Oxford United

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The 2025-26 FA Cup fourth-round draw will take place on Monday, 12 January at approximately 18:35 GMT.

Proceedings will take place before kick-off in the third-round tie between Liverpool and Barnsley at Anfield.

Former England internationals Steven Gerrard and Joe Cole will conduct the draw that will consist of 32 teams live on TNT Sports.

Supporters can also follow the draw on the BBC Sport website and app.

All matches will be played around the weekend commencing Saturday, 14 February.

Unlike in previous years, there are no replays if matches end as a draw. All ties will go to extra time, and if necessary, a penalty shootout.

Non-league Macclesfield are the lowest-ranked team in the draw after beating holders Crystal Palace in a remarkable 2-1 victory.

What are the ball numbers?

• 1. Wolverhampton Wanderers

• 2. Southampton

• 3. Aston Villa

• 4. Port Vale

• 5. Wigan Athletic

• 6. Ipswich Town

• 7. Wrexham

• 8. Chelsea

• 9. Manchester City

• 10. West Ham United

• 11. Brentford

• 12. Fulham

• 13. Sunderland

• 14. Liverpool or Barnsley

• 15. Burnley

• 16. Norwich City

• 17. Arsenal

• 18. Leeds United

• 19. West Bromwich Albion

• 20. Salford City or Swindon Town

• 21. Burton Albion

• 22. Grimsby Town

• 23. Hull City

• 24. Newcastle United

• 25. Oxford United

• 26. Leicester City

• 27. Birmingham City

• 28. Bristol City

• 29. Stoke City

• 30. Macclesfield

• 31. Brighton & Hove Albion

• 32. Mansfield Town

Pundits Dion Dublin and Rob Green join host Jason Mohammad to bring you the action and talking points from Friday and Saturday's FA Cup ties.

Watch on BBC iPlayer here

And listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Wrexham 3-3 (4-3 pens) Nottingham Forest

• Preston North End 0-1 Wigan

• Macclesfield Town 2-1 Crystal Palace

• Everton 1-1 (0-3 pens) Sunderland

• Wolves 6-1 Shrewsbury Town

• Fulham 3-1 Middlesbrough

• Manchester City 10-1 Exeter City

• Newcastle 3-3 (7-6 pens) Bournemouth

• Stoke City 1-0 Coventry City

• Tottenham 1-2 Aston Villa

• Bristol City 5-1 Watford

• Cambridge United 2-3 Birmingham City

• Charlton 1-5 Chelsea

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We asked you for your thoughts on new Oxford United boss Matt Bloomfield and he certainly seems to have caused a stir.

Here is what you had to say about the appointment:

Matthew: No. Doesn't have the right experience. No decent track record. Can't see what's he's going to add. I agreed with the decision to remove Rowett but frankly I'd rather have Rowett, is this the best we can do?

Connor: I think this appointment reflects what Luton attempted to do last season by bringing in a young manager who has a talent for developing young players, and has a strong sense of how he wants his teams to play. He very nearly got it right last season elsewhere, so let's hope he can go one better at Oxford and keep us in the Championship. He has to hit the ground running though, or else I fear the fanbase may not be very forgiving. Good luck Matt, I think you might need it.

Charles: He has the right manager/player experience to move us towards safety. It will depend on how the existing players respond to him and how he integrates the new players into the squad. Cautious optimism!

Jacob: As an Oxford fan, I'm honestly disappointed after what he did with Luton.

Finn: I think the board have made a solid appointment which I think is what Oxford United needs right now.

Simon: Got to give him a chance, like any new manager he deserves the backing of the fans.

Neil: Only time will tell. I think the rest of this season is going to be really hard regardless of who took over. COYY.

Keith: Very underwhelmed. Considering the managers out of work feel we could have done better with regard to experience and knowledge in this league.

Cosmo: Solid appointment but doesn't explain (why it took) over two weeks to get it done.

Richie: Awful appointment. We've gone for the cheapest, lazy option. At Oxford the manager isn't involved in transfers as it's all left with the recruitment team. The trouble is the last four managers we've had all play a different style so it'll never work. We had the right man in Gary Rowett but he was given an unbalanced squad to work with.

William: Can he keep us up? Only time will tell and only if we back him both financially and as fans. This is an almost impossible job already and we all need to know that going into the second half of the season.

Mark: Sadly, I think Oxford are down, but hope I am wrong. No manager really wanted to come to Oxford when there is only money planned for another new stadium. I have travelled many times from Canada to watch Oxford play. You look at teams around us - Portsmouth, Norwich, Sheffield Wednesday - none of them should be down the bottom, and let's face it, Sheff Weds, are only there because of a very unfair point deduction. Good luck to all at the club.

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Oxford United's Craig Short is uncertain whether he will remain at the club after overseeing their FA Cup third round win at MK Dons on Friday.

Short had been in interim charge after Gary Rowett was sacked last month but is now unsure where his future lies after Matt Bloomfield was appointed as the U's new head coach.

"I don't know if he wants me," Short told BBC Radio Oxford.

"I understand when new managers come in they want their own staff, it's a ruthless business and you want people around who you can trust."

The former Ferencvaros and Notts County boss has been on the coaching staff at Oxford since August 2020 having also served as caretaker manager when Liam Manning left the club to join Bristol City in November 2023.

"I think he (Bloomfield) knows I don't want the job, I'll make that clear to him anyway and if I can be of any help to him then I certainly will," Short added.

There are four third-round ties in the FA Cup on Friday, and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• MK Dons v Oxford United - BBC Three Counties Radio and BBC Radio Oxford

• Port Vale v Fleetwood - BBC Radio Stoke

• Preston v Wigan - BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

• Wrexham v Nottingham Forest - BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Radio Nottingham

All kick-offs 19:30 GMT

Follow all of the action and reaction here

And find out how to follow the FA Cup across the BBC this weekend here

You can also listen to today's 5 Live commentaries on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Preston v Wigan" or "ask BBC Sounds to play Wrexham v Nottingham Forest".

