Aaron Ramsey praises Oxford United’s Stockport win as his proudest performance

Oxford United head coach Aaron Ramsey said his side’s 1-0 win over Stockport County at the Kassam Stadium was the performance that had made him proudest since taking charge, according to the BBC. Mark Harris scored the only goal, and the result lifted Oxford to third in League One.

Ramsey told BBC Radio Oxford he could not fault his players’ work without the ball and said they had shown more courage in possession. ‘We showed a lot more courage with the ball to show that we can play through teams,’ he said. He also credited the fans with helping Oxford protect the win.

How Oxford beat Stockport County

Stockport pressed for an equaliser. According to the Oxford Mail, Oxford goalkeeper Cumming saved efforts from Ryan Glover and Harry Wood, while Cameron Brannagan and Tyler Goodrham made blocks. Mikael Mandron later shot into the side netting, and Oxford defended its penalty area to keep the lead.

The win stretched Oxford’s unbeaten League One run to eight matches and ended Stockport’s six-game run without defeat, the Oxford Mail reported. The BBC said Oxford had won six of its 11 league matches this season and lost only once. Oxford had also remained unbeaten at home in all competitions at the time of the report.

Why the win mattered in League One

Ramsey said postponed fixtures had delayed Oxford’s chance to make up ground in the table. He called the Stockport game an opportunity to climb several places and said his players had executed the plan well. The BBC reported that Oxford had played fewer games than teams around them after postponements during the previous international break.

Since their only league defeat, away at Huddersfield, Oxford had won five matches and drawn three, according to the BBC. Ramsey said the whole squad would be needed over the season. The BBC said further disruption was expected because of Oxford player call-ups and listed Barnsley away and Reading at the Kassam Stadium as the club’s next fixtures.