WE end what has been a very good week so far with a home game against Rotherham today.

It will be another hard test to see just how far we have come in a short space of time.

I think after almost a third of the season the league table starts to take true meaning and Rotherham are in the top four on merit.

They are a good side – it is not always so easy for a club to bounce back after a relegation, but they have turned things around quickly and will be high on confidence today I’m sure.

We are in a good place ourselves after the results at Bristol Rovers and then against Charlton.

We started the week with an excellent win at Rovers with great backing from our fantastic away support.

Rovers play such a high-tempo game, very intense, but we were prepared to match that intensity.

When it started to open up in the later stages I thought we fully deserved to win the game.

I was pleased for Alex Mowatt to score the winner.

Alex has had to be a little patient, but as that goal showed he is a very talented player – one of many in this squad.

I am sure that those of you who came to watch Tuesday’s match against Charlton enjoyed it.

It was a really high-quality game and Charlton are probably the best footballing team we have played so far.

But I felt we matched them in every area and looking back at the stats, it was very close in terms of possession and chances.

We showed a little bit of character to come back from a goal down and in the end, the 1-1 draw just keeps things ticking over nicely and moving us in the right direction.

After those two games it was important for the squad to rest and recover.

But then we have been back out on the training pitches and working hard on the details which we think will give us the edge this afternoon.

It is the club’s Military Day and we salute the work of the armed forces.

We ourselves learned some important lessons at the army camp we took part in a few weeks ago, which served to enhance the togetherness and discipline within the group.

Hopefully it will be another very exciting day for everyone involved.

AS a small boy growing up in Spain I was obsessed with English football.

Not just the style and the matches, but also the culture and history.

The FA Cup remains one of the great competitions in football.

Some may say that it doesn’t quite have the same magic of years gone past by, but we certainly still really value the competition and it was fantastic to watch the draw on Monday night.

An away game at Port Vale maybe doesn’t offer the spark of a derby game or an encounter against a big rival.

But it is nevertheless a good opportunity to make progress, although I know we are going to have to battle and fight for everything.

The cups have been kind to Oxford United over the last few years, so let’s hope that we can enjoy another big adventure this time around.