Oxford 2-1 Stevenage in Ramsey's first win

Oxford secured a 2-1 victory over Stevenage in Aaron Ramsey's first match as manager, with goals from Gatlin O'Donkor and Cameron Brannagan. Stevenage's Jordan Roberts pulled one back late, but Oxford controlled the game.

23 Aug 2026

Updated 25 Aug 2026 By Mike Ellwood · senior correspondent

First Victory for Ramsey

Aaron Ramsey earned his first win as Oxford United manager with a 2-1 triumph over Stevenage. The match saw Ramsey make a double substitution in the 65th minute, bringing on Gatlin O'Donkor and Stanley Mills.

Key Moments

Two minutes after the change, Mills delivered a right-wing cross that O'Donkor headed past Stevenage keeper Filip Marschall to open the scoring. With three minutes left, O'Donkor raced to the ball, beat Marschall and was fouled, earning a penalty. Cameron Brannagan converted the spot-kick, striking the right side of the bottom corner to seal the points.

Match Summary

Stevenage managed to pull one back when Jordan Roberts scored with a late kick, but Oxford had dominated the match from start to finish. Stevenage had two promising headers in the first half - Lewis Freestone and Carl Piergianni - but both missed the target. The game was also marked by injuries: Oxford lost goalkeeper Jamie Cumming, while Stevenage had to replace Jasper Pattenden.