McKenna: Important to Get Back to Winning Ways Thursday, 19th Jan 2023 18:11 Town boss Kieran McKenna says it’s important for the Blues to get back to winning ways at Oxford United on Saturday following three draws. Leaders Plymouth grabbed a last-gasp leveller at Portman Road last week to claim a 1-1 draw, while Town drew their two previous league matches 1-1 at Lincoln and 2-2 at Portsmouth. The Blues remain third, seven points behind the Pilgrims and now four off second-placed Sheffield Wednesday, Argyle having played a game more than their two pursuers. Town have the second best away record in the division having won seven, drawn four and lost two with the Owls having picked up two more points on their travels. McKenna says he’s looking forward to having two games in four days with 20th-placed Morecambe at Portman Road on Tuesday evening. “It’s nice to have a Saturday-Tuesday to look forward to,” he said. “Our league games have been quite spread apart other than Christmas week. It’s probably been since October that we’ve had a Saturday-Tuesday in the league. “That’s nice and something to look forward to. Of course, all eyes are on the first game and in this scenario all eyes are on Oxford and a challenging away trip. “We’re doing everything we can to get the result there and after that we’ll look forward to having Morecambe at home, hopefully putting in two good performances and collecting a good amount of points.”
Town only played Oxford, who are 13th, 10 places and 19 points behind the Blues, on Boxing Day when they comfortably won 3-0 at Portman Road. “In terms of their set-up, whether they adjust a few things in terms of how they press or how they build up or what they might do tactically, I think, as an ethos, we’ll expect the same things,” McKenna said when asked what he anticipates from the U’s in light of the recent meeting. “They came to Portman Road and tried to be really positive and aggressive and they had a good start to the game and it was pretty even for the first 20 to 25 minutes and a really open game. “That’s their mentality, that’s how they like to attack games and we expect more, if not the same, at their stadium. “We need to be ready for an aggressive team against us, but that’s a good challenge for us in a game that we’re really looking forward to. “I think it’s better just to focus on the here and now and taking it as a fresh game and be ready for the challenge ahead. “Of course, the result went our way in the last game, we know that there was a pretty even start to the game and Oxford came out with a real aggression and purpose at Portman Road and we can expect similar from them. “I’m sure [manager] Karl [Robinson] will be wanting to set his team up with that game in mind and for us it’s about taking the game ahead of us, not looking backwards, looking to the game that’s ahead. “A good game for us, a good challenge against a positive, aggressive team and we’ll know we’ll have to be ready for it. “But we know if we do that then we can back ourselves to deliver a performance and a result. “I think our focus is very much on the next game and not looking back too much on what’s happened before.” Having drawn three in a row and having won only won in five in the league, McKenna knows it’s important for the Blues to record some victories. “We need to win games, of course,” he said. “We’re coming off the back of three draws. We can talk about a lot of ifs and buts, decisions and referees in big moments in those games, but we’re coming off the back of three draws. “Three tough games, admittedly, but draws are not very useful at the end of the season in general if you have too many of them. “So, we want to win and we’ll try to win, and in every game we’ll keep focusing on how we can give ourselves better chances to win games, put ourselves in a position to win and then go ahead and turn a performance into three points. “It’s important to get back to winning ways. We want to do that on Saturday against Oxford. “We know it’s going to be a tough game and the best way to do it is for us to focus on ourselves, focus on the performance, go there and do the right things and trust that will get us in a great position to get the three points.” McKenna has not too far off a fully fit squad to pick from with only long-term absentees Tyreece John-Jules (hamstring), Panutche Camara (adductor) and Dominic Ball (knee) expected to be unavailable. Christian Walton will continue in goal with Luke Woolfenden and Cameron Burgess set to be in their usual defensive roles. McKenna will have to decide whether to give new signing Harry Clarke his debut from the start or stick with Janoi Donacien. Leif Davis and Wes Burns will be in their usual wide roles. Skipper Sam Morsy and Lee Evans look set to be the central midfield pairing with McKenna having plenty of options in the number 10 roles with it anticipated that recent signing Nathan Broadhead will be available. The former Everton man seems more likely to make his debut as a sub and Conor Chaplin and Marcus Harness could again start. McKenna also has a decision to make regarding his central striker and could well hand George Hirst his full debut, the on-loan Leicester man having come off the bench last week. The Blues boss will again have decisions to make regarding his subs with up to seven fit senior players having to be left out of the 18. Oxford have lost club captain John Mousinho ahead of the game, the 36-year-old having been named Portsmouth’s new manager. However, the defender hasn’t featured for the first team since November. Marcus Browne has been out since the Town match with a hamstring injury, while midfielder Alex Gorrin is a long-term absentee with a knee injury. James Henry is training after a knock, as is Sam Baldock, who has also had a knee problem. The U’s won 2-1 away at Fleetwood last week, their second league win in their last six. At home this season, they have won four, drawn three and lost five. Historically, the Blues have had the better of the U’s, winning nine (seven in the league) of the games between the teams, drawing 10 (10) and losing six (six). Four of the last seven games between the teams have ended goalless and five of the last seven have been draws. Town are yet to win at the Kassam Stadium with their only win away against Oxford United a 2-1 Coca-Cola Cup victory in November 1997 at the Manor Ground. The Blues’ only away league win in Oxford was a 4-1 success over Oxford City in the Southern Amateur League back in February 1913. At Portman Road on Boxing Day, Ladapo, Burns and Chaplin were on target as Town comfortably beat Oxford United 3-0, their first victory over the U’s since February 1999. Ladapo followed up Chaplin’s volley in the 39th minute to give the Blues the lead, then six minutes later Burns hooked home a corner to make it 2-0 and Chaplin made it three with nine minutes left to inflict Oxford’s first league defeat by more than one goal this season. The teams last met at the Kassam Stadium in March last year when Oxford defender Luke McNally scored an equaliser five minutes into injury time to deny Town victory as the Blues and U’s drew 1-1. Town looked to have had the game won via Bersant Celina’s 70th minute opener but deep in injury time McNally headed home from a corner to deny the Blues two vital points. Town wing-back Burns spent time on loan at Oxford during the 2014/15 season, making six starts and three sub appearances, scoring once. Blues CEO Mark Ashton previously held the same position at Oxford, while chairman Mike O'Leary was a director at the Kassam Stadium. Oxford's director of performance is former Town keeper Chris Neville, who came through the Blues’ youth set-up and made one senior appearance in the 1989/90 season - a 3-1 win at West Brom - before a knee injury forced him to retire. Saturday’s referee is Scottish official Bobby Madden, who has shown 52 yellow cards and three red in 18 games so far this season. Madden, who has never previously taken charge of the Blues, is in his first season in the EFL having moved from Scotland, where he had refereed for more than 20 years, last summer. East Kilbride-born Madden spent 12 years as a FIFA referee and officiated in World Cup qualifiers before being required to resign when he made his move to English football. His ultimate aim is to climb the leagues and officiate in the Premier League. Squad from: Walton, Hladky, Donacien, Clarke, Woolfenden, Edmundson, Keogh, Burgess, Burns, Vincent-Young, Davis, Leigh, Morsy, Evans, Luongo, Humphreys, Edwards, Chaplin, Harness, Aluko, Broadhead, Ladapo, Hirst, Jackson, Ahadme.
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