Oxford United

Oxford United boss Matt Bloomfield has hailed striker Mark Harris' contribution after the striker scored the winner in their 2-1 victory over Leicester City.

Harris had spoken after the match about his uncertainty regarding his future at the club, having seen his game time reduced but with an eye on Wales' World Cup ambitions.

However, while Bloomfield acknowledges there will be further exits from the Kassam as we approach the end of the winter transfer window, he has a positive view on what Harris can offer the team.

"A lot of the work that Sparky [Harris] does goes unnoticed," Bloomfield told BBC Radio Oxford. "I value him extremely highly.

"We have got a bloated group, we are not going to be able to carry this number through the transfer window so I expect there will be departures.

"But I think he's an extremely valuable member of the group, I think he's top individual."

As well as departures, Oxford have been looking to bolster their squad as they continue to scrap against relegation.

The U's have brought in three new permanent signings across January in midfielders Jamie McDonnell and Myles Peart-Harris, plus winger Jin Woo Jeon.

Bloomfield added: "We just need to make sure we come out the other end of the window stronger than what we went to it and I believe we are on our way to doing that."

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Image source, Rex Features

Oxford United head coach Matt Bloomfield says his players were top-drawer in their 2-1 away win over Leicester City.

Bloomfield told BBC Radio Oxford: "The boys were, to a man - the starters and finishers - excellent," Bloomfield said. "I am so proud of them. They carried out the info we gave them to a tee.

"We showed heart, guts and determination and no lack of quality because, let's not forget, we had a goal disallowed that shouldn't have been disallowed. I told the referee it was a mistake but at least we can discuss it on the back of a win.

"We also had a couple of chances in the second half and there could have been another couple of goals on our tally.

"The players have to take all the praise. They were absolutely top-drawer. But this is just the stepping stone. We have done nothing yet."

Image source, EFL

A new initiative highlighting the work of football club charities has been launched by the English Football League (EFL).

'Scan to Smile' will be rolled out in stadiums across the EFL from Friday until the end of January, with supporters invited to scan QR codes on posters displayed around grounds.

Each scan will unlock a short, uplifting story from a person whose life has been positively impacted by the support of their local club charity.

The subjects tackled include mental health support, combating loneliness, improving physical wellbeing, employability and confidence.

The EFL said it hoped the initiative would use "the reach and influence of football to offer fans a moment of positivity on matchday".

Trevor Birch, chief executive at the EFL, said: "Behind every club are people whose lives have been positively changed through the work and dedication of their local EFL club charity.

"This initiative gives supporters the chance to see that impact first-hand and reminds us that football truly is a force for good."

Matt Bloomfield will aim to collect his first win as Oxford United boss when the side visit an out-of-form Leicester City on Saturday (15:00 GMT).

Bloomfield was appointed U's head coach on 9 January but has yet to see his side score after his first two games at the helm both ended in goalless stalemates.

The Foxes, however, are also having a hard time as of late after losing two of their past four league games (W1 D1).

• This will be the first time that Leicester City have hosted Oxford United in league action since November 1993, a match the U's won 3-2 in the second tier.

• Oxford United are unbeaten across their last three league games against Leicester City (W1 D2), only once have they gone four undefeated against the Foxes in the Football League – a four-match stint between September 1970 and October 1985.

• Leicester have won four of their last six home league games (L2), scoring 2+ goals in five of those matches. The Foxes will be looking to win three in succession at home in the same season for the first time since April 2024.

• Only bottom side Sheffield Wednesday (14) have failed to score in more different Championship games than Oxford this season (11), with the U's last two games finishing 0-0.

• Leicester kept a clean sheet in three of their first six league games this season, but have since conceded in each of their last 22.

Image source, Shutterstock

All English Football League games across a four-day period in February will begin one minute late to raise awareness for the Every Minute Matters campaign.

The initiative will be in place for 36 matches across the Championship, League One and League Two between 5 and 9 February.

EFL sponsor Sky Bet and the British Heart Foundation (BHF) have been working together since May 2024 to highlight the importance of speed when it comes to performing live-saving CPR.

Later kick-off times will serve as "a stark reminder that every minute matters", the EFL said.

Bristol Rovers defender Tom Lockyer collapsed while playing for Luton Town eight minutes into the Championship play-off final against Coventry in May 2023.

Lockyer then suffered a cardiac arrest on the pitch seven months later during a Premier League game at Bournemouth.

"What happened to me can happen to anyone, anywhere, at any time," said Lockyer, who is now a BHF ambassador.

"Every year, more than 40,000 people in the UK suffer an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and most of them never make it home.

"I'm here today because of the transformative power of CPR as every minute matters when it comes to saving a life.

