DROPPING two divisions to join Oxford United was a big decision for Joe Skarz, but ahead of his two-year anniversary with the club, the left back believes it is one of his best moves.

Although he had fallen down the pecking order at Rotherham United, leaving a Championship club in favour of one 17th in League Two required a leap of faith.

Skarz was paraded in front of supporters ahead of a 2-2 draw with Exeter City which maintained a six-point gap over the relegation zone.

The U’s were under pressure, but the defender has never thought twice about heading south.

He said: “It’s gone so quickly.

“When I moved here it was a massive step in my career having always been up north for the rest of my career.

“It’s a club now that is very close to me and I love playing for them.

“I give everything on the pitch and I’ve enjoyed every minute of the last two years.”

Skarz’s anniversary will be reached next week, a day after Michael Appleton marks 150 games in charge.

The signing from Rotherham was really the start of the head coach’s renovation of a team which won automatic promotion less than 16 months later.

It is easy to see the upward curve now, but at the time it felt far from guaranteed.

The key for Skarz joining was the reason many new signings offer.

“The massive factor in me coming and it’s the same for a lot of the lads, is the manager,” Skarz said.

“He likes to play football the right way and he lets us go out and express ourselves.

“I think he’s been one of the biggest reasons for the club’s success.

“The chairman (Darryl Eales) and all the staff behind the scenes are also a big part.

“Everyone works hard every day and a lot of that goes unnoticed because you only see what happens on a Saturday.

“We just want to carry it on. Sometimes we might have a blip, but if we keep going week-in, week-out then we’ll hopefully keep progressing.”

The defender made his debut a week after the Exeter game, adding his trademark steel to a back four who helped United scrap to a 2-0 victory on an awful pitch at Stevenage.

He was a virtual ever-present until an injury kept him out for December, when Marvin Johnson deputised.

The winger’s displays have kept Skarz on the bench in recent games, but the 27-year-old is experienced enough to stay patient.

He said: “I love playing and that’s what I want to do in every game.

“But I’m not daft, if I was playing as well as Marv is I’d be expecting to keep my place in the team.

“It’s just up to me to keep training hard as I do every day and wait for my chance. I’ll be ready when needed.”