Oxford United

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Oxford United should be ambitious and look beyond just thinking about securing their Championship status, according to midfielder Cameron Brannagan.

The U's beat Sunderland 2-0 on Saturday to guarantee a second campaign in the second tier having been promoted via the League One play-offs last season.

"Ever since I've been here we've been little old Oxford and we don't mind that - keep writing us off," Brannagan told BBC Radio Oxford.

"I said in an interview this year I want to push for the Premier League and I stand by that - we want to regroup and having stayed in the Championship why can't we be ambitious and go as high as possible?"

Oxford finish their season at Swansea on Saturday (12:30 BST) and Brannagan is keen they get the three points despite having achieved their aim of safety.

"We can go an enjoy it but when the ball rolls we want to win, we want to finish on a high," he added. "People think it's done but we've got another game and want to go and win it."

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A delighted Oxford United boss Gary Rowett said he is "really proud" as the U's achieved Championship safety on Saturday.

With one game left to play this season they are now four points clear of the bottom three and therefore out of reach of the chasing pack.

Oxford started the season with Des Buckingham in charge but after parting company with him in December, former Millwall boss Rowett came in and got them over the line in this campaign.

"It's absolutely incredible - the focus was there from the players." Rowett told BBC Radio Oxford.

"I'm really proud of everyone at the club and I thought we played really well.

"I thought we created some good moments in the game because we were playing a good team.

"I need a lay down and a glass of wine but that will probably have to wait until tomorrow night."

In their final game of the season Oxford will face Swansea City at the Swansea.com Stadium.

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Oxford United boss Gary Rowett said that he may choose a more experienced squad as the side look to secure Championship safety against Sunderland on Saturday (15:00 BST).

The U's are three points above the relegation zone and could take themselves out of a final day relegation fight if they pick up three points against the Black Cats.

"At this stage of the season, do you err more on experience, people who have been here before?" Rowett told BBC Radio Oxford.

"Picking a team at the start of next season might be very different from picking a team with two games to go, and that's a bit of a challenge. You always want to pick the team on merit.

"But I think you do have half an eye on who is going to make good decisions when there's a little bit of pressure on in the game. Certainly that will be in my mind."

Having been there and done it is not the only attribute Rowett is looking for in his squad selection.

He is also mindful of those who are returning from long injury spells, such as left-back Greg Leigh, who missed eight games with a hamstring injury.

"When you come back from a hamstring injury, do you just go with someone whose a bit more game ready?" Rowett added.

"When there's two games to go, match fitness plays a big factor."

As for freshly returning players, right-back Hidde ter Avest is back in training and will be available for selection.

Oxford United will be seeking safety from relegation against fourth placed Sunderland when they face each other on Saturday (15:00 BST).

The U's are currently three points above the relegation zone and could see themselves out of danger if they take victory against the Black Cats.

While facing a top team may seem like a daunting task for a team fighting for survival, their visitors have not been at their best as of late and are winless across their past four league games (D1 L3).

Having already secured their spot, Sunderland's eyes are firmly on the play-offs ahead and have been giving their top players a breather before their promotion hunt begins again in May - however with boss Regis Le Bris keen to gather momentum, perhaps Oxford won't fare so lucky.

• Oxford are winless in their last 13 league games against Sunderland (D6 L7) since a 3-2 away win in April 1994.

• Sunderland are unbeaten in their last eight away league games against Oxford (W5 D3), winning the last three in a row. Their last defeat away to this opposition came in December 1991 (0-3).

• Oxford have lost four of their last six home league games (W2), more than they had in their first 16 this season (W8 D5 L3).

• Having lost just three of their first 17 league games in 2025 (W9 D5), Sunderland have now lost each of their last three in a row.

• Only Sheffield Wednesday (24) and Bristol City (20) have gained more points from losing positions in the Championship than Sunderland this season (18), while only Norwich (30) and Preston (28) have dropped more points from winning positions than Oxford (26).

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Oxford United boss Gary Rowett has said that he is "not concerned at all" regarding his side's precarious position near the bottom of the Championship table.

With two games remaining the U's are three points above the league's bottom three and know that if they can better Luton or Derby's result on Saturday then they can confirm Championship safety.

They have won two of their last five league games and on Monday snatched a point away at Cardiff City thanks to a thunderbolt of a strike by midfielder Cameron Brannagan.

"I'm not concerned at all, the squad is full of character," Rowett told BBC Radio Oxford.

"We have shown that at home we are more than a match for any team, every game is in isolation and we have to go and take care of business next weekend.

"There are twists and turns and there will be all kinds of movements, we have a home game next and if we win that then it's all over isn't it.

"Hopefully we'll perform a bit better. We need to focus on the performance and not get caught up in the moment of the season, we need to have a bit more intensity and quality about our play at the weekend."

The U's face Sunderland at the Kassam Stadium on Saturday, while Luton - who are three points below them and occupy 22nd - take on sixth-placed Coventry.

With Sunderland being comfortably fourth in the division and a play-off spot confirmed two weeks ago, the Black Cats have lost each of their last three games.

Derby - who are also three points below Oxford - face Hull City in another huge game at the bottom of the table.

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Oxford United manager Gary Rowett spoke to BBC Radio Oxford after his side's 1-0 defeat to Leeds United.

The U's are five points ahead of the relegation zone with three matches to play and travel to 23rd-placed Cardiff City on Monday (15:00 BST).

"They're excellent in the final third and if you switch off for a second, they seem to react a tiny bit quicker with that little bit more speed," Rowett said, of Leeds.

