There’s one last game of the season today as we welcome Doncaster Rovers to the Kassam Stadium, and let me get the idea that there is nothing to play for out of anyone’s head.

I think hard work and giving your all is non-negotiable if you want to play for Oxford United.

Maybe over the season, players might have a bad game or two but that’s never because they aren’t trying.

They may miss a chance, miscontrol the ball or make an error, but making errors is what makes us human and is forgivable.

But not trying is never an option and I don’t think anyone who has seen us play this season would accuse the players of that.

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I am glad the fans couldn’t see within the dressing room last Saturday at Rotherham because it was a very raw place where the players were absolutely shattered when they realised that results in other games meant we could no longer reach the play-offs.

I have been in the game a long time and I have never seen players literally on the floor.

Our job this week has been to get them back on their feet and make them focus on today’s game.

They know we have to be stronger next season; not just on the pitch but in every area of the club.

But the players in the building have the shirt and the box seat for next season.

They have to go out there and win today’s game, first of all, and then spend the summer getting ready for an even greater effort next time around.

I thank them for everything they have done but also want to use this opportunity to thank the fans.

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Our crowds have been up this season, home and away, and at a time when much of the country is struggling with rising prices and a lack of disposable income.

To come out of the tunnel and see a full house is very humbling and I want to thank every one of you who has come along to support us.

It’s one thing to come to the games, another thing entirely to make the noise and colour that you have produced this year.

Thank you from myself, the staff and players.

We may give one or two of the youngsters a chance to be in the squad today which I think always excites supporters, but whoever plays or is on the bench, rest assured they will be playing to win.

It makes me laugh when I bump into fans in the close season and they ask what I am finding to do with no matches.

Trust me, I will be keeping busy.

We have already held meetings with agents, we have had countless recruitment meetings and the whole staff have already been putting plans into action for next season.

We will take stock and we will try to get a few precious moments with our families and friends, but we will never ever stop working.

Next season starts today.