Oxford united FC
Oxford United beaten 2-0 by Saints in first St Mary’s visit
Early goals from Cyle Larin and Shea Charles were all that was needed to send Matt Bloomfield’s men home empty handed.
Striker Will Lankshear’s bad miss saw Oxford’s best chance at getting back into the game go begging in the second period with Saints almost finding a third when Tom Fellows struck the crossbar not long after.
The U’s got off to a poor start on the south coast, conceding the opener after just six minutes.
A defence-splitting ball from Taylor Harwood-Bellis found Fellows who put it on a plate for Larin to stretch and poke home from close range.
Saints doubled their lead seven minutes later when a short corner was played all the way back to Charles who curled the ball into the top right corner from about 35 yards out.
The hosts remained with the majority of the ball and again looked for Larin, this time a low cross being met first by Jamie Cumming.
A header from Ryan Manning was cleared by Michal Helik, whilst the Yellows struggled to create when in possession.
Yunus Konak had a volley at goal fly over the bar from the edge of the area, with their best passage of play coming at the culmination of the half, Myles Peart-Harris unable to acrobatically finish.
Tonda Eckert’s men had an early effort in the second half when Manning pulled the ball back for Finn Azaz who placed the ball towards goal, Ciaron Brown booting clear.
Oxford then finally found some sustained pressure, Stan Mills having a penalty shout waved away after going down under a challenge from Flynn Downes.
Shouts for handball followed as Mills again twisted and turned in the box, before a trio of shots, two from Cameron Brannagan and one from Lankshear, were all blocked.
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Azaz and Manning had efforts denied for Saints before Lankshear squandered an enormous chance to score after intercepting Harwood-Bellis’ pass and having only the goalkeeper to beat but sliding the ball wide of the bottom right corner.
The hosts then missed their own big chance, Cumming saving a Ross Stewart shot down low before Fellows struck the crossbar with the follow-up from close range.
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More chances followed for Saints, Fellows’ low effort denied and Stewart heading over before Cumming punched a James Bree free kick clear.
The Yellows substitutes failed to make a late impact as Southampton extended their unbeaten run to 14 games.
Southampton: Peretz, Bree, Harwood-Bellis, Stephens, Manning (Quarshie 91), Downes, Fellows (Matsuki 77), Azaz (Oyekunle 91), Charles, Archer (Edozie 59), Larin (Stewart 59)
Oxford: Cumming, Spencer, Long, Helik, Brown, Currie (Donley 70), Brannagan, Konak (McDonnell 70), Mills (Emakhu 88), Lankshear (Harris 77), Peart-Harris (Jin-woo 77)
Bookings: Mills, Spencer, Helik
Assistant head coach Mike Dodds has officially left Oxford United after just five months in the job to take on the role of assistant head coach with the Championship side.
He joined United in January 2026, and is departing to reunite with former colleague and new Rovers boss Tony Mowbray.
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Dodds joined United alongside Matt Bloomfield, who was dismissed by the club earlier this month almost two moths after failing to keep the club in the Championship.
The assistant coach was first rumoured to be heading to Blackburn Rovers earlier this month, a move which has now been confirmed by Oxford.
A spokesperson for the club said: “We would like to thank Mike for his hard work and dedication and wish him well for the future.
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“An update on Aaron Ramsey’s backroom staff ahead of the 2026/27 season will be announced shortly.”
The 40-year-old was previously in charge of Wycombe Wanderers seven months in his head coach role to date as he was sacked in September 2025.
He was previously a coach at Sunderland for four years and Birmingham City before that where he was credited as having a positive impact on the development of Real Madrid and England star Jude Bellingham.
The League One home fixture against Reading, originally scheduled to take place on Saturday, August 29, has been postponed to September.
This is due to a request from Thames Valley Police ‘due to a number of significant events already taking place during that Bank Holiday weekend’.
READ MORE: Hearts defender joins Oxford United as first summer signing
The new date for the match is Tuesday, September 8, with a 7.45pm kick-off at the Kassam Stadium.
Oxford United said that should either of the clubs progress to round three of the Carabao Cup, the fixture would instead be played on Tuesday, September 15.
A spokesperson for Oxford United said: “We appreciate the understanding of supporters affected by this change and will provide any further updates, including ticket information, in due course.”
Experienced defender Frankie Kent joins Oxford United with 13 years of league football behind him, and more than 400 appearances across Colchester United, Peterborough United and recently in Scotland with Heart of Midlothian.
The 30-year-old is a commanding and physical centre-back who proved himself as a League One pedigree when he won promotion with Peterborough in 2021.
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Meanwhile last season, Kent helped Hearts secure a second-place finish in the Scottish Premiership.
Speaking about joining United, he said: “This is a very exciting move for me to be joining a club with a clear ambition for success.
“I’ve had very positive conversations with people at the club, and I am confident I can use my experience to drive standards, not just on the pitch but off it as well.
“I understand the demands of this league, and I return to England a much better player and leader following three fantastic years in Scotland.
“I’ve come here to help push this club forward, and I’ll do everything I can every day to help us improve and achieve our ambitions.”
Newly appointed head coach Aaron Ramsey said he’s ‘delighted’ with the first signing under his leadership.
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Mr Ramsey said: “I had very positive conversations with the club before arriving about the business we wanted to complete this summer, and I’m delighted we’ve moved quickly to bring in a player of Frankie’s quality and character.
“As a player, Frankie is a dominant, aggressive defender who is comfortable in possession, and his profile fits exactly how we want this team to play.
“As importantly, Frankie embodies the values we want to hold throughout the football club.
“He’s someone who will raise the standards and push to help create the elite environment we strive for.
“As a first signing, it’s a real statement for us. We’re bringing in someone who can make an immediate impact both on the pitch and within the group.”
Head of football operations Ed Waldron last week said himself, the new head coach and the club are ‘aligned on what we think the squad needs’, saying they’re ready to ‘get deals done’.
Following the signing announcement, Mr Waldron added: “Frankie is a player we’ve admired for a long time, dating back to his time at Colchester when he regularly came up against Oxford United.
“Scotland is a market we monitor closely and, throughout his time at Hearts, Frankie has consistently been one of the league’s standout defenders.
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“Our recruitment process combines detailed data analysis with extensive live scouting, and Frankie stood out in every aspect.
“Equally importantly, our background work highlighted the qualities he brings away from the pitch.
“He’s a strong personality, a natural leader and exactly the type of character we want in the building, so we’re delighted to welcome him to Oxford United.”
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