"We huffed and puffed a little bit first-half but we hung in there. We knew this wasn't the type of game we could chase too early.

"Second half, we were a lot more aggressive, we showed a lot more energy and against the best side in the league, we made them very uncomfortable for the last 20 minutes.

"We can't let the disappointment linger. We're proud of the performance, disappointed with the result, but now we have to make sure we recover.

"If we go again with half that performance on Monday, we give ourselves a very good chance of getting the result we want."

Championship leaders Leeds make their first visit to Oxford for 35 years and know they just have to keep things sensible over the remaining four games to keep Sheffield United at arm's length in the race to go up automatically.

With the late kick-off (20:00 BST) at the Kassam Stadium, Daniel Farke's side will know a bit more about what they need to do. Even if the Blades beat Cardiff (17:00 BST), a draw for Leeds will keep them, effectively four points clear, given their superior goal difference.

• Oxford United have lost four of their previous seven English Football League encounters with Leeds United (W2 D1), including each of the past three by an aggregate score of 10-3.

• This will be Leeds United's first EFL trip to Oxford United since a 4-2 win in March 1990 under Howard Wilkinson. Indeed, the three previous fixtures have averaged six goals per game.

• Oxford have lost only one of their past six league games on Good Friday (W2 D3), both scoring (9) and conceding (9) in each of those games.

• Leeds have won just one of their past six league games on Good Friday (D3 L2), drawing 2-2 at Watford last time in 2024.

• Only Leeds teammate Dan James (13 – seven goals, six assists) has more Championship goal involvements in 2025 than Manor Solomon (11 – five goals, six assists), with three involvements in his past two games (one goal, two assists).

Jerome Sale
BBC Radio Oxford's Oxford United commentator

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Some Oxford fans may privately be annoyed that I've even been asked to write this about the Championship relegation battle (there's no mention of Preston or QPR who have only a point or two more than United), but you would struggle to find one who would admit it.

The U's success - and staying up would be a big achievement - has been built on taking nothing for granted. It was key when they picked up valuable wins in the early weeks of the season and remains true at the end.

As they check the league table to gauge what is required, it is only recently that supporters' muscle memory has stopped them having to type in "League One".

One win should do it, a point or two might. They might not need any more than the 48 points they have already accrued, but this club started the season as relegation favourites.

Their remaining home matches are against promotion hopefuls Leeds and Sunderland. The game at Cardiff on Easter Monday looks the most significant. If it goes to the wire at Swansea, it has gone wrong.

Gary Rowett has done exactly what he was recruited to do.

It may come as a surprise to many because Oxford have made hard work of it at times, but the form since he arrived at Christmas would get you a top 10 finish if played out over the season.

Recent wins over Watford, Sheffield Wednesday and Sheffield United have his side on the brink of confirming survival and even allowing themselves a moment of satisfaction before the inevitable "second-season" syndrome worries kick in.

It would be a nice problem to have.

"Take out the disappointment of the midweek defeat against QPR. For us to pick up six points from these three games, for us to beat the team that were top of the league in Sheffield United, for us to then go away from home and win, which we've done so few times this season… it is a seismic win."

Those are the thoughts of Oxford United supporter and podcaster George Elek after the U's picked up a crucial 1-0 victory at Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday in the battle to avoid relegation from the Championship.

It was just a second away win in the league this season for Oxford, which helped them move six points clear of the drop zone with four games to play.

Elek appeared on The Dub podcast alongside BBC's Robyn Cowen and Jerome Sale, as well as former defender Ben Purkiss.

They discuss "the most Oxford United seven days imaginable" and whether or not the win at Hillsborough means they are now "close" to safety in their first season back in the second tier since 1998-99.

Listen to the full episode of The Dub podcast on BBC Sounds.

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Oxford United boss Gary Rowett said his side "stepped up" on Saturday when they beat Sheffield Wednesday in the Championship.

The U's scored late on through Sam Long's header to put themselves six points clear of the league's bottom three.

"There was lots of the performance I liked, we only had to hang on a little bit at the end," Rowett told BBC Radio Oxford.

"The game was reflective of our season, we seem to get a big win, then let ourselves down a bit, and then step up and show a bit of character.

"I thought we grew into the game in the second half and that platform allowed us to get the goal. It didn't feel comfortable on the sidelines but we managed to get there.

"We had a little bit of fortune that they didn't take one or two moments they had, and we rode that part of the game and came back into it, which I was really pleased about

"This team is full of character and we just have to make the best of the tools we have, the players gave everything.

"Today we stepped up and it is a huge, huge three points."

The U's remaining four fixtures include home games against promotion-chasers Leeds United and Sunderland, and away matches against Cardiff City and Swansea City.

Sheffield Wednesday are looking to end a four-game losing run at home to keep alive their slim Championship play-off hopes.

Oxford United are just three points clear of the relegation zone as they search for a second away win of the season.

• After their 3-1 win in December, Sheffield Wednesday could complete only their second league double over Oxford United, after 1985-86.

• Oxford United are unbeaten in their past four away league games at Sheffield Wednesday (W2 D2) since a 6-1 defeat in October 1986.

• Sheffield Wednesday have lost each of their past four home league games in succession, last enduring a longer losing run at Hillsborough in December 2009 (5).

• Oxford have won just one of their 20 away league games this season (D7 L12), scoring more than one goal in just two of those matches.

• Djeidi Gassama has scored seven league goals this season, the most by a player while aged 21 or younger in a campaign for Sheffield Wednesday since Connor Wickham in 2013-14 (8).