Oxford united FC
Aaron Ramsey giving Oxford United ‘reason to believe in League One
These are names you would have expected to have moved on and perhaps never played in an Oxford shirt again.
Instead, it is a testament to the work of Aaron Ramsey and his staff, and their ability to reintegrate players into the squad – not simply to make up the numbers, but to make a difference.
Gatlin O’Donkor made yet another impact off the bench, scoring his third goal of the season and now topping the League One scoring charts with a remarkable 2.13 goals per 90 minutes.
Talk about an impact off the bench.
But it’s the attitude and determination to take second and, in some cases, third chances, when the futures of players like O’Donkor, Siriki Dembele and Louis Sibley looked as though they wouldn’t involve Oxford United again, that fills me with so much confidence about the season ahead.
It would have been easy for players, particularly when the club was hit with an embargo in the summer following relegation and a period of crippling uncertainty, to make forceful decisions about their futures and push for moves away.
But they didn’t.
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And I believe that also emphasises the environment and culture that Ramsey and his staff have instilled with immediate effect.
The word ‘trust’ comes to mind, and it works both ways.
If players feel trusted and valued, and truly understand their role – not just on the football pitch, but as part of the ‘winning team’ that Ramsey has spoken about regularly since his arrival – then the chances of those players repaying those values are dramatically increased.
I have no doubts O’Donkor is knocking on Ramsey’s office door asking to start matches.
That is only normal behaviour for an ambitious individual.
But there can be no doubt, just by watching his substitute appearances, that he understands the pivotal role he plays within this Oxford United team.
Siriki Dembele is a slightly different example.
He arrived with a substantial price tag following our promotion to the Championship, and spent large periods under other managers away from the starting XI and even the matchday squad.
But throughout his career, a common denominator in his successes has been total clarity over the role he takes up within a team.
The label ‘confidence player’ gets thrown around often and, whilst I wouldn’t disagree that Dembele is an example of an attacker who thrives on confidence, that confidence doesn’t always have to come through goals and assists.
Sometimes, it comes from the trust of the manager and coaching staff.
Without that, how can you ask an expressive winger to be expressive?
In my eyes, that is the biggest compliment you can pay Ramsey so far.
He hasn’t just found a way to get players back into the squad after time away – he has given them a platform and a reason to believe they can still play an important part in Oxford United’s future.
Andrews is one of five Oxford players who have been selected for international duty after receiving a call-up to the Wales Under-21 setup, with teammate Mark Harris chosen to feature for the senior side during the international break.
Ciaron Brown, Brodie Spencer and Jamie McDonnell have all been called up for Northern Ireland, however, McDonnell did pick up an injury last time out against Cambridge United which will likely see him miss out.
Wales international Andrews has previously played three times for the senior team, making his debut in September of last year as his country were defeated 1-0 by Canada in a friendly.
The Wales first team face reigning Nations League champions Portugal before games against Denmark and Norway.
The 20-year-old, who is eligible for Wales through his maternal grandmother, is keen to get back into the fold after missing out on this occasion.
“There are a lot of games coming up, there’s a lot of opportunity with the international team, and I think that’s just my next step, to hopefully try and break in there and get as many minutes as I can there,” the Coventry City loanee said.
Andrews arrived in OX4 on loan from Premier League side Coventry last month and already had links to key U’s personnel.
After playing for the Welsh youth sides, the Birmingham-born midfielder was already familiar with new Yellows head coach Aaron Ramsey who had previously worked with the nation’s youth setup.
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Furthermore, striker Mark Harris, who is a consistent feature in the Wales squad, had played alongside during his previous senior camp call-ups.
“Mark Harris has been in the set-up with me since I joined, so it was good to come here and see a familiar face as well,” the on-loan U’s man continued.
“We’ve kind of already got that link, the Welsh link, so that was nice.”
The already-established Welsh connection between Andrews and Ramsey played an important role in bringing the youngster to the club on a free loan move.
“We had the conversation quite early into pre-season, to be fair, once the gaffer made the move.”
