ELLIOTT Moore hopes Oxford United once again aim high and show ambition when it comes to playing in Sky Bet Championship next season.

The U’s were 2-0 winners in the League One play-off final at Wembley, with Josh Murphy’s double proving the difference against Bolton Wanderers.

United skipper Moore praised the club’s board for their financial backing in helping secure promotion, and is confident that will continue.

He said: “We’re going to make sure we prepare right. It’s going to be hard. Getting promoted is always going to be hard.

“We’ve got to have that ambition. The club is striving forward, and have proven that with the backing that they’ve given us.

“Let’s hope they do it again. I’m sure they will. Our objective will be to stay in the Championship, so let’s see what we can do.”

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Discussing the play-off final result itself, Moore said: “I can’t put it into words, it’s unbelievable. The lads, the staff, the fans, everyone associated with Oxford deserves what we’ve done.

“Our turning point in the season was at their place. They beat us comfortably and we had to do something different.

“Getting players behind the ball, shutting up shop, and catching them on the counter-attack is something we prepared for, and it worked.

“We were definitely the underdogs going into the game, and I think that played into our hands, with us being solid. We got behind the ball, and made sure we cut them out.”

Oxford Mail:

Murphy’s two goals came during the first half, with the second coming three minutes before the break.

Asked what the half-time communication was from the U’s coaching staff, Moore responded: “The main message was to stay calm and collected. We rode the storm in the first 15 minutes, dealt with it very well, and got them frustrated, and then caught them on the counter-attack a couple of times, which was our game plan.

“We knew they were going to put pressure on us in the second half, but it was about staying compact, staying calm, and making sure we dealt with what they threw at us.”

At the heart of that defensive solidity was Moore’s partnership with Ciaron Brown at centre back.

Moore said: “He understands me, I understand him. We work very well together, and I really enjoy playing next to him.”

Giving an insight into the scenes in the dressing room at full-time, Moore said: “It was just chaos. It was just amazing, an amazing feeling, amazing lads, amazing staff, and everyone deserved it.”