It’s been a frustrating start to life at Oxford United for January signing, Will Goodwin.
The 21-year-old joined the U’s on January 19 for an undisclosed fee from Cheltenham Town but injury prevented the striker from making his debut until a trip to Blackpool on February 10.
Since then, the former Stoke man has made a further four appearances, scoring once, but is yet to start for the club. Could that change this weekend against the club Oxford signed him from?
Player in Focus: Will Goodwin
One Goal in Five
Minutes have been difficult to come by for Will Goodwin but the striker looked lively on his debut at Bloomfield Road.
He replaced Tyler Goodrham with just under half an hour remaining and was a nuisance for the Blackpool defence.
Goodwin sat out Oxford’s 4-2 win over Wigan but came on at half time in a goalless draw against Wycombe.
The striker came on with just under 20 minutes remaining against Northampton and headed home his first U’s goal, but has played just 27 and 15 minutes in recent defeats against Leyton Orient and Portsmouth, respectively.
Different Option
Obviously, Des Buckingham has been managing his minutes having missed a few weeks through injury, but there is no doubt he offers something different in attack.
In Mark Harris, Oxford had a striker who scored six and added two assists in nine league games and he likes to run in behind, take the ball out wide and carry the ball past defenders.
In Goodwin, Oxford can hit longer balls due to the striker’s ability to knock the ball on, or even play to feet as he is able to hold off the defenders.
Going forward, Buckingham will need to find the balance between the two, with the duo playing up top together also a potential option.
Match Against Cheltenham
This weekend, Goodwin will face his former club for the first time since leaving in January.
He scored for the Robins in a 2-0 victory over the U’s in Des Buckingham’s first Oxford game. This came in the middle of a run which included six goals in seven games.
He’ll now be looking to add to his Oxford tally against his former employers when they meet on Saturday.
