# 2023–24 Oxford United F.C. season

The 2023–24 season is the 130th season in the history of Oxford United and their eighth consecutive season in League One. The club participated in League One, the FA Cup, the EFL Cup, and the 2023–24 EFL Trophy.
Oxford finished 5th in the league table, but were promoted back to the EFL Championship via the play-offs, beating Bolton Wanderers 2–0 in the play-off final to return to the second tier of English football for the first time in 25 years.
It was the club's 130th year in existence, their 124th of competitive football and their 75th since turning professional. This article covers the period from 1 July 2023 to 30 June 2024.

## Current squad

    As of 27 March 2024
| No. | Name | Position | Place of birth | Date of birth (Age) | Previous club | Date signed | Fee | Contract end |
| Goalkeepers ||||||||||
| 1 | Jamie Cumming | GK | Winchester | (1999-09-04) 4 September 1999 (age 25) | Chelsea | 11 January 2024 | Loan | 30 June 2024 |
| 13 | Simon Eastwood | GK | Luton | (1989-06-26) 26 June 1989 (age 35) | Blackburn Rovers | 1 July 2016 | Free | 30 June 2026 |
| 31 | Eddie Brearey | GK | | (2004-06-09) 9 June 2004 (age 20) | Academy | 1 July 2022 | Trainee | 30 June 2024 |
| 41 | Monty Marriott | GK | | | Academy | 6 November 2023 | Trainee | 30 June 2024 |
| Defenders ||||||||||
| 2 | Sam Long | RB | Bicester | (1995-01-16) 16 January 1995 (age 29) | Academy | 1 July 2013 | Trainee | 30 June 2026 |
| 3 | Ciaron Brown | LB | Hillingdon | (1998-01-14) 14 January 1998 (age 26) | Cardiff City | 1 July 2022 | Free | 30 June 2025 |
| 4 | Jordan Thorniley | CB | Warrington | (1996-11-24) 24 November 1996 (age 28) | Blackpool | 1 July 2023 | Free | 30 June 2026 |
| 5 | Elliott Moore | CB | Coalville | (1997-03-16) 16 March 1997 (age 27) | Leicester City | 1 August 2019 | Undisclosed | 30 June 2026 |
| 12 | Joe Bennett | LB | Rochdale | (1990-03-28) 28 March 1990 (age 34) | Wigan Athletic | 30 November 2023 | Free | 30 June 2024 |
| 15 | Fin Stevens | RB | Brighton | (2003-04-10) 10 April 2003 (age 21) | Brentford | 1 July 2023 | Loan | 31 May 2024 |
| 22 | Greg Leigh | LB | Sale | (1994-09-30) 30 September 1994 (age 30) | Ipswich Town | 24 August 2023 | Undisclosed | 30 June 2025 |
| 26 | James Golding | RB | Sutton | (2004-08-10) 10 August 2004 (age 20) | Academy | 23 March 2022 | Trainee | 30 June 2027 |
| 28 | Stephan Negru | CB | Florești | (2002-07-24) 24 July 2002 (age 22) | Shelbourne | 1 January 2023 | Undisclosed | 30 June 2026 |
| Midfielders ||||||||||
| 6 | Josh McEachran | CM | Oxford | (1993-03-01) 1 March 1993 (age 31) | Milton Keynes Dons | 1 July 2023 | Free | 30 June 2025 |
| 8 | Cameron Brannagan | CM | Manchester | (1996-05-06) 6 May 1996 (age 28) | Liverpool | 11 January 2018 | Undisclosed | 30 June 2025 |
| 14 | Oisin Smyth | AM | Derrytrasna | (2000-05-05) 5 May 2000 (age 24) | Dungannon Swifts | 31 January 2022 | Undisclosed | 30 June 2025 |
| 17 | James Henry | RM | Reading | (1989-06-10) 10 June 1989 (age 35) | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 12 July 2017 | Free | 30 June 2024 |
| 18 | Marcus McGuane | DM | Greenwich | (1999-02-02) 2 February 1999 (age 25) | Nottingham Forest | 1 July 2021 | Undisclosed | 30 June 2024 |
| 19 | Tyler Goodrham | MF | High Wycombe | (2003-08-07) 7 August 2003 (age 21) | Academy | 1 July 2022 | Trainee | 30 June 2027 |
| 34 | George Franklin | DM | | (2004-09-09) 9 September 2004 (age 20) | Academy | 1 July 2023 | Trainee | 30 June 2024 |
| 44 | Zaide Took-Oxley | CM | | | Academy | 9 August 2023 | Trainee | 30 June 2024 |
| Forwards ||||||||||
| 9 | Mark Harris | CF | Swansea | (1998-12-29) 29 December 1998 (age 25) | Cardiff City | 11 July 2023 | Free | 30 June 2026 |
| 10 | Billy Bodin | CF | Swindon | (1992-03-24) 24 March 1992 (age 32) | Preston North End | 30 June 2021 | Free | 30 June 2024 |
| 11 | Marcus Browne | CF | Tower Hamlets | (1997-12-18) 18 December 1997 (age 26) | Middlesbrough | 31 January 2022 | Undisclosed | 30 June 2024 |
| 16 | Tyler Burey | FW | Hillingdon | (2001-01-09) 9 January 2001 (age 23) | Odense Boldklub | 10 January 2024 | Loan | 30 June 2024 |
| 20 | Rúben Rodrigues | CF | Oliveira de Azeméis | (1996-08-02) 2 August 1996 (age 28) | Notts County | 1 July 2023 | Free | 30 June 2026 |
| 23 | Josh Murphy | LW | Wembley | (1995-02-24) 24 February 1995 (age 29) | Cardiff City | 26 July 2022 | Free | 30 June 2024 |
| 25 | Will Goodwin | CF | Tarporley | (2002-05-07) 7 May 2002 (age 22) | Cheltenham Town | 19 January 2024 | Undisclosed | 30 June 2026 |
| 27 | Max Woltman | CF | Wirral | (2003-08-20) 20 August 2003 (age 21) | Liverpool | 3 August 2023 | Undisclosed | 30 June 2026 |
| 30 | Owen Dale | RW | Warrington | (1998-11-01) 1 November 1998 (age 26) | Blackpool | 1 February 2024 | Undisclosed | 30 June 2025 |
| 39 | Gatlin O'Donkor | CF | Oxford | (2004-10-14) 14 October 2004 (age 20) | Academy | 1 July 2022 | Trainee | 30 June 2026 |
| 47 | Aidan Elliott-Wheeler | CF | Oxford | (2007-08-31) 31 August 2007 (age 17) | Academy | 1 July 2023 | Trainee | 30 June 2024 |
| 48 | Leo Snowden | CF | | | Academy | 6 November 2023 | Trainee | 30 June 2024 |
| 50 | Louis Griffiths | LW | | (2007-09-03) 3 September 2007 (age 17) | Academy | 5 September 2023 | Trainee | 30 June 2024 |
| 59 | Kasway Burton | CF | | | Academy | 5 September 2023 | Trainee | 30 June 2024 |
| — | Kyle Edwards | LW | Dudley | (1998-02-17) 17 February 1998 (age 26) | Ipswich Town | 16 January 2024 | Free | 30 June 2024 |
| Out on Loan ||||||||||
| 4 | Stuart Findlay | CB | Carmyle | (1995-09-14) 14 September 1995 (age 29) | Philadelphia Union | 19 July 2022 | Undisclosed | 30 June 2026 |
| 42 | Steve Seddon | LB | Reading | (1997-12-25) 25 December 1997 (age 26) | Birmingham City | 22 July 2021 | Undisclosed | 30 June 2024 |
| 43 | Richard McIntyre | LB | | (2006-07-16) 16 July 2006 (age 18) | Academy | 9 January 2024 | Trainee | 30 June 2024 |
* ↑ Bennett joined in December on a short-term deal but on 10 January extended his contract to run until the end of the season.

