Oxford United’s excellent early season form continued with a 3-1 win at Stevenage on Saturday that kept them just behind leaders Portsmouth in Sky Bet League 1.
Head Coach Liam Manning was understandably delighted with his side as they came from behind to win at the Lamex Stadium and now looks for his players to keep their foot down when they welcome Shrewsbury Town to the Kassam Stadium on Tuesday followed by Bristol Rovers on Saturday.
“It was another tough one but the lads stepped up to it” he told iFollow. “We always knew it was going to be a difficult place to come to and difficult to get control of the game because of the physicality, the time the ball is in the air or dead. But credit to the players because the behaviours that we talk about, the desire to compete, the organisation, winning duels and second balls were all there and we showed a real bravery to get on the ball and go and play. So there were a huge number of positives to take from the game.
“To go behind and bounce back shows an element of resilience and a togetherness in the group which will be really important. We haven’t achieved anything yet. We still have a huge number of games to play but now we have something to keep building on.
“There will be a lot of talk about us switching systems but it’s about getting people into slots where they can show their qualities. We do a lot of work around structures and the principles of how we want to play but I thought today showed we have the quality and flexibility to make changes.
“The fans were incredible and there is a real connection at the minute. I can’t speak highly enough about our fans and want to say a massive thank you. Now we have two home games this week. It’s about momentum and staying grounded. We won’t get complacent, we’ll keep learning and our job is to make sure we keep things going against Shrewsbury on Tuesday night.”
Join us as we welcome Shrewsbury on Tuesday evening. CLICK HERE or call 01865 337533 to book your place