Bloomfield wants Oxford players to stay level-headedpublished at 17:15 BST
17:15 BST
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Oxford United boss Matt Bloomfield has urged his side to keep emotionally level as they aim to escape the drop to League One.
The U's came close to exiting the Championship's bottom three at Fratton Park on Monday but conceded a late goal to draw with relegation rivals Portsmouth.
"It's really important that we are level - we can't get too high or too low," Bloomfield told BBC Radio Oxford.
"We have to make sure that in the good moments we are prepared in not getting too carried away.
"We've gone behind in a couple of games recently and I never like going behind but I like the way the boys have bounced back. They've kept that level of intensity about them so we have to make sure we keep that."
Oxford face Watford on Saturday (15:00 BST) and those at the Kassam will be keen to pick up a result against a Hornets side that are now nine points adrift of the play-off places.
However, Bloomfield is quick to dispel any thoughts that their visitors won't be motivated to perform to their best.
"Everything is analysed, every player is analysed, every club, every game, every manager - everything is recorded," Bloomfield added.
"Everyone has something to play for and we are expecting some really tough opposition on Saturday."
Pick of the stats: Oxford United v Watfordpublished at 09:46 BST
09:46 BST
Oxford United will seek an exit from the bottom three as they welcome Watford on Saturday (15:00 BST).
The U's are on a four-match winless streak but are only one point below 21st-placed Portsmouth and could leapfrog both Leicester City and Pompey to reach safety should they pick up a better result.
They face a Hornets side on a three-match winless run of their own, with a nine point-gap to the play-offs.
Oxford have won just three of their last 26 league games against Watford (D11 L12), though one of those was in this exact fixture last season (1-0).
Watford lost this exact fixture 1-0 last season, having been unbeaten in their previous 12 league visits to Oxford between 1972 and 1999 (W4 D8).
Oxford have the lowest average possession (39.7%), have completed the fewest passes (8,870), had the fewest sequences of 10 or more passes in open play (128), average the fewest passes per sequence (2.3) and have the shortest sequence time (5.6 seconds) in the Championship this season.
Since Ed Still's first game in charge of Watford on Valentine's Day, only Middlesbrough (211) and Portsmouth (165) have had more shots in the Championship than the Hornets (151), though 44% of them have come from outside the box (67), the third-highest ratio of any side in that time.
Since the start of February, only Hayden Hackney (28) has created more chances in the Championship than Watford's Giorgi Chakvetadze (25). He created nine open play chances last time out against Charlton, only the third player on record (2013-14 onwards) to do so in a Championship game: the others are Pablo Hernández for Leeds vs Bolton in February 2019 (10) and Finn Azaz for Plymouth vs Watford in January 2024 (9).
Eckert, Lampard, Morrison & Bloomfield up for MotMpublished at 09:40 BST
09:40 BST
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Image caption,
Matt Bloomfield, Tonda Eckert, James Morrison and Frank Lampard all had success in March
Oxford United's Matt Bloomfield, Tonda Eckert of Southampton, West Brom interim boss James Morrison and Coventry's Frank Lampard have all been nominated for the March Championship manager of the month award.
Bloomfield led Oxford to seven points from their four games last month to give them hope of avoiding relegation from the Championship, while Eckert's Southampton went unbeaten in March - and won at leaders Coventry.
Morrison was handed the task of lifting West Brom clear of the bottom three and took eight points from an unbeaten four-game run.
Coventry have continued their charge towards the Premier League, with Lampard overseeing three wins and just that one blemish in the defeat by Southampton.
Southampton goalkeeper Daniel Peretz and West Brom defender George Campbell are nominated for the player of the month award along with Millwall striker Josh Coburn and Derby defender Matt Clarke.
The winners of both awards will be announced on Friday morning.
Nothing was decided today - Bloomfieldpublished at 15:45 BST 6 April
15:45 BST 6 April
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Post-match reaction from Matt Bloomfield and Oxford fans
Oxford United boss Matt Bloomfield admitted that he was "terribly disappointed" to not pick up all three points in their 2-2 draw with Portsmouth on Monday.
The result means that Oxford jump above Leicester but remain in the bottom three with the Foxes playing away at Sheffield Wednesday in a 15:00 BST kick-off on Monday
"We worked so incredibly hard to get our noses in front in the game against a tough opposition in such an incredible atmosphere," Bloomfield told BBC Radio Oxford.
