There was good news for Oxford United yesterday with midfielder Shandon Baptiste taking a full part in training.
The young midfielder has worked very hard all summer to get back to full fitness after injury and played a full role in an intense training session ahead of the game against Peterborough United on Saturday.
“It was fantastic to see him out there” Karl Robinson told us. “He has been in all summer so last week we just gave him three or four days off to recharge his batteries because he hadn’t had a break at all; he was so determined to get back for pre-season.
“That little break meant he was really keen to get out there again this week and yesterday we got him involved in training rather than play in the Under 23s game. He looked very sharp and it’s not just a boost for him, it lifts us all to have him involved again.
"He suffered no negative reaction today, and with Rob Hall doing an hour in the game yesterday and Anthony Forde getting 45 minutes we have just about everyone fit and raring to go: such a contrast to this time last season when we were struggling.
“Shandon is a player we think the world of so he will train this week and then hopefully fans get to see him out there in first team action pretty soon.”