first season back in the Championship?

Last season wasn’t about glory. From day one it was about getting to 50 points. Driven by a refusal to be written off as a one-season wonder and to prove to our critics we were not the easy pick for relegation they thought Oxford would be. It was a season of extremes — wild swings in form that took us from brilliance to bafflement in the space of a week. One moment we were unplayable, the next... unrecognisable. We won games we had no right to, we lost games we should have won comfortably.

April brought two unforgettable season highlights, home wins — taking down playoff-bound Sheffield United and Sunderland in style to seal our place in the Championship for another year. Creating an electric atmosphere at the Kassam. And the lows? Let’s not sugar-coat it — both games against QPR were disasters. We had the quality to win, but for reasons still unknown, we never turned up. You QPR fans taunted us all second half... I must admit that we deserved it and it hurt.

Somehow, through the chaos of sacking a popular manager, record low XG stats and 12-odd game streaks without a win... Oxford did it and I've never been prouder of them.

How’s it gone so far this year?

So, the start of the season has been a bit of a headache, honestly, it's aged me a bit. Our team just wasn't ready and seemed all over the place at the beginning, totally blowing some chances to grab points in those first two games against Portsmouth and Hull. We looked every bit the relegation fodder Oxford are always expected to be. New signings then started joining the team and performances picked up, with much more competitive games against Birmingham, Coventry, and Leicester. Even with those better performances, we only managed to snag two points, when it felt like we deserved at least a couple more given how well we played. After that, we had what seemed like a big win away at Bristol, only to get totally embarrassed at home on Saturday by a pretty weak Sheffield United team. So, yeah, I'm really not sure which Oxford team is going to show up at Loftus Road tonight.

Oxford in the league so far…
Oxford 0-1 Portsmouth Segecic 38
Hull 3-2 Oxford Helhardt 2, Crooks 20, McBurnie 90 – Lankshear 9, Brannagan 26
Birmingham 1-0 Oxford Seung-Ho 40
Oxford 2-2 Coventry Lankshear 18, Brannagan 75 – Wright 12, Torp 37
Oxford 2-2 Leicester Lankshear 9, Soumare og 44 – Ayew 13, Pereira 55
Bristol City 1-3 Oxford Mehmeti 53 – Prelec 19, Placheta 45, Leigh 90
Oxford 0-1 Sheff Utd O’Hare 65

Thoughts on Gary Rowett?

The decision to replace Buckingham with Rowett in December proved pivotal to Oxford's survival in the Championship last season. While not without risk, the change brought much-needed structure, pragmatism, and experience — precisely what was required to stabilise a team in freefall. It wasn’t always pretty, but the results spoke for themselves. That managerial switch ultimately preserved Oxford’s status in the division and provided a foundation on which to build. At this stage, aesthetics must take a back seat. A solid, functional side collecting points consistently is far more valuable than one playing expansive football without end product. A style and identity can evolve in time; security must come first.

Differences in approach this season?

Expectations are swinging wildly from one game to another. Season two in the Championship feels like a fork in the road for the club's ambitions for the next ten years. Survival this season means we will have time to build a Championship-level squad and consolidate a position in the league for the foreseeable future with a new ground on the horizon. Relegation would undo the hard work of the past few years and we'd almost have to start all over again.

How was the summer transfer window?

Centre forward Will Lankshear (on loan from Spurs) gives us strength, movement and a goal scoring instinct we have been missing over the past couple of years. Brian De Keersmaecker looks like a true Rolls-Royce of a playmaker. Generally, we've recruited really well...

While I’m genuinely encouraged by the quality of Oxford’s summer signings, there’s a lingering concern about squad depth. It’s clear we’ve prioritised bringing in the right players rather than simply adding numbers — and that’s commendable. However, this approach still leaves us short of the depth needed to do more than just survive another tough Championship campaign.

At this level, injuries, suspensions, and dips in form are inevitable, and a thin squad can quickly be exposed. There’s no doubting the potential of the players we’ve brought in, but as things stand, there simply aren’t enough of them to offer real security across a long season. Getting some more strength in depth is the aim of the game in January so we're less of a house of cards when injuries inevitably strike.

Ins >>> Brian De Keersmaecker, 25, CM, Heracles, Undisclosed >>> Brodie Spencer, 21, RB, Huddersfield, Undisclosed >>> Filip Krastev, 23, AM, Lommel, Loan >>> Will Lankshear, 20, CF, Spurs, Loan >>> Nic Prelec, 24, CF, Cagliari, Loan >>> Luke Harris, 20, AM, Fulham, Loan >>> Ben Davies, 30, CB, Rangers, Loan

Outs >>> Josh McEachran, 32, CM, Bristol Rovers, Free >>> Idris El Mizouni, 24, CM, Orient, Undisclosed >>> Ruben Rodrigues, 28, AM, Vitoria, Undisclosed >>> Stuart Findlay, 29, CB, Hearts, Loan >>> Will Goodwin, 23, CF, Colchester, Loan >>> Jordan Thorniley, 28, CB, Northampton, Loan >>> Max Woltman, 21, CF, Released >>> >>> Elliott Moore, 28, CB, Released Joe Bennett, 35, LB, Released >>> Peter Kioso, 26, RB, Peterborough, Loan >>> Owen Dale, 26, RW, Plymouth, Loan >>> Stuart Findlay, 29, CB, Hearts, Loan >>> Marselino Ferdinan, 20, AM, Trencin, Loan >>> Stephan Negru, 23, CB, Bristol Rovers, Loan >>> James Golding, 21, CB, Crewe, Loan

Expectations for the season?

Expectations for the season feel unusually polarised. This squad — as currently built — looks capable of creeping into the top half if things click early and injuries are kind. But by the same token, if we’re slow out of the blocks or lose key players, it’s not hard to imagine us being in serious trouble by Christmas. There doesn’t seem to be much middle ground. The margins in the Championship are razor-thin, and with a relatively lean squad, Oxford could just as easily defy expectations as fall victim to them.

Rowett still feels like the man who will get the best out of what he has at his disposal. He's an experienced Championship manager and certainly represents our best chance of staying at this level.

Links >>> Sheff Wed Awayday – Patreon Podcast >>> Oxford official website >>> Oxford Mail — Local Press >>> Last Word on Sport —Blog >>> Vital Oxford — Blog >>> Yellows Forum — Message Board >>> The Fence End — Podcast >>> T’Manor — Podcast

Pictures - Reuters Connect

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