OXFORD United’s new striker Tom Craddock says he can’t wait to crack on – and the atmosphere the U’s fans create is a major reason why he joined the club.

The 23-year-old former Middlesbrough forward will make his United debut in tomorrow’s npower League Two match against Morecambe at the Kassam Stadium.

And he has vivid memories of his previous game at the ground.

“I played here when Luton got beat 2-0 at the start of last season.

“The atmosphere was fantastic that night,” he said.

“So if I can sample a few more atmospheres like that, I think it will be a sign that we’ve been pretty successful.”

Signed from Luton Town on a fee believed to be around £50,000 on deadline day, Craddock is just hoping to carry on his scoring record for his new club.

He said: “I’ve scored for Luton in the Football League, hopefully I can carry on scoring goals in the League for Oxford and do well.

“I haven’t played a lot for Luton this season.

“But I managed to get two goals in a game and a half, so I’m already off the mark and hopefully I can carry on at Oxford where I left off at Luton.”

The U’s have found the net just once so far in the league this season, with Jack Midson scoring against Bury on August 14, so some extra firepower will not go amiss.

Craddock revealed that big-spending Crawley were also chasing him, but he had little hesitation in moving to Oxford on a three-year deal after manager Chris Wilder “sold the club to me”.

“I was told by a third party that there was interest from someone, but hadn’t been told by anyone at Luton that anything was concrete.

“So I just wanted to get my head down and concentrate on playing for Luton.

“And after the game on Bank Holiday Monday, I was informed that Oxford had made a bid and the clubs were quite close to agreeing a fee.

“With that I was quite eager to come and speak to the manager and get everything sorted.

“I came in person on the last day of the transfer window, before I signed, and the manager sold the club to me.

“He told me how he wants the team to play, and everything just seemed right for me to join.

“I’d heard there was some interest from other clubs. But I’m not sure whether there were any bids or not.

“Luton received a bid from Crawley in the middle of last week, but obviously they’re another Conference team, and Oxford was much more attractive.

“I’m very excited by the move. It’s a massive club and the club’s looking to push forward and progress, so I’m really happy to be here.”