Three young Oxford players have been offered professional contracts for next season.

Defender Sam Long, left back David Lynn and forward Callum O'Dowda have been rewarded for their outstanding efforts in the under 18s this season. Chris Allen’s side were runners-up in their division while also enjoying a successful FA Youth Cup run.

All three have been with the club since the age of nine and will form part of the Development Squad which will operate next season.

It is the first time that three under 18s have been offered professional contracts for more than ten years and highlights the progress being made in the youth development side of the club. They join fellow youth team graduates Max Crocombe and Tyrone Marsh in the first-team squad next season.

Simon Lenagan, head of the club’s youth and community trust said: “It’s fantastic news. “It is the result of a great deal of hard work, not only by them, but by all of the coaches and staff that have helped them progress over the last few years.”