"We feel terribly disappointed that we are not walking away with three points, we need to make sure we improve on conceding late goals like this.
"Nothing was decided today [in the relegation picture], it's my job now as the leader of the group to pick everybody up and make sure we get ready for the game at the weekend.
"We still have five games to go and we'll keep hunting."
Oxford are next in action on Saturday when they host Watford at the Kassam Stadium.
Bloomfield proud of relegation battlers Oxfordpublished at 17:47 BST 3 April
17:47 BST 3 April
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Matt Bloomfield was proud of his Oxford United side after they held promotion-chasing Hull City at the Kassam Stadium, even though they remain in the Championship relegation zone.
They now face relegation rivals Portsmouth in a huge relegation clash at Fratton Park on Monday and Bloomfield feels his side cannot be questioned.
"We assess it by saying that we've created multiple opportunities to win the football match," he told BBC Radio Oxford.
"It hasn't gone our way today, but in terms of performance level and endeavour, the way the boys kept creating, kept pressing, kept at it, we can't question them.
"It was obviously very disappointing to go one goal down so early and another team could have possibly wobbled, but our lads are made of sterner stuff, and they kept going.
"Cam stuck the penalty away and we created multiple opportunities. I'm just really disappointed for the lads and for the crowd today because everyone was excellent.
"We played against a very good team, who are five points off the automatic promotion places, and are going to end the season, probably in the play-offs at the very least.
"Yet we've gone toe to toe with them and created enough chances to win the game."
Championship clubs spend more than £69m on agents feespublished at 17:15 BST 1 April
17:15 BST 1 April
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Image caption,
Ipswich signed Sindre Walle Egeli for a club record £17.5m in January
Championship clubs spent just over £69.5m on agents fees over the past 12 months according to figures released by the Football Association,, external an increase of £6m on the previous year.
The figures cover the period from February 2025 with Ipswich Town the top spenders, paying £11.7m having spent the first three months of the accounting period in the Premier League.
Southampton (£8.3m) and Leicester (£5.8m), who were relegated alongside Ipswich are the second and third-highest payers on the list.
Troubled Sheffield Wednesday were the most frugal when dealing with agents, spending £534,559.
Wrexham come in sixth on the list with an outlay of £3.6m while current Championship leaders Coventry spent just short of £1.5m.
Pick of the stats: Oxford United v Hull Citypublished at 10:54 BST 1 April
10:54 BST 1 April
Image source, Opta
Oxford United welcome Hull City for a crucial encounter with ramifications at both ends of the table on Friday (kick-off 15:00 BST).
The U's had been on a four-game unbeaten run (W3 D1) before their defeat to Southampton last time out and are 23rd but just one point adrift of safety.
The play-off chasing Tigers beat bottom side Sheffield Wednesday before the international break but have lost three of their past five games.
Hull are fifth, three points clear of seventh-placed Wrexham and five points behind the automatic promotion places.
Oxford have won just one of their previous six league games against Hull (D1 L4), though it did come in this exact fixture last season (1-0).
Following their 3-2 win in August, Hull are looking to complete their third league double over Oxford United after 1965-66 and 1975-76.
Oxford are unbeaten in their past three home league games (W2 D1), having failed to win (D2 L3) or score in any of their previous five at the Kassam Stadium.
No side has won more away games in the Championship than Hull City this season (10), though the Tigers have lost two of their past three on the road.
Oliver McBurnie has been involved in more goals than any other Championship player this season (20 – 13 goals, 7 assists). He's the first Hull player to reach 20 goal involvements in a Championship campaign since Jarrod Bowen in 2019-20 (23).
Atcheson makes Northern Ireland debut as Donley scorespublished at 10:47 BST 1 April
10:47 BST 1 April
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Blackburn Rovers defender Tom Atcheson made his debut for Northern Ireland on Tuesday after Oxford United forward Jamie Donley opened the scoring during their 1-1 draw with Wales.
The 19-year-old came on in the 80th minute to earn his maiden appearance for the international side after receiving his first senior call-up from boss Michael O'Neill, who manages both Northern Ireland and Rovers.
Atcheson was the only Rovers player to have been named in the squad amid concerns regarding O'Neill's dual role.
Oxford are understood to have raised a complaint of conflict of interest after four of their players were called up for the international side, including goalscorer Donley.
The BBC's 72+ EFL podcast team have taken a look at the Championship relegation picture, with some huge games in store at the end of the international break.
