IN the most condensed season in living memory, it feels strange to be talking about how fresh Oxford United must be.

But that is where the U’s find themselves heading into the second half of the campaign.

The postponed games against Bristol Rovers, Doncaster Rovers, Shrewsbury Town and Northampton Town in the last five weeks means United have played just four times in 38 days.

Yes, those fixtures all have to take place at some point, but the break could work in the U’s favour.

Karl Robinson: Oxford United cannot start slowly tomorrow

United have more than two games in hand on only five Sky Bet League One sides, so it is not like they have loads of ground to make up on the rest of the division.

Playing twice a week for the remainder of the campaign will be the norm for all 24 teams, but most of them have not had the same gap between fixtures as the U’s.

This season clearly has plenty of twists and turns left, thanks to late transfer window signings, the likelihood of more Covid postponements and even a possible extension to the schedule.

Every club will reach May on their last legs and find themselves having to grind out results even more than usual.

While the U’s fixture backlog is a concern, plenty of their rivals will be envious of the periods of rest they have enjoyed over the last five weeks.