Oxford United: How the U’s achieved Championship survival

There will be no parade, no pictures on walls or stories to tell the grandchildren.

When more than half the league has been proven to be better than you, should you even be celebrating at all? The answer is an unequivocal yes, if you are Oxford United.

With the battles for the title, the play-offs and the race to stay up chaotically going to the wire, the U’s securing their own place in the Championship for next season has barely been remarked upon nationally. Not like last year.

No Wembley final, no fairytale. Just desire, hard work, togetherness and of course, talent.

But those connected with the club – from the very top to the rank-and-file fan – all know that what United have achieved over the past season equals, maybe even eclipses what was hard-earned 12 months ago.

Oxford’s miraculous run to promotion from League One saw them arrive in the second tier, ahead of schedule and with only a few short weeks to put together a team for it.

The Championship has been everything they hoped for and feared in equal measure – joyous, loud, exciting and colourful, but also hard. Really hard.

Oxford United from the outside might look a very different club to the one that left League One.

The most obvious upheaval was the installation of Gary Rowett – with all his Championship know-how – in place of hometown hero Des Buckingham.

“This is going to hurt, but it will be worth it,” could have been the mantra.

Oxford, known as a stable club for managers, now have had a change in each of the past three seasons.

Wins, though, healed the wounds, draws were vital in the final reckoning.

United have also broken their transfer record – twice – and were not skimping with the signings of players like Jamie Cumming who played every minute of every league game in goal and has been one of the top performers in the division.

Or Michal Helik and Alex Matos who suffered relegation with Huddersfield last season and played like that was not an experience they ever wanted to repeat.