Easter Monday (6 April) sees Blackburn and West Brom face-off, level on points just above the drop zone, just hours after second-bottom Oxford United head to Portsmouth.
Third-bottom Leicester will also head to Portsmouth and Blackburn during the run-in.
Former Watford and Reading winger Jobi McAnuff said: "We know Easter weekend is absolutely pivotal and that Portsmouth v Oxford game is looming large, though they both have another game first (on Good Friday).
"It could genuinely could come down to those matches against the teams in and around you. They are absolutely massive.
"Portsmouth are, at the moment, the team I'd be a little bit concerned about in terms of their current form.
"You take it game by game, of course, but that is 100% one everyone in the squad is looking at going 'we need to win that game - if we are going to stay up that is a must win.'
"This two weeks now for Portsmouth is going to be the longest because it's doom and gloom - (losing) 6-1 against a team on their holidays in QPR (in their final game before the break)."
McAnuff also hailed the impact of interim West Brom boss James Morrison, who has taken eight points from his five games at the helm after replacing Eric Ramsey, winning the past two and only being denied three straight wins by a last-gasp leveller against Southampton.
"The big thing about those games - clean sheets," McAnuff said. "When you are in a battle, being hard to beat is the fundamental thing.
"They were really close against Southampton and got pegged back right in the last couple of minutes. It could have been a killer blow.
"To come back from that and now find those couple of wins, they'll have gone into this break absolutely bouncing. The confidence, that feeling back in the dressing room, is absolutely massive at this stage.
"Massive credit to James Morrison because there were a few eyebrows raised. He knows the club inside out and sometimes that's what it takes.
"At the moment he's had a really positive upturn."
While they remain 23rd, the U's are now just a point from safety with seven games remaining after Bloomfield steered them to 17 points from his 15 games.
Improving the defence has been a key pillar of their improvement with just 16 goals conceded over that period after allowing 35 in their opening 24 matches.
"It's been a really intense period," Bloomfield told the BBC's 72+ EFL podcast. "It's the first opportunity we've really had to reflect on what's gone and what's coming up.
"It's been great since I've been here. We've really had a go in all the games. We've been really good defensively, kept ourselves in games, thrown some punches and got some points on the board.
"We've really evolved the way we're playing, they have been some really positive signs of improvement, particularly over the past five games.
"We're pleased with where we are at but hungry for more improvement to go and get the points we need between now and the end of the season."
While Bloomfield revealed he has not set a points target for survival, based on the unpredictable nature of the division, he said putting together a string of positive days on the training ground, and on the pitch, would be key to their survival.
"There's some good energy," he added. "The lads understand the fight and grit needed to get ourselves out of it. We got a bit of fresh energy in January to add to the experience and senior players we have got - it's a nice blend.
"When you take over mid-season it's all about results. For me it's about trying to create a team that can put as many points on the board as possible between now and the end of the season and doing it in a manner I believe is correct.
"It's all about substance."
In his fourth experience of joining a club mid-season, Bloomfield insisted: "I knew the situation walking into the job, I knew we had a lot of work to do.
"We believe we have enough in the building to do what we need to do between now and the end of the season. The only way we're going to get there is work."
"Football managers are just humans," Bloomfield said. "To meet her parents on the Monday after the tragedy happened on the Saturday and have two heartfelt and emotional home games in the following week - I have to admit I was emotionally drained by the end of the week, but my heart bleeds for her parents.
"I am a father of two daughters myself and it was heart-breaking to see her parents.
"We wanted to make sure we paid our respects in the right manner, on and off the pitch, and I think we did that. Amelia's family will be friends of our club forever."
Bloomfield 'proud' despite disappointing loss published at 19:56 GMT 21 March
19:56 GMT 21 March
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Image caption,
After defeat at Southampton, Oxford drop to 23rd in the Championship table
Oxford United boss Matt Bloomfield said that he was really disappointed after the U's suffered defeat at Southampton.
Cyle Larin scored early before Shea Charles struck from range to give Saints the three points.
Despite the loss, Bloomfield said that he was still proud of the effort shown by his side.
"I'm really disappointed, especially with the second goal, for him to strike from that far away, there's not a huge amount we could have done about that," he told BBC Radio Oxford.
"We came out from a set piece and I'm not sure he'll [Charles] ever score another goal like that, it was an unbelievable strike.
"We had some moments before they've scored, a couple of long throws, some moments in their box and then we found ourselves two goals down but we kept going and I'm proud of the boys for that."
Image source, Getty Images