“And obviously there were all the issues with embargo and stuff like that, so it was just a case of, when can I get in through the door?
“So he’s given me a lot of confidence coming in, and obviously since I’ve been in, it’s really helped me to settle in as well.”
Andrews has played four times for Oxford since joining, securing two assists on his first start for the club in a 4-0 away win against Leicester City.
He had made his debut three days earlier with a 28-minute substitute appearance at Huddersfield Town where Ramsey’s side were defeated 3-1.
New tapes from Ferguson’s early interviews have been released, detailing new information from the difficult first years of the manager’s reign at Old Trafford.
The Scotsman was appointed Red Devils boss in November 1986, replacing Oxford legend Ron Atkinson in the dugout, with his first match in charge coming against the Yellows.
The U’s beat Man United 2-0 in Ferguson’s first ever game, John Aldridge and Neil Slatter getting on the scoresheet in the Division One victory at the Manor Ground.
Extracts detailed by The Telegraph, coming from Wayne Barton’s book ‘Fergie: the Lost Tapes’, include tape recordings of interviews between the famous manager and late Red Devils reporter Tom Tyrell who worked for Piccadilly Radio.
Before Ferguson arrived in the red half of Manchester, former Oxford midfielder Ron Atkinson – he played over 500 games for the U’s – would allow team bus driver Derek “Sooty” Sutton to sit on the bench during matches alongside the coaching staff.
Sutton would also brew tea which he would then hand out at half time.
This came as a shock to Ferguson when he first took to the dugout at the Manor Ground.
“I had done my team-talk and was going into the dugout when I saw the bus driver sitting there,” the now-retired manager told Tyrell.
“He was even giving the tea out at half-time.
“Let’s say that quickly stopped.”
In 2004, Sutton looked back at Ferguson’s arrival.
“Ferguson never told me to my face that he didn’t want me in the dressing room,” the driver recalled.
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“He did that behind my back to my bosses at the coach firm… I hate the man – he is a very hateful person.
“I was always in the dugout until Ferguson came along.
“I always served the tea at half-time.
“Atkinson brought me in and he was always sound with me.
“I’d have passes to walk anywhere around Old Trafford and sat on the bench for the 1985 FA Cup final at Wembley when United beat Everton.
“When Ferguson came in, he wanted to stamp out all the old regime.”
The former Man United manager went on to have what is regarded by many as one of the greatest managerial reigns of all time.
In his first season, Ferguson steered the Red Devils away from relegation and, after a tough first few years, eventually won his first league title in 1992/93, the inaugural Premier League season.
The 84-year-old went on to win 13 league titles, five FA Cups and two Champions Leagues, amongst a host of other honours.
The 37-year-old has emerged as first-choice goalkeeper in recent weeks after Jamie Cumming picked up an injury in the second League One game of the season.
Cumming was forced off within 10 minutes of Oxford’s 2-1 win away at Stevenage, with Eastwood coming into the team and starting the last four matches, keeping his keeper teammate on the bench as the injured shot-stopper returned to fitness.
The veteran goalie has kept two clean sheets in his long-awaited return to the U’s side, keeping both Leicester City and Burton Albion at bay in 4-0 and 3-0 wins, respectively.
However, the Yellows’ no.13 will be forced to sit out for the team’s first EFL Trophy fixture in almost three years as they face Exeter in the group stage.
The U’s last match in the newly-named Jersey Mike’s Trophy came in the third round of the competition on January 9, 2024.
United were defeated 2-0 by AFC Wimbledon at the Cherry Red Records Stadium under Des Buckingham.
Eastwood received an 89th-minute red card, with midfielder Oisin Smyth donning the gloves for the closing stages.
With the U’s achieving promotion to the Championship that season, Oxford have not played in the competition since that day, meaning that the goalkeeper’s suspension has been carried over for two years and nine months.
With Eastwood not able to play, the match at St James Park could be a crucial chance for former Chelsea man Cumming to re-establish himself as first-choice between the sticks.
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