Oxford united FC
Oxford United boss and captain pay tribute to Amelia Aplin
The 15-year-old passed away at the weekend after collapsing during on the pitch during a ‘Junior Premier League’ match on Saturday.
Tributes have been paid at Oxford’s training ground over the past couple of days with a minute’s silence to be observed before kick-off against Blackburn Rovers this evening.
Speaking ahead of the Championship fixture, Bloomfield said: “It is devastatingly sad news. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Amelia’s family.
“Her teammates were here yesterday and her parents, I met them very briefly. We are all heartbroken for Amelia’s family.
“As a dad, my heart is broken for her parents. It’s been very sombre here as you can understand and we have to make sure that we give Amelia’s friends and family all the love that they need going through this such terrible time.
“It puts everything into perspective. It’s been a tough few days.
READ MORE: Oxford United to hold minute’s silence against Blackburn Rovers
“Amelia’s teammates are going to join us for the game tomorrow evening.
“The club have offered all the support they can to her teammates and the family and that will be ongoing.
“We want them to be friends of our club forever and Amelia will live in our hearts forever and it’s really important that we do everything that we possibly can to support them, not just now, but ongoing.”
Oxford’s club captain Cameron Brannagan also paid his respects ahead of the Blackburn match, saying: “We want to send our condolences to the family and friends. We’re sending them all the love in the world and [it has been] a very tough 48 hours. We’ll do everything we can as a club to help them in any sort of way possible.
“She was very highly thought of in the club.
“We had a minute’s silence…and all the fans will pay their respects [on Wednesday].
“We’ve got a massive game [on Wednesday], but it does put everything into perspective.”
A book of condolence has been opened for the young footballer where members of the public can pay their respects.
Amelia was a member of High Wycombe Swimming Club, saying it is ‘devastated’ after the teenager’s death.
Other tributes from across football have been pouring in.
Fulham FC Women said: “Everyone at Fulham Football Club is shocked and saddened to hear this news. Our thoughts are with Amelia’s family and friends, and all associated with Oxford United.”
A statement from nearby Didcot Town said: “The thoughts of everyone at Didcot Town are with the family and friends of Amelia and Oxford United.”
The Yellows have won their last two matches against West Bromwich Albion and Preston North End, respectively, scoring from four set pieces in their five goals across the duo of Championship games.
Skipper Brannagan recorded an assist for the U’s opener after just five minutes at Deepdale, finding scorer Michal Helik from a free kick.
United take on Blackburn Rovers on Wednesday night in an important clash in the fight for survival.
“We scored a lot of set pieces last season and it’s something that we looked at, and I felt we could’ve been a bit better at this season,” the 29-year-old admitted.
“Over the past couple of games, we’ve started putting good deliveries in and people are attacking in the right areas and we are scoring goals.
“It’s clearly a threat of ours and we want to keep that as much as possible. Hopefully another one will come [against Blackburn].”
Brannagan has played in a midfield duo for much of this season, his partner often changing.
Brian De Keersmaecker, Will Vaulks, Jamie McDonnell, and, most recently, Yunus Konak have all played alongside him, with 20-year-old Konak taking his opportunities in recent games whilst on loan from Brentford.
READ MORE: Bloomfield offers ‘clinical’ U’s verdict after Preston win
“He’s had to bide his time,” Brannagan continued.
“He’s worked hard every single day in training, and he’s never thrown his arms up and given up just because he wasn’t playing.
“He’s got a great attitude, he’s a great kid and he’s really gelled into the group, and I thought he’s played very well when he’s played. Hats off to him, it’s enjoyable playing with him.”
The U’s captain has the experience of battling relegation from last season in the Championship, as well as in League One on occasion since he arrived in OX4 in 2018.
READ MORE: Stan Mills reacts to ‘massive’ Oxford win over Preston
“There have been a few times when I’ve been at this club, and we’ve been fighting relegation and it’s never a nice position to be in,” he added.
“But you have to find a way to win, and I feel like we have done that in the past two games.
“We do believe we can stay in the league and we’re more than good enough to stay in the league.
READ MORE: Oxford United to hold minute’s silence against Blackburn Rovers
“I’ve been here for a long time and it’s something that we’ve believed in for a long time.
“It’s not been great for most of the season if we’re being honest with ourselves, but we’ve got 10 games and we believe that we can stay in this division.
“You can feel it in the group. There’s a lot of confidence.
“It’s another big game [against Blackburn], a different challenge, and something we’re really looking forward to.”
Oxford United host Blackburn Rovers in a crucial match in the Championship relegation fight at the Kassam.
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The Tottenham Hotspur loanee is the U’s top scorer so far this season with nine goals in all competitions.
His performances and attitude in a struggling Yellows team have quickly seen the 20-year-old become a fan favourite in OX4 since his summer loan move.
Lankshear demonstrated his loyalty in the January transfer window, with journalist Pete O’Rourke reporting that the England Under-21 international had received offers from Championship promotion-chasing sides Middlesbrough and Ipswich Town.
READ MORE: Oxford United boss wary of Blackburn Northern Ireland link
Despite receiving propositions from higher up the league, the United top scorer chose to see out the season with Matt Bloomfield’s team, showing his commitment to the cause as the U’s continue to fight against relegation from the second tier for the second season running.
READ MORE: Oxford United boss and captain pay tribute to Amelia Aplin
Oxford have won their last three games, with Lankshear bagging a goal in each of those fixtures against West Bromwich Albion and Preston North End.
A 1-0 win over Blackburn Rovers at the Kassam Stadium on Wednesday evening leaves them in 22nd, level on points with Leicester City in 21st and just one point behind their Lancashire opponents in midweek.
The game was a poignant occasion with fitting tributes for academy goalkeeper Amelia Aplin who died at the age of 15 last weekend.
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