MARK Jones understands that he will have to be patient if he is to get the loan players he wants at Banbury United this season.

The former Oxford City boss took over the Puritans on June 5, following the resignation of Andy Whing a fortnight earlier.

Whing’s success at Banbury was aided by the loan market, in particular by taking players from Oxford United.

The likes of James Golding, Aidan Elliott-Wheeler and Slavi Spasov all enjoyed productive spells at Spencer Stadium, and maintaining a positive relationship with the U’s is something Jones is keen to continue.

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He told this newspaper: “The professional clubs will want to keep their young players with them for the most part of pre-season – I do see us using the loan market though.

“Oxford United and Banbury have had some good loans together and hopefully that continues.

“The ones we’ve got our eye on will probably be available later in the window.

“When I got the job, myself and Chris Hackett [United academy coach] messaged each other to explore the opportunity for their players to come and play National League North football, and that’s something we’ll keep discussing.”

The Puritans have enjoyed a promising pre-season so far, beginning with a 4-1 win at Easington Sports and 2-1 victory away against Alvechurch.

A 3-0 defeat at home to Whing’s Solihull Moors and pulsating 3-2 loss against Oxford City have followed, however the early signs have been encouraging.

Jones said: “I want to make sure we have solid foundations to build on and what I certainly want to see is a high level of hard work, not just in pre-season but the throughout the season too.”

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About the author

To sign up to Liam’s latest Oxford United newsletter for free, click here: https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/newsletters/

Formerly the politics reporter for the Oxford Mail, Liam now covers all things Oxford United.

Liam attends the U’s home and away, as well as covering other big sports stories across the county.

His Oxford United newsletter is released every Saturday morning at 6am.