Matt Bloomfield is back in the second tier to try to make amends for his relegation with Luton by saving an Oxford United side who have spent too much of the season looking downwards. It took the U's over two weeks to name Bloomfield as Gary Rowett's successor, and his appointment has raised a few eyebrows after leaving the Hatters 11th in League One, with his replacement Jack Wilshire lifting them into play-off contention.
After a slow start, the Sky Blues found their groove as Liam Kitching stung the palms of Lawrence Vigouroux, with the Swansea goalkeeper making a fine stop soon after. Tatsuhiro Sakamoto stood up a cross to the back post for Ellis Simms to head into the ground, but Vigouroux was on hand to claw the ball off the line and away from danger.
"Gary joined during a challenging period and deserves immense credit for the hard work and leadership that saw us retain our Championship status last season. However, following a disappointing run of results, we have had to take this difficult decision in the best interests of the club. On behalf of the board, I would like to place on record our thanks to Gary and Mark for their contribution to the club and to wish them all the best for the future."
Starting with the hosts, enjoying what was a sensational run of form on either side of opening November, Charlton had shockingly found a route into the top-half of the Championship standings. However, crashing back down to earth in a worrying fashion, Nathan Jones' men have come free-falling down the table and have rightfully come under plenty of recent scrutiny.
Oxford United moved out of the relegation zone in the Championship as they beat Ipswich Town 2-1 at The Kassam Stadium. Goals from Mark Harris and Przemyslaw Placheta, either side of a brilliant volley from Leif Davis, saw Oxford move up to 19th in the standings, while Ipswich have missed the chance to go second and put pressure on the surrounding teams ahead of the weekend's action.
