Oxford United

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  • Championship
    Full time
    Hull City
    3
    Oxford United
    2
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    Birmingham City
    plays
    Oxford United
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    Brighton & Hove Albion
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    Oxford United
    plays
    Coventry City
  • Championship
    Oxford United
    plays
    Leicester City
  • Championship
    Bristol City
    plays
    Oxford United
  • Championship
    Oxford United
    plays
    Sheffield United
  • Championship
    Queens Park Rangers
    plays
    Oxford United
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    Watford
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    Oxford United
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    Oxford United
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    Derby County

Latest updates

  1. Forward Lankshear confident Oxford can competepublished at 13:25 18 August

    Will Lankshear in action for Oxford UnitedImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Will Lankshear spent the final three months of last season on loan with West Brom

    Will Lankshear scored his first EFL goal in Oxford United's 3-2 loss at Hull City on Sunday, but it was a bittersweet moment for the striker.

    The on-loan Tottenham Hotspur forward scored the U's first equaliser at the MKM Stadium before they were eventually beaten by a 93rd-minute Oli McBurnie strike.

    "I need to keep building and just want to help the team win now," the 20-year-old told BBC Radio Oxford.

    "I won't be settling on just this one, and want to score as many as I can for this club. I'm really enjoying my time so far and even in the short amount of time I've played I feel I've come on massively."

    Lankshear spent the final three months of last season on loan at West Bromwich Albion where he failed to score in four starts, and he has been on the losing side in both of Oxford's Championship games this season, with Sunday's defeat preceded by a 1-0 home reverse to Portsmouth.

    "It was gutting to lose, but the positive is we stuck in there and fought - we've just got to use that and keep going forward," he said.

    "We're confident we can get points in this league, and [we] have a strong squad, so I have no doubt we'll come from back from this.''

    Oxford return to Championship action on Saturday, 23 August at home to Birmingham City (15:00 BST).

  2. 'You expect to see the game out' - Rowettpublished at 18:49 17 August

    Gary RowettImage source, Rex Features

    Oxford United manager Gary Rowett spoke to BBC Radio Oxford after the 3-2 defeat at Hull City

    "We changed the shape several times just to try and give ourselves a little bit more of a foothold," he said.

    "Of course they start and score a goal early, which is very disappointing from our perspective, and then to come in at half-time - I thought we rode our luck really first half.

    "We ended up scoring two very good goals, both from set-pieces, but ultimately we probably should have been a couple more goals down because it was far too easy for them to open us up and create chances.

    "[We] Switched to a five [at the back in the] second half to give us a bit of grip in the game defensively.

    "We didn't get up the pitch enough, but I don't think they had many big chances. I thought we looked quite solid. You expect to see the game out."

  3. 'We haven't come this far to only come this far'published at 15:20 15 August

    Jerome Sale
    BBC Radio Oxford's Oxford United commentator

    Oxford United's current Kassam Stadium homeImage source, Rex Features

    It is not built yet and there are hurdles still to negotiate, but the decision by Cherwell District Council to grant planning permission for Oxford United's new stadium at The Triangle is a seismic moment.

    The odds of it being built have now tipped in the club's favour - for they no longer have the burden of proof to contend with.

    Over the past two and half years, they have had to demonstrate that the site was viable, and that they had a plan for traffic and travel and the ecology of the site.

    Often they have been trying to prove a negative – that there would NOT be problems. It has been United that have had to pay handsomely to do so. Now that burden is on the shoulders of those who will still seek to derail it.

    The 14-1 vote in the planning committee was - after an exhaustive four-and-a-half hour, single issue meeting - emphatic. Even opponents concede that the mood music from central government suggests that it will be signed off by the secretary of state.

    The granting of planning permission triggers a further one-year extension to the license agreement at the Kassam Stadium (pictured) – 2028 is now the hard deadline to move out, but the new stadium does not just build itself.

    Funds of more than £100m need to be raised – a very significant financial challenge to a club that all the while has to fight tooth and nail to sustain its Championship status.

    So does it happen? Oxford supporters have known for ever that the club owning its own stadium is key to its sustainability. They have put their collective shoulders to the wheel, behind the know-how of its board, its staff, and the financial investment of its owners.

    Millions of pounds have been ploughed into the planning process, exactly because a new stadium is so vital to the club's future.

    I am reminded of that Oxford United banner at Wembley last year: "We haven't come this far to only come this far."

    Right now, finally, the club has wrested back control of its own destiny.

  4. Pick of the stats: Hull City v Oxford Unitedpublished at 12:07 15 August

    Club badges banner

    Two sides seeking their first win go head-to-head at the MKM Stadium on Sunday (15:00 BST) as Oxford United head to Hull City.

    Sergej Jakirovic's Tigers picked up a battling point from a stalemate at Coventry on the opening day, but the U's went down 1-0 at home to Portsmouth in their first game.

