CRAIG Short will be pleased to have Karl Robinson back alongside him today.

The Oxford United head coach is out of isolation and is set to take his first training session since testing positive for coronavirus last week.

Robinson returns with the U’s sixth in Sky Bet League One, having won all three games under Short and club captain John Mousinho.

The assistant manager has coped well with the disruption, but he is more than happy to resume normal duties.

Short said: “Being a No 2 is quite a comfort zone at times.

“Karl is hands-on on the grass and off the pitch, so you’re just there to help and step in every now and then.

“When opportunities like this arise, you’ve got to make sure you do a good job.

Karl Robinson: Oxford United showed key ingredient of promotion push

“Karl’s got high standards, he has a way he wants to play and he demands everything from the players, as well as the staff.

“I’m fortunate to have John Mousinho, who has been here years. He’s an excellent captain as well.

“Leon (Blackmore-Such, first-team coach) has helped, along with Wayne (Brown, goalkeeping coach) and the rest of the staff.

“I’ve been here a year and I’ve got to know people, so it was a smooth transition.

“But he’s welcome to have the reins back.”

Robinson’s lateral flow test came back positive last Monday and a PCR test confirmed on Thursday morning that he had the virus.

The U’s boss has been ringing players and staff regularly and relaying messages to the dugout by phone during games.

Robinson has even watched every training session from home, with drone footage enabling him to have a bird’s-eye view of proceedings.

“I’ve just tried to follow what I’ve learned from him in the past year,” Short said.

“Once you get into the season you probably replicate a lot of sessions.

“Karl’s very good at presentations, he’s got a big screen he paints on – I just point and tell the players where to go.

“It’s been good to have that responsibility, but if we’d lost on Saturday I might be saying something different.”

Nathan Holland: I've definitely bounced back stronger

The U’s have beaten Burton Albion and Tottenham Hotspur Under 21s in the last week to build momentum heading into Saturday’s visit of Morecambe.

United’s 3-1 victory over the Brewers was especially impressive as they dominated a play-off rival and Robinson felt it showed the club’s firm foundations.

“I know I’ve been an absolute pain, watching training and phoning up during the game to make substitutions,” he said.

“I spoke to (club psychotherapist) Gary Bloom and he reckons the result at the weekend should be one of my proudest moments.

“If you’re not on your A-game somebody else will get you out of the mire and that’s incredibly important for the football club.

“The continuity is starting to pay dividends and I’m really thankful to the players and the staff that they’ve stuck together and got fantastic results, but I can’t wait to get back at the weekend.”