There was hope in the Oxford United camp that they would have needed a result in this final game of the season.
The U’s have had the play-off places in their sights for much of the campaign but have come up short in their quest for a top six finish, ensuring there is only pride to play for as they welcome Rovers to the Kassam Stadium.
It means Oxford are set for a seventh consecutive season in Sky Bet League One, which will be of particular disappointment to a club that has competed in the last two play-off campaigns.
Boss Karl Robinson will be left to rue a slow start to the current season, with just four wins collected across the first 13 matches – a run which included five defeats.
But since December they have remained in the top half of the division and are looking to secure eighth spot. Over the last five months they have secured 13 wins and four draws from 27 matches.
Finding the net has not been too much of a problem for Robinson’s side this season. They have been shut out only twice in the 17 matches since the start of February, netting 31 goals themselves, while Oxford have secured nine clean sheets of their own.
Away form has not been particularly strong, with nine wins from 27 matches on the road this term.
In their last ten league matches, the U’s have picked up four wins and a draw – but two of those victories have come in the last three games. Stretching the run out to 15 matches, Oxford have seven wins and a draw.
Rovers have met Oxford nine times since renewing acquaintances in League One in 2017.
Of those nine matches, Oxford have won five with two draws. At the Kassam Stadium, the U’s have won three of four in that run, with the other ending as a draw.
Rovers have won just once at Oxford in their history, with an Alfie Hale goal giving them a 1-0 win in August 1963.
This season’s reverse fixture saw Oxford triumph 2-1 at the Eco-Power Stadium in December.
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