Oxford United kick off their Sky Bet League Two campaign this afternoon and skipper Jake Wright believes this summer’s recruits mean the side are stronger than 12 months ago.

All six new signings are in the frame to make their debuts as Burton Albion visit the Kassam Stadium.

Although head coach Michael Appleton continues to look for reinforcements up front, Wright is full of confidence in the squad which has been assembled already.

And the captain thinks it is an improvement on the previous line-up, which eventually finished eighth.

He said: “I think we’re in a lot stronger position than the start of last season.

“If I’m going to be honest, out of the six or seven who went there’s maybe only two or three I would’ve wanted to keep.

“I’m obviously not going to name names, but with the other four I’m probably happy they’ve gone.

“I got on with every single player last year, but it’s one of those times where you need to move on and achieve things.

“I think the players we’ve brought in this year really add to the team and put us in a very good position.

“I’m really looking forward to getting out there and trying to get three points on Saturday.”

Starting with a home fixture is a rarity for the U’s, whose last opener in the Football League to be played at the Kassam Stadium was in 2002.

Wright, who is a slight doubt for the game with an ankle injury, is aiming to give them something to shout about from day one.

He said: “We want to hit the ground running and be buzzing from the first home game.

“We want three points and get the fans right behind us, because they’ve obviously been a bit frustrated last year and I totally agree with how they were.

“We want to get them back onside.

“Three points would be brilliant against Burton, but as we saw last year, nothing’s won or lost until the last game of the season.”

  •  Do you want alerts delivered straight to your phone via our WhatsApp service? Text NEWS or SPORT or NEWS AND SPORT, depending on which services you want, and your full name to 07767 417704. Save our number into your phone’s contacts as Oxford Mail WhatsApp and ensure you have WhatsApp installed.

Our top stories