Bloomfield 'confident' of keeping Oxford job

Oxford United head coach Matt Bloomfield says he is confident of keeping his job despite relegation to League One.

Matt Bloomfield looks on from the sidelines
Matt Bloomfield was appointed Oxford United head coach in January [Getty Images]

Oxford United head coach Matt Bloomfield says he is confident of keeping his job at the club despite relegation from the Championship.

Charlton's win over Hull City on Saturday condemned the U's to the drop and brought their two-year spell in the second tier to an end.

Bloomfield replaced Gary Rowett in January and despite some encouraging results and performances, he was unable to keep them up.

The U's boss admitted that although he has not had much time to think about it, he hopes to remain in the dugout at the Kassam next season.

"Yes, I'm confident," he told BBC Radio Oxford.

"I've enjoyed my time at the club. It's obviously not been the outcome that we wanted for the season.

"We've been pleasantly content with some of the improvements we have made but ultimately we wanted to stay in the league.

"I've not given much thought to my job and the bigger situation and ultimately, as a manager or head coach, all you can do is focus on being the best you can be."

Oxford looked capable of pulling off a "great escape" in late February and early March when they won three games in a row to move up to 21st.

However, just two wins in the following eight matches saw them lose ground on the sides above them.

When Oxford were promoted from the third tier in 2024 they managed it via the play-offs with Des Buckingham at the helm.

Bloomfield said he hopes to be able to do that for the U's next season and feels he has the backing of the board to do so.

"I've not heard anything to the contrary," he added.

"I keep doing my job. I don't know anything else, so I keep working.

"We've spent lots of time with Ed (Waldron) this week as we always do, talking about everything that's going on around the building, around the team.

"So from my side nothing's changed, as a head coach and as a manager, I keep working."

Category: General Sports