"Surprised me" - Oxford United, Cardiff City transfer deal lauded | OneFootball

Ciaron Brown has managed to adapt to life in the second tier with the minimum of fuss after earning League One promotion

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

With eleven games remaining in the Championship season, Oxford United find themselves with a healthy gap between the relegation zone, with their return to the second tier going a lot better than many predicted before a ball had been kicked.

After winning the League One play-off final last season, the U’s were an easy pick for relegation this year, but under the leadership of Des Buckingham, and now Gary Rowett, they have kept the bottom three at arm’s length, despite a recent poor run of form.

With a number of the Yellows’ stars making the step up from third tier this season, there could be plenty of candidates for a player that has surprised the fanbase with their ability to cope with life in the Championship, given their fifth-placed finish in the division below last year.

But who is the one player to have exceeded expectations the most? We asked Football League World’s resident U’s fan Jack Shoemark, to pick one out for us.

Ciaron Brown, Oxford United impact heralded after League One promotion

Oxford added as many as 16 players to their squad last summer, as they looked to build a unit capable of competing against the high and mighty of the Championship after earning promotion.

While they bolstered their options all over the field, the centre of defence went largely unchanged, with Leicester City loanee Ben Nelson brought into the fold to add competition to Elliott Moore and Ciaron Brown.

Having formed a solid partnership over their respective years at the Kassam Stadium, the tried-and-tested pairing have largely held firm when stepping up to the second tier, with Brown playing every single minute of league football this season.

After being deemed surplus to requirements by Cardiff City three years ago, the 27-year-old is proving his doubters wrong this season with a series of stellar performances at the back, and Shoemark has been delighted by what he has seen from the Northern Irishman.

When asked about his side’s surprise package, the Oxford fan said: “I think Ciaron Brown is the player that has surprised me the most this season, in a positive way.

“We signed him from Cardiff a couple of seasons ago, obviously to play in League One at the time, and there were a few question marks from Cardiff fans about his ability to play at Championship level.

“So once we had been promoted, naturally you look at previous fans opinions, and you wonder whether he can make the step-up.

“But he has shown himself to be fully capable at the level. He has been one of our standout performers, both at centre-back, and he can fill in at left-back as well, so he has certainly stepped up to the level.

“He has been a key part of our defence that has been reasonably solid, considering our league position, so Ciaron Brown has surprised me the most, and is one of the first names on the team sheet.”

24/25 displays may tempt Oxford United into taking Ciaron Brown action

Brown signed a new contract with Oxford back in October 2023, with the defender revealing that he had agreed a deal to stay at the Kassam Stadium until the end of the 25/26 season.

That means he is coming close to having just a year left on his current deal, and after his performances in the current campaign, the U’s must be wanting to tie the centre-back down to a new contract and avoid losing him on the cheap.

With his commanding presence in the backline, United have earned plenty of points when their backs have been against the wall this season, with no player blocking more shots than Brown when wearing yellow this season (31).

As well as that, the former Livingston man tops the bill when it comes to interceptions as well (46), which further underlines his ability to read the game and be in the right place at the right time to cut out opposition attacks.

Oxford will feel very lucky to have him in their side right now, and having also shown his prowess at the other end of the pitch with four goals across the campaign, the U’s must be looking at sorting out a new deal sooner rather than later.