Oxford united FC
Oxford United boss on shape at Saints & Donley absence
The U’s reverted to a back five, similarly to their January win at Leicester City, as playmaker Donley made way for full back Brodie Spencer who was positioned at right wing back.
Myles Peart-Harris also returned to the squad after missing against Charlton Athletic through injury, replacing winger Aidomo Emakhu.
“We’ve actually been defending with that shape for the last five games,” Bloomfield confessed.
“We’ve been using Stan to drop down so it wasn’t a huge amount different to what we’ve been doing. It’s just a slight personnel change because we wanted Stan high up the pitch because we know how good he is in transition.
“It felt like today we wanted him one higher and that was the reasoning for that.
“We know that Southampton are a team that dominate possession and it felt like, when we won the ball back, we wanted to find Miles and Stan in those two ten positions to counter-attack.
“Myles has done it a few times, especially one really early on and it looked like the plan was working. Stan’s second half, again we got him in the game in terms of that transition play.
“It was a really tough decision to leave out Jamie Donley. He’s been playing incredibly well but we didn’t want Stan to be too deep in his position as a right wing-back defensively today. We wanted him higher up the pitch so he could cause as much damage as possible because he’s been in incredible form for us and that was the reason behind that decision.”
The Yellows conceded the opener after just six minutes when Cyle Larin tapped home, receiving the ball from Tom Fellows who was slotted in behind the defence by Saints centre back Taylor Harwood-Bellis.
“We just switched off defensively,” the U’s boss admitted.
READ MORE: Oxford United beaten 2-0 by Saints in first St Mary’s visit
“The first goal was very preventable, something we’d planned for so we’re really disappointed with that.
“It’s the reason we went with five defenders. We know that Southampton are a team that dominate the ball and want to pierce your final line with runners either from wide areas or the eights.
READ MORE: Oxford United boSs Matt Bloomfield slams Southampton tricks
“So we needed the extra body to mitigate that but unfortunately for us we switched off in that moment and found ourselves 1-0 down.
“Probably a bit of a mixture of emotions for me because to be 2-0 down so early but to still perform in the manner that we did, to show the fight and the courage that we did to keep playing, I’m actually really proud of the players.
“[But] really disappointed to be 2-0 down so early.”
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.
READ MORE: Hearts defender joins Oxford United as first summer signing
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.
READ MORE: Oxford United to play Leyton Orient in Carabao Cup
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.
READ MORE: Ex-Arsenal Ramsey and Wilshere to battle in League One
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.
READ MORE: Aaron Ramsey targets reunion with former Arsenal defender at Oxford
“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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