Oxford United aiming for automatic promotion places with victory over Cobblers at Sixfields

Oxford United are hoping to build on manager Des Buckingham’s first league win when they head to Sixfields this weekend.​

Oxford did not win or even score a goal in any of Buckingham’s first three league games in charge after he replaced Bristol City-bound Liam Manning, but they were comfortable 3-0 victors over managerless Burton Albion last time out.

The U’s are currently third in League One, outside the automatic promotion places by just a point.

"It’s only a start,” said Buckingham. “But it’s a good start and the way the players have responded in training has been really good. There were signs of it at Reading and now we have no midweek game for the first time since I came in.

"That gives us a full week and allows us a lot more time on the training pitch to add to what we want to do and make it clearer so hopefully by the weekend we’ll be as good if not better than we were against Burton. We’re in a very strong position and we want to be challenging at the top but I want us to play a certain way and to do that players need to keep responding.

"Now it’s about kicking on and making sure it’s not a one-off – we’ll do all we can to put in another strong performance on Saturday.”

Oxford had Ruben Rodrigues available for Burton after he passed a late fitness test but Billy Bodin missed the game with a ‘niggle’. Greg Leigh, Kyle Edwards, Marcus Browne, Sam Long and Stephan Negru are all sidelined until 2024 but Joe Bennett is fit again.