Oxford United Secures First League One Win Under Aaron Ramsey

Aaron Ramsey hailed the character of his Oxford United side after they dug out their first League One win of the season in a hard-fought contest at Stevenage.

The new head coach described it as a “test” – and his players passed it.

Oxford had to absorb heavy pressure in a bruising first half, but came out swinging after the break. The breakthrough arrived when substitute Stan Mills, playing his first game since agreeing a January move to Preston North End, made an instant impact off the bench. The 22-year-old created the opening goal, setting up Gatlin O'Donkor, who finished to give the U’s a precious lead.

The goal shifted the mood. Oxford, who had spent much of the opening period defending deep, suddenly looked in control. With Stevenage chasing, space opened up and Ramsey’s side began to dictate.

Their growing authority was rewarded with a second goal from the penalty spot, Cameron Brannagan stepping up to double the advantage and tighten Oxford’s grip on the game.

Stevenage did find a way back into it late in added time, pulling a goal back to set up a tense finish, but Oxford held their nerve and saw the game out to secure Ramsey’s first victory as United boss.

“It was a really tough place to go to but a test that we stood up to,” Ramsey told BBC Radio Oxford, praising his side’s resilience without the ball.

He highlighted the foundation laid before the interval: “Particularly in the first half we knew that we would have to be on it from an out-of-possession point of view and I thought we were brilliant, we defended the box superbly. That gave us the confidence and the platform to take the game to them in the second half and I felt we really had control of the game then.”

Mills’ cameo drew a loud response from the away end, a moment Ramsey clearly enjoyed.

“The reception that he got [from the Oxford fans] was really pleasing and Stan deserves that,” he said. “He's been a player of high quality over the last few years and he deserves that moment with the fans today.”

Oxford now turn quickly to their next assignment: a trip to Huddersfield on Tuesday, 1 September, with Ramsey’s first league win in the bank and a platform finally built to push on.