Oxford United are delighted to welcome a very familiar face back to the club with Darren Purse returning to the club to coach the Under 16 side next season.
Darren enjoyed a fantastic playing career which included two years with the U’s from 1996 before spells in the top flight during a career which saw him play well over 650 senior games.
Most recently he has been assistant manager at Enfield Town, who he will be with for their game at Merstham on Saturday before taking up his role at Oxford in the summer.
“I’m really excited to be back at Oxford” he told us. “I really enjoyed my time there and it’s where I really felt I developed alongside players like Matt Elliott and Phil Gilchrist in the defence at the Manor. I have always kept an eye out for Oxford and can see that they are making progress, not just in the first team but also throughout the Academy
“I’s like to thank Enfield for everything this season, but the chance to come and work at Oxford is a fantastic one for me and I can’t wait to get started.”
Dan Harris, Head of the Oxford United Academy said:
"I'd like to welcome Darren Purse back to Oxford United as he takes on the U16s coaching role here in the Academy for next season.
“As an Academy, we've worked hard over the last few months to move forward in six key areas - Culture, Communication, County-Profile, Recruitment, Facilities and Staffing. Darren has a wealth of experience across the Professional game and bringing him in will undoubtedly help us close the gap between the U16 programme and full-time football here at the training ground.
“Darren's profile, character and coaching ability will play a huge part in helping to better prepare our young lads for the realities of first team football and we look forward to working with him over the coming years."