Meet the opposition | Oxford United

As the Swans prepare to take on Oxford United on Saturday afternoon, we take a closer look at the U's. 

What's their story? 

Established in 1893, Oxford United were originally set up as an amateur club called Headington, a village team affectionately known as ‘the boys from over the hill'.

Post-war, The U’s added the name United to their name and in 1959, planning to appeal the club to the city, their name was changed to Oxford United and they were elected to the Football League for the first time.

Their only major honor came in 1986 in the form of the League Cup when, under the leadership of Maurice Evans, they beat Queens Park Rangers 3-0 at Wembley Stadium with former Swan Jeremy Charles among the scorers.

The 1980s also saw their highest-ever league placing. After back-to-back promotions from Division Two and Division Three, they spent three seasons in the top-flight, where they placed 18th twice before relegation.

The U’s have spent much of their recent history in the lower leagues and faced a spell out of the Football League following relegation at the end of the 2005-2006 season. Four years in the Conference followed before Chris Wilder guided Oxford back to the Football League with a 3-1 play-off final win over York in 2010.

Promotion to League One followed in 2016, and they are now spending their second season back in the second flight of English football after beating Bolton in the 2023-24 play-off final. 

How's their form? 

Oxford’s victory over Ipswich Town last week was just their fourth league win of the season and extended their unbeaten run to three matches, following 1-1 draws with Middlesbrough and Norwich City respectively.

They currently sit 20th in the table on 18 points - one ahead of the Swans - and have shown signs of improvement after a slow start to the campaign, having managed two wins in their opening 10 league fixtures.

Who's the gaffer?

Ex-Birmingham City, Derby County and Everton defender Gary Rowett has been at the helm as head coach since December 2024, having taken over following Des Buckingham’s departure.

As a player Rowett was a reliable performer in all the teams he played for, amassing 381 league appearances and scoring 21 goals over a 16-year career. 

Rowett moved into management with his final club Burton Albion in 2012. After initially assisting Paul Peschisolido in 2009, he took over the reins and led the club to fourth place in League Two and a place in the play-offs, backing it up the following season with another top six-finish.

Moves to the Championship to manage former clubs Birmingham and Derby County followed, with his fine work at St Andrew’s going unrewarded by the club hierarchy.

He endured a difficult spell at Stoke City, before taking up the reins at Millwall and doing a fine job at The Den, having them in play-off contention over successive seasons.

He left the Lions in October 2023, and spent the final months of the 2023-24 campaign unsuccessfully trying to keep Birmingham City in the second tier following Wayne Rooney’s departure and Tony Mowbray’s need to step down due to ill health. 

Rowett had a strong start to his time at the Kassam Stadium winning his first three games in charge, resulting in the 51-year-old winning EFL Championship Manager of the Month for January 2025, and he went on to lead them to second-tier safety.

Who's the captain?

Cameron Brannagan was appointed Oxford’s captain this summer following the departure of Elliott Moore.

A product of the Liverpool academy, Brannagan made nine senior appearances for the Reds - including three in the Premier League between 2014 and 2018. He also spent time on loan with Fleetwood Town before making a permanent move to Oxford in 2018.

Since arriving at the Kassam Stadium, the midfielder has made more than 290 league appearances and scored 57 goals. Three of those have come this season, the latest being the opener in a 2-2 draw with Millwall in November.

Brannagan was also on target when Oxford knocked the Swans out of the Carabao Cup on penalties in 2022, while his stunning strike against Cardiff City last season played a key part in their eventual survival.

Who are the key men?

Former Swan Przemysław Płacheta was the matchwinner in Oxford United’s victory over Ipswich Town last Friday, netting his third league goal of the season and fourth overall.

Płacheta began his career in his native Poland before spending time in Germany with RB Leipzig and Sonnenhof Großaspach. He later returned to Poland, featuring for Pogon Siedlce, Podbeskidzie, and Śląsk Wrocław.

A standout final season with Śląsk - scoring eight goals in 35 appearances - earned him a move to Championship side Norwich City. In his debut campaign at Carrow Road, he made 28 appearances as the Canaries secured promotion to the Premier League, and he went on to make his top-flight debut against Leeds United the following season.

Płacheta spent the 2022-23 season on loan at Birmingham City, but a stress fracture to his left tibia limited him to just five appearances before returning to Norwich to continue his rehabilitation.

He went on to join Swansea City on January transfer deadline day in the 2023-24 season, making 10 appearances in SA1 before a hamstring injury ruled him out of the run-in and he departed when his short-term deal came to an end in the summer of 2024, going on to sign for Oxford.

Defender Michal Helik has been ever-present for Gary Rowett’s side this season, featuring in all 18 league games so far. The defender began his career with his hometown club, Ruch Chorzów, making 46 Ekstraklasa appearances and scoring once.

He moved to Cracovia in 2017, spending three seasons there before making his first switch to England with Barnsley. Helik enjoyed a standout debut campaign under Valérien Ismaël, helping the Tykes reach the Championship play-offs, where they were beaten in the semi-finals by Steve Cooper’s Swansea City.

After Barnsley’s relegation to League One in 2022, Helik joined Huddersfield Town, making 94 league appearances across both the Championship and League One. He completed a move to Oxford in January of this year.

The 30-year-old has also represented Poland at international level. He received his first call-up from former Swans boss Paulo Sousa for the Euro 2020 squad, and later made his senior debut in a 3-3 draw with Hungary during the 2022 World Cup qualifiers.

Brian De Keersmaecker sits at the top of Oxford United’s assist chart this season, having created four goals for his teammates, including the decisive pass for Przemysław Płacheta’s winner against Ipswich last week.

The midfielder made a dream start to senior football, scoring on his professional debut for Belgian side Beerschot VA in a Europa League play-off victory against K.A.S. Eupen.

He later spent a loan spell with Dutch second-tier side FC Eindhoven, before signing for the club permanently the following season on a two-year deal.

De Keersmaecker earned a move to Heracles Almelo thereafter, making 64 appearances across two seasons, and he made the switch to English football in July when he joined Oxford United.