SHREWSBURY Town manager Paul Hurst is backing Oxford United to be challenging near the top of Sky Bet League One towards the end of the season.

The Shrews are unbeaten in all competitions since Hurst (inset) took over from Micky Mellon on October 24, with an unbeaten run of three games.

Two successive victories away from the league have also lifted spirits at the Greenhous Meadow.

A 3-0 triumph over Barnet in the first round of the Emirates FA Cup was followed by a win at Middlesbrough, by the same scoreline, in the Checkatrade Trophy three days later.

However, attentions now turn back to the league where they sit bottom of the table and welcome United looking to put to an end a ten-match winless run.

Hurst, though, has looked to shift the pressure on to the U’s

He said: “It wouldn’t surprise me if Oxford are challenging come the end of the season, I think that will be their aim.

“I don’t think they’ll be happy just to be in League One.

“I know the manager a little bit and he’s an ambitious guy that wants to kick on and from the outside it looks like the club wants to move forward.”