Oxford boss Matt Bloomfield backs Will Lankshear to reach top

Oxford head coach Matt Bloomfield reiterated his belief that on-loan Spurs striker Will Lankshear will go to the top after the 4-1 win over Sheffield Wednesday.

Oxford’s relegation from the Championship was confirmed earlier in the day when West Brom and Charlton both picked up points.

But the U’s did at least finish on a high in front of their own fans, and Lankshear scored two classy goals to take his season’s tally to 12.

Bloomfield said: “That’s Will – one between the posts, and one from outside the box. He’s got such a strong side-foot finish.

“I’ve seen him do that curler one where he just bends it multiple times on the training ground and probably the biggest surprise is that it’s taken until today for one to come out in a game.

“His finishing, dedication to his craft and single-minded desire to be the best he can be, I think he’s a credit to himself.

“There’s so much to admire about him, and he’s going to go to the top.”

Bloomfield added: “My emotions are mixed, one of extreme disappointment at the outcome of the season – that’s the overriding emotion, but it’s certainly mixed in with pride for our football club, with the way the supporters received the players and the lap of appreciation at the end.

“I think the lads have given everything and we’re terribly disappointed to have just come up short.

“But they played properly today. That’s what we wanted.

“If the day wasn’t going to work out for us, like it didn’t, I still wanted us to perform properly, so I’m at least content the lads performed and there was some real good football and some good goals. I hope that’s a sign of things to come from us.”

Sheffield Wednesday head coach Henrik Pedersen was disappointed with the Owls’ first-half performance.

Pedersen said: “In the last two months we have brought so many good performances where we have put it all on the pitch, but today was not a performance of how we want to be at Sheffield Wednesday.

“The Middlesbrough game was still in their body, and when you are tired in the body, the mind suffers too. Normally our mentality is our fundamental but today we were tired in the head and we lost the connection between each other.

“We need each other to make a good performance but today, especially in the first half, it was too much where we didn’t have the energy to bring the connection together. We were not the team we want to be.

“Second half was much better than first but the total package was not enough.

“Of course, when you concede four goals it’s difficult to win football matches, and today we didn’t deserve it.”