It’s been quite the week for Oxford United, with the club announcing Des Buckingham as the successor to Liam Manning.
Also over the last seven days, there has been some FA Cup information regarding both the senior and U18 sides.
Oxford United Weekly Round-Up: New Head Coach and FA Cup News
‘Advanced Talks’ Over Management Role
On Tuesday, Notts County manager Luke Williams was reportedly in “advanced talks” to replace Liam Manning at Oxford United, according to Football Insider.
The report claimed a deal was close to being agreed upon following new discussions in the previous 24 hours.
Williams helped the Magpies to secure promotion back into the Football League last summer via the playoffs after an enthralling battle with Wrexham, while his side currently sit third in League Two after 18 matches.
The 42-year-old has also worked as manager at Bristol City U23s before taking on an assistant role under Russell Martin at both MK Dons and Swansea.
U’s to Host Mariners
Oxford United will host Grimsby Town in the second round of the FA Cup.
The U’s edged past Maidenhead in their first round while the Mariners eased past Slough in their second-round replay.
The League Two are 21st in the table, four points above the relegation zone.
Oxford United ‘Set to Appoint’ Des Buckingham
On Thursday, Tom Barclay, among others, reported that Oxford were “set to appoint” Des Buckingham as their new manager, adding the club had agreed a “hefty compensation package” with Mumbai City.
The Oxford-born manager, who began his coaching career with the U’s and worked under Chris Wilder, has been a part of the City Football Group for several years with Melbourne and Mumbai City respectively.
Before that, the 38-year-old had success with the New Zealand national team at various youth levels.
Buckingham In
Shortly after the report, Oxford announced Buckingham as the club’s new manager on a three-and-a-half year contract.
Chairman Grant Ferguson said: “I couldn’t be happier that Des has agreed to become our new head coach. His approach to coaching and developing players is a perfect match for the vision we have for the club.”
Ed Waldron, Head of Recruitment, commented: “Des is someone we’ve been monitoring for a while. He’s young, highly regarded and already has a wealth of coaching experience.
“His attacking style of play and philosophy suits the squad we are building and will help this outstanding group of players continue their excellent start to the season.”
Read More: Oxford United Appoint Des Buckingham As New Head Coach
Oxford United Chief Executive Officer, Tim Williams, added: “There was a huge amount of interest in the role but, from the moment we met Des, he became our number one choice.
“We had a very clearly defined set of criteria to ensure we found the right cultural fit for Oxford United. Des knows the club and city already, understands what we are trying to achieve, and we feel is the right person to build on the club’s progress to date.”
Young U’s Progress in FA Youth Cup
Oxford’s youngsters made it through to the third round of the FA Youth Cup with a 2-0 win over Sutton United’s U18s.
Despite leaving India in the early hours of the morning and spending the afternoon doing media duties, Des Buckingham was in attendance at Court Place Farm as the U18s won 2-0 thanks to goals from Aaron Lacey and Aiden Elliott-Wheeler.
