Football Season Review

Having finished as high as eighth after winning promotion to League One last summer, Oxford should objectively be delighted with the season they have had. However, this will not really be the case, as the season that is now being us will leave the U's fans with a wondering about what could have been, given that their side narrowly missed out both on a play-off place and on winning the EFL Trophy, as they were defeated in the final by Coventry. They initially needed some time to get used to the new division and collected only four points from their opening five games, but signs of progress were always there, and they got gradually better as time elapsed, with Michael Appleton getting his side to play positive, attacking football whenever possible. Apart from doing well in the league and in the EFL Trophy, the U's have also had a good FA Cup run, with Millwall being the only League One side that advanced further than they did in the competition, with the U's beating Championship sides Rotherham and Newcastle to set up a meeting with Middlesbrough, who edged them out in a five-goal thriller at Riverside. The sole real disappointment of their season was their EFL Trophy final defeat to Coventry, especially as they entered the final with such high hopes, given that the Sky Blues have had such a disappointing season. They were playing catch-up in the play-off race after the Coventry game and, despite recording an impressive 3:0 win at Millwall in the penultimate round, they finished four points below the Lions, who occupied the final play-off place. Despite nearly missing out on two great achievements, the U's should still be pleased with their season, but the big question now is if Michael Appleton can make his side even better next time around, given the financial constraints that he is working under.

Player of the Season: Chris Maguire