WE’RE now halfway through January, the month when we simultaneously wish for the mythical 20-goal-a-season striker whilst also praying that we can keep Cam Brannagan locked in a dark room to prevent another ‘Blackpool’.

But inevitably players, especially loanees, do leave. James Beadle has gone on another loan to the Championship. He was exceptional for the U’s and we have probably seen a future England goalkeeper. Sonny Perkins returned to Leeds. We also lost Kyle Edwards and Stan Mills through injury. On and off the pitch, Stan had a real energy about him and always a smile on his face. We all wish him well in his recovery.

We also said goodbye to Alex Rodriguez Gorrin. A-Rod’s time at Oxford was sadly hit by two knee injuries that restricted his opportunities here. But we shouldn’t forget his first season with us where he was exceptional at protecting the team and allowing other players to flourish. Some of his tackling was sublime, some X-rated, and there was a certain beauty in seeing that he got red carded in his debut for Forest Green!

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We have also seen new players joining, and hope there will be more to follow. Tyler Burey was on our radar in the summer and joins us after a short spell in Denmark. He has a lot of potential but hasn’t really settled anywhere. Hopefully he’ll prove himself here. We have also tied Joe Bennett up on a permanent contract to reflect the impact he has made since joining a couple of months ago.

Although we said goodbye to Kyle Edwards’ loan, we then welcomed him back on a short-term contract to complete his rehabilitation from injury with the hope of getting some games at the end of March.

In goal, Jamie Cumming arrived from Chelsea, and he made a couple of fantastic saves on his debut. It was great to see that we had him on our radar for some time and he links up again with goalkeeper coach Lewis Price. This shows the importance of proper planning, and now seems a good time to acknowledge the work that Ed Waldon and his team are doing in recruitment alongside the vision from Des Buckingham. Without dwelling on the past, we have hopefully moved on from the days of last minute panicky phone calls and bringing in players that were once exceptional but now can’t run.

Now go out and get that 20-goal-a-season striker, some more wingers and someone in the middle of the pitch! And if any clubs phone to ask about Cam, hang up!