Why Rowett used 'effective' football to keep Oxford up

Oxford United achieved Championship safety with a 2-0 win over Sunderland

Oxford United boss Gary Rowett always thought it would be a "massive task" to keep the club in the second tier this season.

He admitted there were times when he wondered if they would avoid the drop-zone.

But after beating Sunderland 2-0 on Saturday at Kassam Stadium, the U's status as a Championship side was confirmed for another season.

"When I got here I thought keeping the club up would be a massive task to be honest," Rowett told BBC Radio Oxford.

"I thought it would be the hardest one I'd had in terms of trying to do it. I'm super proud of the effort everyone has made.

"In this division sometimes you have to roll your sleeves up and dig in. To beat a lot of the teams we beat at home is an amazing achievement this season."

Despite an encouraging start to the campaign, the U's hit a rough patch around Christmas that ended with previous boss Des Buckingham losing his job.

Buckingham's sacking was met with a fair bit of criticism by some Oxford fans. He was a popular figure at the Kassam, having led them to promotion the summer before.

But in his place came former Millwall boss Rowett, a man with plenty of experience in the Championship.

"When we first came in, there was a clear defined system of trying to play, build and play in a certain way," Rowett said.

"We then reached a point where we lost a few players and it became apparent to me very quickly that we had to find a different way.

"That way didn't need to look super pretty and didn't need to be perfect, it needed to be effective and efficient.

"Long term we want a lot more than that. Given the opportunity, we'd be able to build something a lot different."

Oxford go into their final game against Swansea on Saturday, 3 May, safe in the knowledge they can start preparing for another season in the second tier.

"If I'm being really honest, I didn't have a plan for us in League One," Rowett laughed.

"I'm pleased for everyone that we'll have a chance to build something more sustainable in the Championship.

"We want to improve every aspect of the team, we need to strengthen certain areas. Those conversations now become real because we achieved safety."

Oxford travel to Swansea City for their final Championship game of the season

'Staying up is why we need a new stadium'

Oxford United chief executive Tim Williams has doubled down on his stance that the club need a new ground after retaining their Championship status.

The lease on the Kassam Stadium, where the U's currently play, expires in June 2026 and the club is still awaiting a decision from planners about a proposed new 16,000-seater venue, which is expected this summer.

Back in April Williams said that without a new stadium, there would be no Oxford United, and that there is "nothing more important".

"Staying up is why we need a new stadium," he told BBC Radio Oxford. "If people had any doubts, then Saturday showed why it is needed.

"Up or down it doesn't matter, Oxfordshire needs a football club with its own stadium in the heart of the county and that is the most important thing. We're a Championship club for the second season and we deserve a Championship stadium.

"We've been through some tough times this season and we made some very difficult decisions on the way.

"But we've done it for the right reasons and they are that we stay in the league for another year. It's an extraordinary and brilliant achievement."