A case for Oxford United

As far as picks for promotion to League One go, this is a pretty bold one: Oxford United. I have always had something of a soft spot for the Foxes as result of some of my family living there and owning season tickets. Just keeping an eye out for whether or not they win at the weekend and checking their league position (maybe watch their highlights on the Football League Show), that kind of thing.

The team gained promotion to the football league two years ago from the Blue Square Premiership. Their first season they finished 12th; a very respectable position for the newly promoted team. Last year the Foxes were in a good position to at least secure a playoff spot but a late season meltdown meant they missed out. Oxford starting this season winning their first three games but hit a terrible run of form which has seen them plummet down the table to 15th place.

They beat Barnet away today, though, to advance into the second round of the FA Cup and last week they beat Wycombe 3-1 away and hopefully they can keep the momentum going with the visit of Dagenham and Redbridge on Tuesday night. 

In order to secure promotion this year Oxford will need their star striker Tom Craddock to maintain his fantastic early season form that has seen him score 8 goals so far. His strike partnership with Alfie Potter will be of key improtance, too, with Potter chipping in with 5 goals for the Foxes. Also, defensive stalwart Michael Duberry (yes, that Michael Dubbery) will need to be at his commanding best as well. 

Three of their next five games are against teams below them in the League so if they can put a good run together than the Foxes will be able bolster their standing and find themselves in a decent position to consolidate a playoff spot. Hopeful, yes, but I think they have a team to at the very least make the playoffs this season.

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Comments

[Mooro]

Perhaps your soft spot is somewhere around the memory area, as one or two of your facts need a little addressing...
Firstly, Oxford are known as the "U's" or the "yellows", not the "Foxes" (that's Leicester), {although I've always fancied "the Ford" as a nickname to differentiate from the other "U's" that exist such as Cambridge).
Also Craddock's strike partner is the normally prolific James Constable (top scorer for most of the last few seasons), while Alfie Potter is now playing as a winger in the 4-4-2 that has revived the side, rather than the heavily rotated 4-3-3 which saw any combination of 6 forwards spread across the front three with no hint of consistency, which many fans saw as the root of the decline in form after the first three games, as opposition teams ;'worked us out".
Duberry also has a major injury, which has meant he has not played all season, and (whisper it quietly) MIGHT mean the end of an illustrious career, but keeping Jonny Mullins (recently in on loan from Rotherham) will prove to be an equally important move.
Can Oxford do it - possibly, albeit bia the playoffs which, even after a dreadful run that had many fans calling for the head of Chris Wilder (even despite his role in dragging the club up to where we are), are still only a handful of points away. Among the preseason favourites, on pretty sound financial footing, and with a setup and fanbase which wouldnt be out of place one or even two divisions higher, then I would certainly not rule it out, but I would keep your mortgage documents, indeed any banknote not featuring Elizabeth Fry, safely hidden in your pocket...
Nice to see the article though.....