Manager Karl Robinson was quick to pay tribute not just to his players but also to the fans after his depleted side fought their way to a brave 0-0 draw against leaders Rotherham United on Saturday.
“What the players gave to this football club over the last seven days is incredible” he told iFollow. “We had seven unavailable with covid, then an injury on the Monday, three members of staff off, another one today, so we have been decimated.
“But if you come here and beat us then you have to earn that. If Rotherham had won today they would have gone away saying they did it in a real good fight. Not one Oxford fan has seen their team defend like we did in the first half for a very long time. It was guts and determination and that doesn’t come from coaching, it’s just your personal desire and a willingness to put your body on the line and get hurt if needs be. The players did that so well.
“I thought it was a fair point for both sides. We are on 32 points now, at this stage last season we were on 19. So we are ahead of where we were even if we are still outside the top six. But we are getting closer and still working towards that. We have to win games where we dominate but you also get days like today and away at Hillsborough where we know we can put up a real good fight.
“Also a big thanks to the fans for coming out in this weather. It was cold to play in or manage in and watching it as a fan was even colder. Thank you so much for your consistent support and hopefully we did you proud in a completely different Oxford United way.”
See the full interview plus reaction from Cameron Brannagan in iFollow, along wiht extended match highlights.