## Transfers
### In

| Date | Pos | Player | Transferred from | Fee |
| 1 July 2023 | CM | Josh McEachran | Milton Keynes Dons | Free transfer |
| 1 July 2023 | CF | Rúben Rodrigues | Notts County | Free transfer |
| 1 July 2023 | CB | Jordan Thorniley | Blackpool | Free transfer |
| 11 July 2023 | CF | Mark Harris | Cardiff City | Free transfer |
| 3 August 2023 | CF | Max Woltman | Liverpool | Undisclosed |
| 24 August 2023 | LB | Greg Leigh | Ipswich Town | Undisclosed |
| 10 October 2023 | CF | Cammy Cooper | Free agent | — |
| 20 October 2023 | DM | Alejandro Rodríguez Gorrín | Free agent | — |
| 30 November 2023 | LB | Joe Bennett | Free agent | — |
| 16 January 2024 | LW | Kyle Edwards | Free agent | — |
| 19 January 2024 | CF | Will Goodwin | Cheltenham Town | Undisclosed |
| 1 February 2024 | RW | Owen Dale | Blackpool | Undisclosed |
| 24 June 2024 | RB | Peter Kioso | Rotherham United | Undisclosed |
| 27 June 2024 | GK | Jamie Cumming | Chelsea | Undisclosed |
* ↑ Gorrín's contract with Oxford United expired in summer 2023 but he remained at the club as a free agent while he recovered from an injury before eventually re-signing

