A positive week for Oxford United both on and off the pitch. The club are closer to securing a new stadium while they also picked up their first home win of the season.
Elsewhere, there have been some changes in the backroom staff and there was a welcome return to the pitch for a key player.
Read More: Three Talking Points as Oxford United Win Against Derby
Oxford United Weekly Round-Up: Stadium Approval, Derby Victory and Backroom Changes
Secretary of State Approves Oxford Stadium Move
On Wednesday, Oxford received the important information that the Secretary of State will not “call-in” the decision to grant the club planning permission for the new stadium.
This means the government decided there is no need for any further review, clearing a major hurdle for the project and all-but confirming the work to begin.
Cherwell District Council will now work on finalising the Section 106 agreement setting out the contributions Oxford United will make to support local infrastructure before construction can begin.
In a statement, Chairman Grant Ferguson said: “The government review was conducted after Cherwell District Council’s Planning Committee approved the plans on 14 August.
“The Secretary of State’s decision not to call in the planning application for our 16,000-capacity stadium on land north of the city means the Club can now begin to deliver on its vision.
“On behalf of everyone at Oxford United, I would like to thank all of our supporters, along with the incredible project team who have been instrumental in getting us to this point.”
Backroom Changes
On Friday, Oxford announced two key appointments within the club’s backroom staff.
Isaac Alder, who joined the club in 2018 as First Team Performance Analyst, was promoted to Head of Analysis while Matt Willmott joined the club as Head of Athletic Performance.
Willmott had previously worked with MK Dons, Leicester and Swansea, and more recently held roles with the Football Association of Wales as a Physical Performance Coach and with PGMOL as Lead Physical Performance Coach.
The duo replace Joe Moore and Luke Taylor who have rejoined former head coach Des Buckingham in Saudi Arabia.
First Home Win
Oxford ended a positive week with a positive result on the pitch as the U’s won 1-0 at home against Derby.
Stan Mills netted the only goal of the game in the first half but in truth, they should have been out of sight by the break.
And that continued in the second 45 with the Rams goalkeeper keeping the visitors in the game.
Despite squandering chances, it was an important win and just the second clean sheet of the season.
Featured image courtesy of IMAGO / Pro Sports Images
