Luke Foster says he’s delighted for his centre back partner Chris Willmott to see the 31-year-old back to his best.

In the last few Oxford United games, Willmott has been dominant in the air, composed and assured, and much more like the player whose form for Luton Town in the late 1990s earned him a £350,000 move to Wimbledon, and then helped him to play against the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United in the Premier League.

It’s all a very different story to last November when, under manager Darren Patterson, Willmott had a torrid time in United’s 5-2 defeat at Histon.

Questions were then being asked whether he would regain his old speed and sharpness after he missed most of the 2007-8 season with a knee injury that in the end required two separate operations.

Willmott always said he just needed games to get back to the way he was, and after Jim Smith recalled him for his first match as caretaker boss, which resulted in a 3-1 victory at Mansfield, the former Northampton defender hasn’t looked back.

Foster said: “I’m chuffed to bits for him because he’s had a hard time the last few seasons, constantly in and out of the gym, and he’s obviously been a bit down on himself.

“It’s not nice to not be involved and constantly watching week after week, and he came back in and it didn’t work out.

“But he’s worked hard and got back into the team, and it’s nice for me to have someone next to you who can handle themselves, and you’re not having to worry about them.

“I can leave him to do what he’s doing and I can concentrate on my game.

“Quinny and I had a good understanding, but when there’s other bodies in there and you lose focus, it’s difficult. When you can just concentrate on your own job, it’s so much easier.”

He added: “Motty and me are forming a nice little partnership now, a good understanding.

“We’re different kinds of centre backs. You’ve got to have a nice little mix.

“Obviously, if you’re both the same then sometimes if other teams work you out and if you haven’t got a Plan B, it affects you.

“But we’ve got a nice little mix there, with Motty’s aerial strength. I’ve got good aerial strength too and a bit of pace, so anything over the top, you look for me to get back.

“In the air, Motty has been dominant. I’d say Motty’s a bit more Wimbledon era, when he played for them, while I think I’m a bit more of a modern-day defender – but I still like to do a battling job if need be.”

The commitment to the cause of the two centre halves was perfectly demonstrated by the way they both threw themselves in the way to block a late Mansfield shot at the end of last Saturday’s 1-0 win at the Kassam Stadium.

Asked which one of them the ball actually struck, Foster replied: “It was me who blocked it, but unfortunately for Motty, my stud caught him on the way down, so he had a big scrape down the middle of his shin.

“I didn’t half feel it on the back of my leg, but it was worth it, it was like scoring a goal. It could have gone in so you’ve just got to throw your body in there.”

Manager Chris Wilder said: “Motty’s got a great CV.

“He’s a talented footballer and he goes about it in an unassuming manner, but he defends properly and makes good defensive decisions.

“The defence has been thrown together, but they’re working well as a team and the more they play together, the better they’ll get, but we need more competition.”