### Out

| Date | Pos | Player | Transferred to | Fee |
| 30 June 2023 | RB | Djavan Anderson | Free agent | Released |
| 30 June 2023 | AM | Ben Davis | Chonburi F.C. | Released |
| 30 June 2023 | RW | Jodi Jones | Notts County | Released |
| 30 June 2023 | LW | Will Owens | Free agent | Released |
| 30 June 2023 | GK | Kie Plumley | Manchester United Under-21s | Released |
| 30 June 2023 | RB | Yoav Sade | Free agent | Released |
| 30 June 2023 | CF | Slavi Spasov | Hungerford Town | Released |
| 30 June 2023 | GK | Jack Stevens | Cambridge United | Free transfer |
| 30 June 2023 | CF | Matty Taylor | Forest Green Rovers | Released |
| 5 July 2023 | DF | Erion Zabeli | Brentford | Undisclosed |
| 18 August 2023 | LW | Yanic Wildschut | Exeter City | Mutual consent |
| 5 September 2023 | GK | Fraser Barnsley | Everton | Undisclosed |
| 14 September 2023 | CF | Sam Baldock | Retired | Retired |
| 21 December 2023 | DF | Teddy Mfuni | Free agent | Released |
| 12 January 2024 | DM | Alejandro Rodríguez Gorrín | Forest Green Rovers | Undisclosed |
| 14 June 2024 | MF | Oisin Smyth | St Mirren | Undisclosed |
| 27 June 2024 | CF | Cammy Cooper | Airdrieonians F.C. | Undisclosed |

### Loaned in

| Date | Pos | Player | Loaned from | Date until |
| 1 July 2023 | GK | James Beadle | Brighton & Hove Albion | 8 January 2024 |
| 1 July 2023 | RB | Fin Stevens | Brentford | End of season |
| 27 July 2023 | RW | Stanley Mills | Everton | 8 January 2024 |
| 25 August 2023 | CF | Sonny Perkins | Leeds United | 2 January 2024 |
| 1 September 2023 | LW | Kyle Edwards | Ipswich Town | 8 January 2024 |
| 10 January 2024 | FW | Tyler Burey | Odense Boldklub | End of season |
| 11 January 2024 | GK | Jamie Cumming | Chelsea | End of season |
| 1 February 2024 | CM | Jay Matete | Sunderland | 27 March 2024 |
* ↑ On 8 January, Beadle was recalled back to Brighton from his season-long loan and was sent out on loan to Sheffield Wednesday.
* ↑ On 8 January, Mills returned back to Everton early from his season-long loan because of injury.
* ↑ On 2 January, Perkins was recalled back to Leeds early from his season-long loan.
* ↑ On 8 January, Edwards had his loan deal terminated early because of injury but he remained at Oxford United to recover, with Ipswich Town terminating his contract on 11 January.
* ↑ On 27 March, Matete's loan from Sunderland was cut-short due to a knee injury.

### Loaned out

| Date | Pos | Player | Loaned to | Date until |
| 14 July 2023 | CB | Stuart Findlay | Kilmarnock | End of season |
| 14 July 2023 | LB | Steve Seddon | Burton Albion | End of season |
| 31 July 2023 | GK | Eddie Brearey | St Ives Town | 1 January 2024 |
| 11 August 2023 | RB | James Golding | Dartford | 8 September 2023 |
| 6 October 2023 | CM | Joshua Johnson | Dartford | 4 November 2023 |
| 12 January 2023 | CM | Zaide Took-Oxley | Salisbury | 20 February 2024 |
| 12 January 2023 | RB | Richard McIntyre | Salisbury | End of Season |
| 24 January 2024 | GK | Edward McGinty | Sligo Rovers F.C. | End of Season |

## Pre-season and friendlies

On May 11, The U's announced their first pre-season friendly, against Swansea City at home. A week later, a second fixture was confirmed, against Bristol City. A third pre-season match was announced on 23 May, against Eastleigh. A day later, a fourth friendly was confirmed by the club, against Queens Park Rangers.
Win  Draw  Loss  Fixtures

## Competitions
### Overall record

| Competition | Starting round | Final position | Record | Record | Record | Record | Record | Record | Record | Record |
| Competition | Starting round | Final position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % |
| League One | Matchday 1 | 5th (play offs) | 46 | 22 | 11 | 13 | 79 | 56 | +23 | 047.83 |
| FA Cup | First round | Third round | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 6 | +0 | 066.67 |
| EFL Cup | First round | First round | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | −4 | 000.00 |
| EFL Trophy | Group stage | Round of 16 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 4 | +5 | 060.00 |
| Total | Total | Total | 55 | 27 | 11 | 17 | 95 | 71 | +24 | 049.09 |
Last updated: 30 April 2024 Source: Soccerway

