After a sticky start to life in League One this season, Oxford United have finally found their stride.

They’ve hit sixteen goals in five matches, a run which includes a 0-0 draw with Bolton Wanderers. The one-time whipping boys might have kept the Oxford attack out, but Lincoln City, West Ham, Tranmere and Gillingham could not.

They’ve been coming up with goals all over the pitch. Loan striker Matty Taylor has been heavily involved, as has winger Tariq Fosu. However, one of the standout performers has been James Henry, who has bagged five of the 16.

We take a look at his performance v Gillingham this weekend to see how important he is to the U’s promotion push.

Henry was on fire for the U’s this weekend, bagging two of their three goals against a woeful Gillingham side. He had three shots on target throughout the game and should have had a hattrick in the second half, only to be denied by the post.

He looks like a player invigorated by the sides good form, but it could be that it is him driving it forward. He made their other goal, claimed by Matty Taylor and was many observers Man of the Match. It’s an accolade he surely deserved and if he carries on in this style, then the former Wolves man could well be seeing Oxford challenge for the top six.

He’s an experienced player and Oxford have looked to him for a degree of leadership. He’s played for Karl Robinson for a season or so now and he’s an important link between defence and attack. His passing was certainly good this weekend, his accuracy reached 79%.

That’s all well and good if you’re passing backwards or sideways, but Henry was looking to get the ball forward. He made a pass into the final third on six occasions and was every bit as effective this weekend as he was during the 6-0 demolition of Lincoln City.

He’s not just about passing though, his dribbling was also extraordinarily strong. He is a winger by trade although he can play centrally and at the weekend, he showed his fondness for carrying the ball forward, with a 64% dribble success.

He won’t get Oxford into the top six alone, but he may well be an important factor and if the goals and assists keep coming, the top two might not be out of their reach.

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