“Strong Position” – Oxford United Boss Addresses Play-Off Chances

Oxford United boss Des Buckingham has hailed his side as they look to extend their five-game unbeaten run, winning their last three in emphatic fashion.

Buckingham will have thought his sides’ play-off hopes were in tatters following a run of three defeats in five games in mid-March, culminating with the 5-0 hammering they suffered at Bolton Wanderers .

Since that defeat, they have taken an impressive 13 points from a possible 15, with the 1-1 draw with Shrewsbury Town being their only blemish on a perfect record. The U’s will be hoping to follow up the impressive 5-0 win against play-off side Peterborough United on Saturday.

Oxford can all-but-seal a place in the top six later tonight when they take on Lincoln City at the Kassam Stadium. The Imps head into the tie having lost their 16-game unbeaten run against Wigan Athletic at the weekend and know that they need to win to give themselves the best possible opportunity of reaching the play-offs themselves.

However, only Barnsley, Bolton and Peterborough have scored more goals than the U’s, who have scored a whopping 76 goals this season. Speaking to the BBC ahead of the potential six-pointer, Buckingham hailed his players and the run they are on:

“We’re starting to put ourselves in a strong position.

“It’s some of the best football we have played since I’ve been here, there’s a real understanding between everyone about how we want to play and what we want to do.

“We need to make sure that we can continue this for the remaining games.”

Following the clash against the Imps, Oxford face Stevenage on Friday night before finishing the season away at Exeter City.

Writer’s View

A draw would arguably be a decent result for Oxford. It would leave them four points above Blackpool and five above Lincoln with just two games remaining. However, a win for the Imps would close the gap to just two points and they would head to the Lamex on Friday with extra nerves.

It’s sure to be a pulsating encounter between the two teams, who have both produced some stunning results in recent weeks. Wigan’s win at the LNER Stadium at the weekend means it isn’t the winner-takes-all clash we may have been expecting, but there is still a huge amount resting on this game. It’s a must-watch.

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