Oxford united FC
Sheffield Wednesday surprise after heavy Oxford United loss
The U’s ran out 4-1 winners at the Kassam on Saturday in their final home game of the Championship season and only moments before Matt Bloomfield’s team had their relegation to League One confirmed thanks to results elsewhere.
In a clash between two already relegated sides, Will Lankshear scored a stylish brace before Will Vaulks bagged a third for The Yellows.
17-year-old Will Grainger pulled one back for Wednesday before Myles Peart-Harris scored Oxford’s fourth goal a minute later.
With their fate already decided, United played with attacking freedom and seemingly a weight off their shoulders, catching The Owls off guard.
“We had not expected that they would play so many short passes,” Pedersen confessed after the match.
“Normally it’s a very direct team with a lot of long balls.
“Today they played very few long balls and there was a big freedom for them. So our pressing in first half was not how we want to be from the intensity but also tactically.
“I think, in the second half, we had control for our pressing, we made some adjustments and there was also more intensity in second half for our pressing and we also created chances too.
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“But of course, when you conceded four goals, then it’s also difficult to win. So today we didn’t deserve it.
“We were honest, we were not prepared that they will play so much on the ground. We were prepared for how they have played the last many games, much more direct. They normally have the ball less and we were prepared for a more direct game, a second ball game.
“So the priority to be good on the second ball instead of in the first pressing is a great problem for us and we changed this.
“We tried to change to the first half, it was better the last 15-20 minutes and then I think we solved it for the second half when we changed things in the second half. So in the second half, our pressing was much, much better and much more controlled.
“But one thing is the formation, the other thing is the intensity and the collective relation you put in and it was not good enough in the first half.”
Oxford look ahead to the final day of the regular Championship season this Saturday with a trip to automatic promotion chasing Millwall.
League One club Oxford had a bid rejected for the 22-year-old last month, according to Pete O’Rourke , with the Baggies and newly-promoted Championship side Lincoln City also seeing offers denied.
West Brom have since progressed in their talks for the centre forward and have reportedly reached an agreement to secure Stewart’s services.
The former Queens Park Rangers trainee scored 10 goals in 21 appearances for Falkirk in the second half of last season, with the Bairns finishing sixth in the Scottish top tier.
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He has visited Birmingham and accepted the opportunity to play for James Morrison’s side, according to @talkwba , with Stewart wanting the move.
Contract details are still to be finalised with the signing announcement to follow.
🚨 EXCLUSIVE: Agreement reached for Barney Stewart to Join West Bromwich Albion. 22yo visited Birmingham recently & accepted opportunity; contract set to be finalised – announcement to follow. Primary target throughout + wanted #wba move. W/ @EyaWeGew @WestBromXtra pic.twitter.com/6DJJUozR6I
— westbrom.fc (@talkwba) June 15, 2026
The SFWA Young Player of the Year had addressed transfer links previously, saying: “It is insane.
“If it was to happen it would be a massive step and a quick rise if it does happen and one I would have to take in my stride.”
Oxford currently have strikers Nik Prelec and Mark Harris on their books but supporters are keen to see the club add a more prolific goal scorer to the ranks.
Martin has agreed a deal with the Foxes, who are the early bookmakers’ favourites to be promoted, to take over as head coach in League One after the club was relegated from the Championship last season.
Ex-U’s head coach Rowett took Leicester down in 23rd place after being sacked by Oxford back in December.
Rowett had taken over from Marti Cifuentes who was sacked in January following a 2-1 defeat to Matt Bloomfield’s Yellows.
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Former Queens Park Rangers boss Cifuentes had Leicester in 14th at the time and six points away from the play-off places but the club were then hit with a six-point deduction in February for breaching EFL financial rules.
Leicester’s new man charge has been out of work since being sacked by Scottish giants Rangers in October after a poor start to the Scottish Premiership season.
Martin previously took Southampton to the Premier League via the Championship play-offs in 2023/24.
He began his managerial career with MK Dons after retiring with the club before moving to Swansea City in 2021 where he spent two years.
The 40-year-old was a defender in his playing days, appearing in 586 matches across his career, 309 of which were for Norwich City.
Whing, who was a key figure at Oxford United under Chris Wilder and Michael Appleton and went on to coach the youth team, led the Puritans to promotion to the National League North for the first time in their history, winning the Southern League Premier Division Central title.
After keeping Banbury in the sixth tier in their first season, the former boss resigned in May 2023.
Whing went on to become to manager of his local club Solihull Moors, guiding them to the National League play-off final before joining Barrow in League Two.
After being sacked by the Bluebirds in December, the 41-year-old is now boss of National League North outfit Brackley Town.
“I’d been there for two-and-a-half or three years, and the rise of the club was unbelievable,” the ex-Coventry City and Brighton & Hove Albion defender exclusively told the Oxford Mail.
“A new stand, went from 300 or 400 fans to 1500 or 1600, 2500 at FA Cup games. It went through the roof and I wanted to keep that going and I just felt they couldn’t, or they wanted to slow down. I thought, if we slow down, we’ll go back down to where we’ve just come from, we need to keep going.
“They were too slow with certain things and I just knew that we were going to struggle next season, going to get relegated.
“One thing was how that would look personally on me and I didn’t want that to happen to the club so I just felt it was the right time for me to go. It was a big gamble because I didn’t have anything lined up.”
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The Banbury job was Whing’s first as manager of a club.
“When I was a youth team manager [at Oxford], we’d sent a few youth team lads out on loan to Banbury so I kind of knew of the club.
READ MORE: Cult hero Andy Whing relives chaotic life at Oxford United
“It happened out the blue really. I’d left Oxford, I had a stint at Kidderminster, a stint at Coventry Under-18s, a stint at Hereford. None of them really worked out.
“I was just working with my mates at a sofa warehouse, didn’t know where to go next, didn’t have a clue.
“I got phone call out of the blue asking if I wanted the Banbury job. And I just thought, it’s a great opportunity, it’s in Oxfordshire and I’ve got contacts in Oxfordshire. I’ve got the football club down the road who I can rely on to send me loan players, which they did do…anything I needed I could always get from them.
“I thought it was a perfect fit [and] luckily I got the job. In the end, it was an absolute perfect fit.”
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