Oxford United Secures First League One Win Under Aaron Ramsey

Oxford United boss Aaron Ramsey hailed his players for “standing up to the test” after they dug out a first League One win of the season away at Stevenage.

A bruising afternoon finally swung Oxford’s way after the break. Gatlin O'Donkor struck first, then Cameron Brannagan buried a penalty to give Ramsey his maiden victory as United head coach, despite a late scare in added time.

Stevenage pulled one back deep into stoppage time, but Oxford refused to buckle. They saw out the closing seconds, and with it banked their first three points of the campaign.

“It was a really tough place to go to but [it was] a test that we stood up to,” Ramsey told BBC Radio Oxford, clearly satisfied with the resilience on show.

The foundation was laid long before the goals. Oxford spent much of the first half without the ball but refused to be pushed around.

“Particularly in the first half we knew that we would have to be on it from an out-of-possession point of view and I thought we were brilliant, we defended the box superbly,” Ramsey said.

That discipline gave Oxford something they had been missing in the early weeks of the season: control.

“That gave us the confidence and the platform to take the game to them in the second half and I felt we really had control of the game then,” he added.

One of the key moments came from a player already halfway out of the door. Stan Mills, who Ramsey has confirmed will join Preston North End in January, came off the bench and immediately changed the tempo. The 22-year-old produced the assist for O'Donkor’s opener, a reminder of what Oxford will lose when he departs.

“The reception that he got [from the Oxford fans] was really pleasing and Stan deserves that,” Ramsey said. “He's been a player of high quality over the last few years and he deserves that moment with the fans today.”

A first win on the board, a test of character passed, and a trip to Huddersfield on Tuesday, 1 September, now looming. The question is whether this gritty performance becomes a one-off, or the standard for Ramsey’s Oxford in League One.