Oxford United: Early-season form presents familiar challenge for U's
- Published
Oxford United have earned six points from their opening three games to kick-start the new League One season
Rarely can a start to the season have led to such a fluctuation of emotions.
You're not supposed to look at a league table until at least three games in. If you do now, sneak a peek at Oxford United in League One. They're in sixth and, before a ball was kicked, few would have been shocked by that.
Going into the campaign, Oxford fans' expectations had been inflated by decent business early in the summer transfer window and by some impressive performances in pre-season. There were even dreams of a serene passage to promotion.
The opening-day defeat at Cambridge was a rude awakening. The emphatic defeat in the Carabao Cup exit at Bristol City looked worse as a scoreline [5-1] than it was if you were there, but it did highlight frailties that Liam Manning the manager was able to address.
Back-to-back wins against Carlisle and Derby followed and United were propelled from bottom six to top six in the space of four days. Such is the nature of an embryonic table, but I suspect it may also be the nature of League One generally this season. There are going to many teams with not a lot between them.
Can U's win consistently?
Oxford are not denying they want to add at least two more significant signings before the transfer window closes. Do not be surprised if at least one of the new faces they are after has experience, rather than youth, on his side. United have already fielded six players who are 21 or younger.
If reports are to be believed, Oxford and Derby have been competing for a lot of the same players in the transfer market. It makes sense as Derby's head of recruitment held the same position at Oxford until earlier this year.
Both Mark Thomas and his successor at Oxford, Ed Waldron, can claim some successes in the summer window, but when the teams they have helped assemble did battle at Pride Park on Tuesday night it was Oxford who came out on top, playing the way they want to play and benefitting from Mark Harris's two goals - he's in the top four in the early goal-scoring charts too.
The challenge for Oxford in League One already appears not to be a new one. Can they win consistently against teams who are primarily set up to stop them, rather than trying to outplay them?
On and off the pitch at Oxford, you will meet a group that will work hard, until they find a way.
You can hear every Oxford United match live on BBC Radio Oxford with Jerome Sale.