"This February, we want everyone to get behind this life-saving initiative, learn the skills and be ready to step in because your actions could give someone else the chance I was given."

Throughout February, the Every Minute Matters campaign will call on fans to learn CPR using the BHF's online RevivR, external tool.

"Each minute without CPR reduces a person's chance of survival, so we're urging fans to learn the skills now, before you ever need them," said Dr Charmaine Griffiths, chief executive of the BHF.

EFL chief executive officer Trevor Birch added: "The one minute kick-off adjustment is a simple, powerful reminder that swift CPR can be the difference between life and death."

Image source, Rex Features

Oxford United head coach Matt Bloomfield said the half-time introduction of Brodie Spencer helped control QPR danger man Paul Smyth in the two sides' 0-0 draw.

Spencer came on for Michal Helik, who had a knock, and was given instruction to stay tighter to Smyth, who had looked lively in an otherwise drab game.

"Paul Smyth was causing us a few problems in the first half," Bloomfield told BBC Radio Oxford.

"We adjusted a couple of things tactically, we allowed Brodie [Spencer] to go a little bit tighter on him and that nullified that threat in the second half."

He added: "I'm really pleased with another clean sheet, I'm really pleased with the way the lads have given us absolutely everything.

"We've put another point on the board, which we've got to be pleased about, but those moments are not quite going for us.

"If we start to take those moments, then things will start to kick on. We have to believe in that."

Image source, BBC Sport

Oxford United are expected to continue their pursuit of Reading midfielder Charlie Savage, 22, despite having a bid of £500,000 rejected. (Reading Chronicle), external

Want more transfer news from the EFL? Check out Tuesday's gossip column here

Image source, Opta

Relegation-battling Oxford United will seek a first win under new boss Matt Bloomfield when they welcome Queens Park Rangers on Tuesday night (19:45 GMT kick-off).

The U's are five points adrift of safety and have won just one of their past eight games (D2 L5).

Meanwhile, the Hoops are 11th but still in touching distance of the play-off spots, four points behind the top-six.

• Oxford United are winless in four league meetings with Queens Park Rangers (D1 L3), but have never gone five without a win against the Rs.

• QPR won this exact fixture last season 3-1, but have never won back-to-back away league games at Oxford United before.

• Oxford United are without a win in their past 10 midweek (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday) Championship games (D4 L6) since defeating Luton 3-2 in January 2025.

• QPR have won each of their previous three away league games played in midweek (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday), last winning four in a row in August 1971.

• Oxford United have only won one of their past eight league matches against London clubs (D3 L4), beating Millwall 1-0 away from home in January 2025.

Marc Webber
BBC Final Score reporter

Image source, Getty Images

The football purists won't be banging on the Oxford United club shop door for a DVD of Saturday's game against Bristol City.

Both sides made it a difficult watch for most of the match.

Thankfully, United lit the touch paper late in the game and those oh-so-near moments when Stan Mills forced strong saves in the 72nd minute and injury time really gave the home crowd something to get behind.

It was a debut managerial performance from Matt Bloomfield that opened the door of hope, rather than shut the trap door to relegation.

It was solid defensively - a rare clean sheet - and still had some power in it to go for that last-gasp goal.

New signing Myles Peart-Harris on the left flank had an engine on him with as much rev as one installed at the local Mini car plant at Cowley.

And there are more new faces to come into the club to help with the fight, such as Jamie McDonnell, who signed from Nottingham Forest on Sunday.

But Oxford now face a flurry of games against sides who are pushing for the play-offs, as opposed to relegation rivals.

Normally the type of games you'd be happy to get a draw from. But some of those games need to be three-pointers if Bloomfield's men stand a chance of staying up.

Image source, Getty Images

Oxford United head coach Matt Bloomfield told BBC Radio Oxford:

"I'm fairly content. I would have been ecstatic if we'd got that winner at the end but it wasn't quite to be.

"There's loads of things to be pleased with today including our first clean sheet for a while.

"We played against a very, very good Championship team who have scored 12 goals in their last three games and we were the ones offering the threat so plenty to be content with but loads to go after as well.

"We'll continue to try to work on what we need to work on but the input from the players this week has been fantastic and that's what we are going to need between now and the end of the season."

New Oxford United boss Matt Bloomfield speaks to media for the first time since becoming U's boss.

He discusses footballing philosophy, needing all the fans and why he took the Oxford job

He's been speaking to BBC South Today's Lewis Coombes.

Oxford United have seen a £500k bid for 22-year-old Reading and Wales midfielder Charlie Savage turned down. (Pete O'Rourke, external)

Want more transfer news from the EFL? Take a look at Friday's gossip column here.