Find out more about how to listen to football on BBC Sounds

Just over two weeks after sacking Gary Rowett, Oxford United have appointed former Luton Town boss Matt Bloomfield to take the reins at the Kassam Stadium.

Bloomfield was dismissed by the Hatters after overseeing a relegation from the Championship and subsequent poor start in League One, but did fare well with Wycombe Wanderers before making the move to Kenilworth Road.

What do you think U's fans?

Is Bloomfield the right man to save the team from the drop or did you have your eye on someone else?

Let us know your thoughts and check back tomorrow to know the verdict.

Former Southampton boss Will Still has emerged as the bookies' favourite for the vacant Oxford United head coach role - but is he the right man for the job?

The 33-year-old managed just two wins from his first 13 Championship games in charge of the Saints and was sacked after only five months in charge.

"If I was the sporting director, I wouldn't be looking at somebody like a Will Still," former Cardiff City defender Sean Morrison told the 72+ EFL podcast.

"Unless he's going to really change how he wants to play, I don't know if he's going to be the right man to keep them in the Championship."

Ex Crystal Palace, Watford and Reading midfielder Jobi McAnuff believes Still - who enjoyed a relatively successful spell at French Ligue 1 club Lens in 2024-25 - should "steer clear" of the U's, who sacked Gary Rowett on 23 December.

"I'd go a step further than that and say 'I know you want to get back into management and it's important that you do, but sometimes you have to look at everything when you're going into a job'," McAnuff said.

"Does that give him the best chance of re-establishing himself? Because if that doesn't go well, after what happened at Southampton, what's his next opportunity going to be in England?

"I was surprised to see him be the favourite on both counts because I don't think he fits the mould for what they need and I don't think the club from his perspective is probably what he needs at this moment in time."

McAnuff said Oxford need a manager with "know-how" and not someone "too open or expansive".

"This is someone who has got a little bit of a track record of salvaging seasons and getting the best out of a group that quite frankly isn't as good player for player as many others it's coming up against on a weekly basis," he added.

"If you're looking at a profile of manager, it sounds like a Gary Rowett-type job."

Listen to the full episode of the 72+ podcast on BBC Sounds.

Image source, Getty Images

Oxford United have confirmed that Craig Short will remain in charge for Friday's FA Cup tie against MK Dons.

The U's beat Southampton 2-1 on 26 December in Short's first game in interim charge, but lost 1-0 at home to Swansea and 2-1 at Ipswich before Sunday's fixture at Sheffield United was postponed.

They remain second-bottom of the Championship, three points from safety.

Short, alongside Chris Hackett and Lewis Price, will remain in position while the U's close on the appointment of a new permanent manager following the sacking of Gary Rowett on 23 December after a run of one point from 10 games.

Ahead of the third-round trip to Stadium MK (19:30 GMT) Short - who is in his third spell in caretaker charge since joining the club as a coach in August 2020 - told the club website: "It's been a demanding period with a lot of preparation in a short space of time.

"The club are working hard behind the scenes. In the meantime, I'm happy to continue overseeing first-team duties alongside Chris and Lewis.

"Our focus is firmly on Friday's FA Cup tie and doing everything we can to progress."

Image source, Getty Images

Fulham have recalled midfielder Luke Harris from his loan spell at Championship side Oxford United.

The 20-year-old made 17 appearances in all competitions for the U's, including scoring in a 1-1 draw at home to promotion-chasers Middlesbrough in November.

Harris spent last season on loan at League One side Birmingham City, helping them get promoted up to the Championship.

The former Fulham academy player previously spent five months on loan to Exeter City during the 2023-2024 season.

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Derek McInnes says it made "perfect sense" to sign Stuart Findlay on a permanent deal at Hearts after his impressive impact on loan.

The 30-year-old centre-back, a Premiership ever-present this season with 20 appearances and four goals, will officially become a Hearts player on a two-year contract in the summer when his Oxford United deal expires.

"Stuart has been every inch the Hearts player I expected him to be when he came in during the summer," manager McInnes told the Hearts website.

"He's been part of a successful defence and he's a danger in opposition boxes, and he is the type of character you want around the dressing room.

"He loves it here and wants to be part of something special, so it made perfect sense to take advantage of his contract expiring down south and get his future sorted with Hearts."

Image source, Getty Images

Aidan Elliot-Wheeler is to remain on loan with Gateshead for the rest of the season.

The Oxford United defender, 19, has made six appearances for the Heed since his initial move in late November.

But Kian Pennant and Ibrahim Bakare have returned to Leicester City and Kyle Hurst to Doncaster Rovers upon the completion of their loan deals with the Tyneside club.

Image source, Getty Images

Oxford United have recalled defender Jordan Thorniley from his loan spell at League One side Northampton Town.

The 29-year-old made 22 appearances in all competitions for the Cobblers, the last of them on 29 December.

"He has battled through some games for the sake of the team and we applaud and appreciate his commitment," Northampton manager Kevin Nolan told the club website.

"Neither party thought it was fair though - either us or Jordan - for him to have to battle through.

"We have had a chat about it and it was agreed best for all parties that he returns to his parent club to allow him to continue his rehabilitation."

"It'll be interesting to see who it is. I would be surprised if there is a huge surprise in terms of a left-field name."

The hunt for the new Oxford boss continues as The Dub team speculate on who could get the call, injury issues plaguing the side, new signing Jamie Donley and the cold, cold snap.

Listen to the newest episode of The Dub and more Oxford United content on BBC Sounds.