Oxford United remain in a strong league position after another two wins over the last seven days.
Liam Manning saw his side pick up wins over Shrewsbury and Bristol Rovers to make it nine wins from their opening 11 matches.
Also this week, the club have received an injury blow, a midfielder celebrated an appearance milestone and three players have been selected for international duty.
Oxford United Weekly Round-Up: Two More Wins for the U’s
Injury Blow for Winger
Summer signing Kyle Edwards has been ruled out for up to two months with a hamstring injury.
The Ipswich Town loanee picked up the injury during training on Thursday and missed Oxford’s 3-1 win at Stevenage as a result.
Having joined the club on deadline day after Marcus Browne picked up a hamstring injury during the win over Barnsley, the 25-year-old has hit the ground running, scoring twice and adding one assist from four appearances.
On the injury, head coach Liam Manning told the Oxford Mail: “He’s going to be out for a considerable amount of time.
“We’re not expecting to see him for the best part of around six to eight weeks.
“He’s out for the foreseeable, which is a bit of a blow.
“I’m hugely disappointed for him, but also for us. He’s come in and had a terrific impact, but as I’ve said before, it opens up a slot for somebody else to grab that opportunity.
“He’s been great for us and we’ll look forward to getting him back, but it’s now about who’s going to step up and shoulder that?
“It’s a blow to lose him and I’m sure we’ll get another injury over the course of the season, but now it’s how do we respond and who steps in moving forward?”
Fourth Successive Win
Oxford made it four wins on the bounce on Tuesday night with a 3-0 win over Shrewsbury.
Fin Stevens netted his first Oxford goal before the visitors were reduced to ten men. From the resulting free kick, Ciaron Brown bundled home a second and the result was never in doubt.
However, Greg Leigh, who netted a brace in their win over Stevenage, scored a late screamer to cap off another superb display for Liam Manning’s men.
250 Appearances for Oxford United Midfielder
The win over Shrewsbury was an important one. Not only did it keep the U’s within touching distance of league leaders Portsmouth, but it also saw midfielder Cameron Brannagan make his 250th appearance for the club.
The 27-year-old joined Oxford in January 2018 but had to wait until March before making his debut on the road at AFC Wimbledon.
Since then, he has scored 44 goals and added 22 assists, while also being named as the club’s player of the year in 2021/22.
Speaking to the club’s official website, he said: “I remember I signed in January 2018 and rolled my ankle in the first week of training so it took a while for me to make my debut.
“The club has come a long way since those days in everything we do. We were based in Portakabins and I remember that was a cold winter so I did wonder what was going on, having been at Liverpool since I was a kid!
“But I have loved it here ever since that first day. The fans have been incredible, the club has made such progress in everything we do and right now we are playing really good football and getting results. Long may that continue.
“I didn’t know about the 250 games before Tuesday’s game. That’s a nice landmark for me. I’m catching Easty now aren’t I! It’s nice to keep ticking off the milestones like that, and there are few of us who have been here a while now; Longy made his debut more than ten years ago so we have that continuity and friendship within the squad.
“I have made a lot of friends in the last five years and played with some great players but this group is really together and we get on really well, which I hope the fans can see when we are out there on the pitch.
“We have put together a decent run of results now and want to carry that on against Bristol Rovers on Saturday. We have had some great battles against them over the years and with a big crowd here we’re really looking forward to it.”
Read More: Oxford United Must End Poor Record Against The Gas
International Call-Ups
James Beadle, Greg Leigh and Fin Stevens have all been selected for international duty.
Beadle has been called up for England’s U21’s hands against Serbia and Ukraine while Leigh will be part of Jamaica’s matches against Grenada and Haiti. Stevens has been selected for the Wales U21 squad as they face the Czech Republic.
Oxford’s League One fixture away at Reading had already been postponed due to international call-ups for the Royals.
Fifth Win In Succession
Oxford ended their poor recent home record against Bristol Rovers with a 2-1 victory.
Billy Bodin opened the scoring against his former club before the Gas were reduced to ten men.
Sam Long headed home his first goal of the season but the Gas netted a late effort to reduce the deficit.
Oxford were forced to hold on with both Oisin Smyth and Stanley Mills sent off in stoppage time.