### League One
#### League table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
| 2 | Derby County (P) | 46 | 28 | 8 | 10 | 78 | 37 | +41 | 92 | Promoted to EFL Championship |
| 3 | Bolton Wanderers | 46 | 25 | 12 | 9 | 86 | 51 | +35 | 87 | Qualified for League One play-offs |
| 4 | Peterborough United | 46 | 25 | 9 | 12 | 89 | 61 | +28 | 84 | Qualified for League One play-offs |
| 5 | Oxford United (O, P) | 46 | 22 | 11 | 13 | 79 | 56 | +23 | 77 | Qualified for League One play-offs |
| 6 | Barnsley | 46 | 21 | 13 | 12 | 82 | 64 | +18 | 76 | Qualified for League One play-offs |
| 7 | Lincoln City | 46 | 20 | 14 | 12 | 65 | 40 | +25 | 74 | |
| 8 | Blackpool | 46 | 21 | 10 | 15 | 65 | 48 | +17 | 73 | |

#### Results summary

| Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away |
Last updated: 29 April 2024. Source: Soccerway

#### Results by round

| Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 7$^1$ | 17 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 13$^2$ | 21 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 28 | 27$^4$ | 30 | 18$^3$ | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 29$^5$ | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 41 | 42 | 43 | 44 | 45 | 46 |
| Ground | A | H | A | A | H | H | A | H | A | H | H | H | A | H | A | A | A | H | A | A | H | A | H | H | A | A | H | A | H | H | A | H | A | H | H | A | H | A | A | A | H | A | H | H | H | A |
| Result | L | W | W | W | W | L | W | W | W | W | W | D | L | D | W | W | L | D | L | D | W | L | W | L | W | W | L | L | D | D | D | W | D | D | L | L | W | L | W | D | W | W | W | L | D | W |
| Position | 20 | 12 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 5 |
* $^1$ Matchday 7 (vs Lincoln City) postponed because of international call-ups.
* $^2$ Matchday 13 (vs Reading) postponed because of international call-ups.
* $^3$ Matchday 18 (vs Portsmouth) postponed because of international call-ups.
* $^4$ Matchday 27 (vs Barnsley) postponed because of FA Cup involvement.
* $^5$ Matchday 29 (vs Northampton Town) postponed because of a frozen pitch.

#### Matches

On 22 June, the EFL League One fixtures were released.
Win  Draw  Loss  Fixtures

#### Play-offs

Oxford United finished 5th in the regular 2023–24 EFL League One season, so were drawn against 4th-placed Peterborough United in the play-off semi final. As the side which finished lower in the league, Oxford hosted the first round at their home ground, the Kassam Stadium, with the second round held at Peterborough's home ground, the London Road Stadium.

### FA Cup

The U's were drawn at home to Maidenhead United in the first round and away to Coventry City in the third round.
Win  Draw  Loss  Fixtures

### EFL Cup

Oxford were drawn away to Bristol City in the first round.
Win  Draw  Loss  Fixtures

### EFL Trophy

The Group stage draw was finalised on 22 June 2023. After coming second in the group, Oxford were drawn away to Forest Green Rovers in the second round and to either Portsmouth or AFC Wimbledon in the third round.
| Pos | Div | Teamvte | Pld | W | PW | PL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | L2 | Milton Keynes Dons | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 3 | +5 | 9 | Advance to Round 2 |
| 2 | L1 | Oxford United | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 2 | +6 | 6 | Advance to Round 2 |
| 3 | ACA | Chelsea U21 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 11 | −8 | 2 | |
| 4 | L1 | Northampton Town | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 8 | −3 | 1 | |
Win  Draw  Loss  Fixtures

## Top scorers

    As of 19 May 2024
| Place | Position | Nation | Number | Name | League One | FA Cup | League Cup | FL Trophy | Total |
| 1 | FW | | 9 | Mark Harris | 15 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 19 |
| 2 | MF | | 8 | Cameron Brannagan | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
| 3 | MF | | 19 | Tyler Goodrham | 8 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 10 |
| 3 | MF | | 23 | Josh Murphy | 8 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 10 |
| 4 | FW | | 10 | Billy Bodin | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 9 |
| 5 | FW | | 20 | Rúben Rodrigues | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| 7 | DF | | 22 | Greg Leigh | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| 8 | DF | | 3 | Ciaron Brown | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 9 | FW | | 29 | Kyle Edwards | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 9 | MF | | 18 | Marcus McGuane | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 9 | MF | | 17 | James Henry | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 9 | DF | | 5 | Elliott Moore | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 12 | FW | | 7 | Stanley Mills | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 12 | DF | | 15 | Fin Stevens | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 12 | DF | | 2 | Sam Long | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 12 | DF | | 4 | Jordan Thorniley | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 12 | FW | | 16 | Sonny Perkins | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 12 | MF | | 14 | Oisin Smyth | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 12 | FW | | 25 | Will Goodwin | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 12 | FW | | 30 | Owen Dale | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| TOTALS | TOTALS | TOTALS | TOTALS | TOTALS | 70 | 6 | 1 | 9 | 95 |