"You won’t see my teams..." - Gary Rowett issues bold Oxford United claim | OneFootball

The new U's boss got his first win in charge at the Kassam Stadium with a Boxing Day victory over Cardiff City.

New Oxford United manager Gary Rowett has made a bold claim regarding his team's mentality after securing his first win as U's boss with a 3-2 Boxing Day victory over Cardiff City at the Kassam Stadium.

Rowett was appointed as Des Buckingham's successor on 20 December, having previously been interim manager of Birmingham City in a desperate attempt to keep the Blues in the Championship last season.

The 50-year-old endured a rough opening game as Oxford United boss, however, as his side suffered a 4-0 drubbing at the hands of Leeds United on 21 December.

But, in his first game in the dugout at the Kassam, Rowett's side were able to register their first win of the new era, beating fellow Championship strugglers Cardiff City by three goals to two.

Oxford nerves will have been jangling though, as after taking a three-goal lead between minutes 41-57 - which included a wonderful strike by Przemyslaw Placheta for Oxford's third -, the Bluebirds scored two late goals to set up a tense end to the game.

His side were able to see home the three points though, and it's that mental fortitude that Rowett has made a confident claim in relation to in the aftermath of Oxford's win...

Oxford United boss Gary Rowett confident in his ability to create a mentally strong U's side

If Oxford United are to steer themselves clear of the threat of relegation this season, Rowett must instill a strong and resilient mentality among his players.

Being able to see out results when they've got them is going to be a key part of making that work, and that's something that he's confident he can deliver at the Kassam.

: "To get into a 3-0 position was terrific and then what you don’t want to do is allow the opposition to get back into it.

“The main thing I take away is that we won the game. When you’re in this position, you want to find different ways to win games. It’s never going to be perfect, it’s never going to be ideal.

"What I said to them in there was that when we’re 3-0 up, you’ve got to work a hell of a lot harder to make sure the opposition don’t get back into the game.

“I don’t know whether sometimes that is a little bit of nerves and anxiety when you haven’t won for a while. Sometimes you try and tend to be safe, and by being safe, you let the opposition get that impetus in the game.

“Certainly you won’t see my teams often squandering a 3-0 lead and making it nervy. That’s certainly something I don’t want to see creep in.”

Rowett and Oxford United must now make the most of winnable stretch of fixtures

Building on wins has been something that Oxford United haven't really been able to do so far this term, with the U's only recording back-to-back league wins on one occasion this season, when they defeated Preston and Stoke on matchdays four and five respectively.

Momentum is key in a league as unforgiving and relentless as the Championship is, and so harnessing a feel-good factor and weaponising it to help register further wins is vital for those sides caught up in relegation battles.

So, after recording a big win over a fellow struggler in front of a bumper Boxing Day crowd, Oxford will now welcome another relegation rival in Plymouth Argyle to the Kassam on Sunday.

That's a game in which the U's must have circled as a fantastic opportunity to bag another three precious points, with seemingly similar big opportunities waiting for them in January.

Oxford will make the trip down to Home Park to take on Argyle once again on 14 January, whilst clashes with fellow strugglers Luton Town and Stoke City also on the horizon.

This time of the season is always a crucial one, but given the opponents they'll be facing, it has the feel of being an extra-important one for Oxford this term, and how successfully they navigate it could have a major impact on what division they'll be playing their football in next season.