    • Hull City are unbeaten across their past nine home league games against Oxford United (W6 D3), winning each of their last three in succession whilst netting 2+ goals in each.

    • Oxford United have only won one of their past five Football League games against Hull City (D1 L3); a 1-0 victory at home in November last season.

    • Hull have lost their opening home game of a league season in just two of the prior 13 seasons (W9 D2), a run which has seen them concede just 14 goals in total.

    • Oxford last lost each of their opening two league games of a season back in 2020-21, though have avoided that fate in each of their last six campaigns in the second tier.

    • Last season in the Championship, only relegated Plymouth (48) attempted fewer shots on target on the road than Oxford (61), with the U's also recording the second-fewest touches in the opposition's penalty area (306).

    An image detailing how to follow your Championship team on BBC Sport: "On the app? Tap the bell icon to get news about your club sent to you. Signed in on a browser? Hit 'Follow' to stay up to date.
  5. 'We deserved something' - Rowettpublished at 13:15 10 August

    OxfordImage source, Getty Images

    Oxford boss Gary Rowett felt his side could have taken a point from the 1-0 defeat to Portsmouth - and did not blame Cameron Brannagan for his error that led to the only goal.

    Midfielder Brannagan lost the ball in the build-up to Adrian Segecic's winner.

    Rowett said: "It was one mistake and that was the main factor in the game.

    "Other than that Portsmouth edged the game without creating a lot of moments, but one mistake gives them that little bit of impetus to hold on to, and they defended well.

    "The last 20 minutes was exactly what you would hope - there was more of an edge to us and more quality, there were some great balls in the box and more shots.

    "From that last 20 minutes I thought we deserved something from the game."

  6. Pick of the stats: Oxford United v Portsmouthpublished at 14:06 8 August

    Club badges banner

    After coming up together from League One in 2023-24, Oxford United and Portsmouth meet to begin their second season back in the Championship on Saturday (15:00 BST).

    John Mousinho, who ended his playing career with a six-season stint at the Kassam Stadium, guided Pompey to a strong finish to their last campaign, eventually finishing 16th, one point and one place ahead of Gary Rowett's U's.

    • Oxford United are winless across their last seven league games against Portsmouth (D4 L3), since a 3-2 victory in February 2022.

    • After winning this exact fixture 2-0 last season, Portsmouth will be looking to win successive away league games against Oxford United for the first time since September 1981.

    • This will be the fourth time that Oxford have met Portsmouth on the opening day of a Football League campaign, winning each of their prior three meetings whilst scoring 3+ goals in 1987, 1993 and 2013.

    • Portsmouth have lost their opening league game in just one of the last 11 seasons (W4 D6), remaining unbeaten across their last five in succession (W1 D4).

    • Only Plymouth (12) earned fewer points away from home in the Championship last season than Portsmouth (14 – W3 D5 L15), with only Luton (16) losing more on the road than Pompey.

    An image detailing how to follow your Championship team on BBC Sport: "On the app? Tap the bell icon to get news about your club sent to you. Signed in on a browser? Hit 'Follow' to stay up to date.
  7. 'Oxford may be undercooked against Portsmouth'published at 16:27 7 August

    Jerome Sale
    BBC Radio Oxford's Oxford United commentator

    Gary Rowett on the touchlineImage source, Rex Features

    When Oxford United started their first season back in the Championship, nine of their starting XI had played for them in the League One play-off final. There was some trepidation as the U's took on a division they'd been out of for a quarter of a century.

    They may have surprised even themselves by how they eased to safety under Gary Rowett. When they kick off the new campaign this weekend, there's every chance at least eight of the starters will have proved themselves in the Championship with Oxford last season.

    Those who didn't – summer signings Brodie Spencer and Brian De Keersmaecker and maybe defender Jack Currie, who is back from a stellar loan at Leyton Orient, all look ready to go at this level. They have a good team.

    Yet there is a feeling that United may be a little undercooked going into the opener against Portsmouth.

    A pre-season tour to Indonesia allowed them to make friends and gain influence there, but ate into the available time for the sort of intense fitness work that a Rowett summer usually entails. There have also been disruptive injuries which have impacted squad depth at a time when it should be at its best.

    United arrived back in the county's consciousness last summer – they are THE story, although there is as much talk about the pending decision about a new stadium as there is about the new season.

    The way for Oxford to succeed over the next nine months will be to somehow combine their underdog mentality of last year with a swagger that comes from knowing the Championship ropes. Can you have both? We are about to find out.

    A year ago Oxford were at the bottom of most people's predicted final table, but finished 17th.

    The Championship does look more competitive this year, but the average prediction I have seen this time around places the U's just above the relegation zone. Funnily enough, Oxford fans might be more comfortable if they had again been completely written off!