Elliott Moore has revealed Oxford United’s ambitious aim of finishing in the top half of the Championship in this coming season.
The U’s captain revealed that the team are aiming to push on from their impressive 17th place finish in the second division, which came just 12 months after their League One play–offs win.
Speaking at a press conference at Oxford United’s training ground on Thursday, the 28-year-old defender said that he wasn’t surprised by last season’s prediction-defying performance as he had belief in the squad. He added that they must now show progression with improvement this season.
“The gaffer (Gary Rowett) has made it clear that the top half of the table is our aim”, Moore told reporters.
“We need to take it step by step… we’ve been in the Championship a year now and we’ve shown we belong here”
Moore was also asked about Oxford United’s transfer business this summer.
Gary Rowett’s side have made five new signings, including loan deals for Tottenham’s Will Lankshear and Nik Prelec from Italian side Cagliari.
Talking about the new faces at the Kassam Stadium, Moore said that squad depth is necessary for the division, describing the Championship as “the most physically demanding league he’d played in”.
He added that it can be a positive thing that players don’t expect to be in the team every week, and it can force players to improve.
Moore has been with the club since 2019 and last season made 26 appearances for the club, scoring once and registering two assists.
Oxford United gaffer ready for the new season.
The U’s boss, Gary Rowett, also spoke to The Football Deck’s Chris O’Brien and the press ahead of their opening match of the season at home to Portsmouth.
Rowett, who joined Oxford United in December 2024 following the dismissal of Des Buckingham, won his first three matches at the club and was named January 2025 Championship Manager of the Month.
Now Rowett says his players are “ready and keen to make an impact in the first game of the season” after a good pre-season.
Echoing his captain, Rowett said it would be important to build on last season and that this season they have a stronger squad with stronger competition for places.
He added that loanee Will Lankshear is more ready than their other new loanee Nik Prelec, thanks to his preseason at Tottenham. Rowett backed his new 20-year-old forward, saying that he will have learned from his experience at West Brom last season, where he played 11 games but didn’t score.
The former Millwall and Birmingham City manager added that he would like to sign more players to bolster the squad further, but he is restricted by the limited number of outgoings this window.
New stadium excitement
When asked about Oxford United’s new stadium plans, which were recommended for approval by council planners on Wednesday, Gary Rowett said he was “hoping for good news”
However, he said he was pessimistic about his chances of managing Oxford in their new stadium, which would take two to three years to build.
He said it would be “presumptuous” of him to think he would still be at the club given the lifespan of managers in the Championship, but that it was a good sign and would help the club progress.