Oxford United

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.

New Oxford United boss Matt Bloomfield said that he "trusted his gut" when making a decision over his future and joining the club simply "felt right".

The former Colchester, Wycombe and Luton Town manager signed a deal last week to become the new U's head coach, taking over from Gary Rowett who was relieved of his duties in late December.

On Thursday, Bloomfield spoke to media for the first time since his appointment, and discussed just why he decided to make the move after a short period away from the game following his dismissal as Luton Town head coach.

"I think there's been several positions that have been vacant since I've been out where I've had some phone calls and they haven't felt right," Bloomfield told BBC Radio Oxford.

"This one felt right and I'm a big believer in trusting your gut and following your instincts

"I met Ed [Waldron, head of football operations] and I think he's an incredible guy, the way he carries himself and represents his football club is amazing.

"I just came away with a good feeling from that and went through the interview process with nothing changing, I was really keen on getting the job and was absolutely delighted when it came through and was offered."

Oxford are currently second from bottom in the Championship table with 22 points, three adrift of safety and Bloomfield's first assignment is against Bristol City on Saturday (15:00 GMT).

Bloomfield will be tasked with repeating what Rowett was able to achieve last season by keeping the U's in the second tier.

Oxford finished five places and four points above the Luton team that Bloomfield was unable to keep in the division having taken over at Kenilworth Road in January.

"I've come in the building here with a freshness," Bloomfield added. "I've recharged the batteries and I'm really pleased to be here.

"I'll implement a style of football and a system that I believe that we can get the best out of the players, that's the only thing that matters is to get results and to keep us in this league."

Image source, Opta

The Matt Bloomfield era at Oxford United begins as the U's welcome Bristol City on Saturday (15:00 GMT).

Oxford are second-bottom of the Championship, three points from safety, after a run of one win, and four points, from their past seven games.

Two defeats in their past three league games has seen the Robins slip to 10th, though they remain within two points of the play-off places.

• Oxford are looking for a league double over Bristol City for the first time since the 1995/96 season under Denis Smith.

• Bristol City have won on just two of their 18 league visits to Oxford United (D6 L10), winning 2-0 in 1972/73 and 1-0 in 2000/01.

• Since the start of November, only Sheffield Wednesday (5) have picked up fewer points in the Championship than Oxford United (10), winning just two out of 13 games in that time (D4 L7).

• Bristol City are 17 points ahead of Oxford but they've only won two of their past 10 league games when starting the day 17+ points clear of their opponents (D2 L6).

• Excluding play-offs, only three players have been involved in more Championship goals in the past two seasons than Bristol City's Anis Mehmeti (20 goals, 7 assists) – he scored earlier this season against Oxford in the Robins' 3-1 defeat at Ashton Gate.

Oxford United want to sign Northern Irish 21-year-old midfielder Jamie McDonnell from Nottingham Forest in a deal worth around £1m. (Alan Nixon - subscription required), external

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

"It's obviously a little bit of a gamble from their point of view."

Will it work out between West Bromwich Albion and fresh face Eric Ramsay? Is Matt Bloomfield the man who will keep Oxford United up?

The 72+ pod are joined by AFC Wimbledon boss Johnnie Jackson to discuss the latest managerial appointments in the Championship, the struggles at Shrewsbury Town, Jackson's experience with the Dons in League One as well as reflecting on a big FA Cup weekend.

Listen to the full episode and more on BBC Sounds.