Cameron Brannagan talks U

Blackburn Rovers FC Oxford United FC Football Sport

Oxford United club captain Cameron Brannagan has praised the U's set piece 'threat' as he spoke about the relegation battle and playing with loanee Yunus Konak.

The Yellows have won their last two matches against West Bromwich Albion and Preston North End, respectively, scoring from four set pieces in their five goals across the duo of Championship games.

Skipper Brannagan recorded an assist for the U's opener after just five minutes at Deepdale, finding scorer Michal Helik from a free kick.

United take on Blackburn Rovers on Wednesday night in an important clash in the fight for survival.

"We scored a lot of set pieces last season and it’s something that we looked at, and I felt we could’ve been a bit better at this season," the 29-year-old admitted.

Michal Helik scores Oxford United's opener against Preston North End (Image: Oxford United)

"Over the past couple of games, we’ve started putting good deliveries in and people are attacking in the right areas and we are scoring goals.

"It’s clearly a threat of ours and we want to keep that as much as possible. Hopefully another one will come [against Blackburn]."

Brannagan has played in a midfield duo for much of this season, his partner often changing.

Brian De Keersmaecker, Will Vaulks, Jamie McDonnell, and, most recently, Yunus Konak have all played alongside him, with 20-year-old Konak taking his opportunities in recent games whilst on loan from Brentford.

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"He’s had to bide his time," Brannagan continued.

"He’s worked hard every single day in training, and he’s never thrown his arms up and given up just because he wasn’t playing.

Yunus Konak making his first appearance in an Oxford United shirt against Bristol City (Image: ©Jason Dawson)

"He’s got a great attitude, he’s a great kid and he’s really gelled into the group, and I thought he’s played very well when he’s played. Hats off to him, it’s enjoyable playing with him."

The U's captain has the experience of battling relegation from last season in the Championship, as well as in League One on occasion since he arrived in OX4 in 2018.

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"There have been a few times when I’ve been at this club, and we’ve been fighting relegation and it’s never a nice position to be in," he added.

"But you have to find a way to win, and I feel like we have done that in the past two games.

Cameron Brannagan runs with the ball for Oxford United against Leicester City (Image: Mike Allen)

"We do believe we can stay in the league and we’re more than good enough to stay in the league.

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"I’ve been here for a long time and it’s something that we’ve believed in for a long time.

"It’s not been great for most of the season if we’re being honest with ourselves, but we’ve got 10 games and we believe that we can stay in this division.

"You can feel it in the group. There’s a lot of confidence.

"It’s another big game [against Blackburn], a different challenge, and something we’re really looking forward to."