OXFORD United know who they will be facing and when next season, and a skim through the fixture list doesn’t quite give the same chill as it did 12 months ago.
Online chatter among fans of third tier sides seems to have unanimously decided that Sky Bet League One is an ‘easier’ division this time around.
Promotion to the Championship for Plymouth Argyle, Ipswich Town and Sheffield Wednesday has taken away two of the biggest spenders and a very good Argyle side.
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United’s speedy and impressive work in the transfer market, to bring in Ruben Rodrigues, Jordan Thorniley and Josh McEachran, has lifted spirits surrounding the club and also the way opponents will view them next season.
Already, the U’s are being spoken about in the same breath as the promotion race, with last season’s play-off losers – Barnsley, Bolton Wanderers and Peterborough United – almost certainly set to be competitive again, while the likes of Derby County and Portsmouth should challenge at the top.
Meanwhile, two of the teams coming down from the Championship are wrestling off the field problems, therefore it’s hard to forecast how Reading and Wigan Athletic will fare.
That then leaves Blackpool as another who are expected to be strong under former boss Neil Critchley.
If you cast your mind back a year ago to when the League One fixtures were released ahead of the 2022/23 season, there was a different feeling in the air.
On paper, October looked to be a challenging month for United, with home games against Wycombe Wanderers (October 8) and Peterborough (October 22), plus trips to Charlton Athletic (October 1), Exeter City (October 15), Portsmouth (October 25) and Bolton (October 29).
From those six games, the U’s managed a somewhat respectable eight points – when placed in context to how the rest of the campaign panned out.
Now though, it is hard to find a month which quite matches up to last October.
#oufc are set for a reunion with some former stars in the Carabao Cuphttps://t.co/4MhUGkWjmf
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Arguably, it is the opening month of the season which could be the trickiest.
A trip to Cambridge United on the opening day and then a home clash with Carlisle United seem like winnable fixtures, but a double-header on the road against Derby and Barnsley could be daunting.
August is then rounded off with a potentially tricky fixture at home to Charlton.
Of course, there is still the summer transfer window and potential managerial changes which might alter the direction of some clubs and their seasons, but right now, it is hard not to agree with the general consensus: League One this season has a softer look to it than in previous years.
Where Liam Manning’s side fit into that remains to be seen. For the time being, excitement levels for the new campaign can gradually ramp up until things get underway at the beginning of August.
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About the author
To sign up to Liam’s latest Oxford United newsletter for free, click here: https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/newsletters/
Formerly the politics reporter for the Oxford Mail, Liam now covers all things Oxford United.
Liam attends the U’s home and away, as well as covering other big sports stories across the county.
His Oxford United newsletter is released every Saturday morning at 6am.
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