The goal at Oxford by DJ Campbell delighted City boss Paulo Sousa and was further evidence - a fourth goal in four pre-season games - that the striker seems back in the fold.

Indeed, Sousa appears to be naming him as one of his most important players in the up-coming season. On his brilliant free-kick which opened the scoring in the 1-1 draw at Oxford this afternoon, Sousa said:

"It was a great moment for DJ. He is full of confidence in himself and he is one of the players in better shape and someone who is going to help us a lot this season. I see all the time DJ with a lot of happiness in training sessions, his enthusiasm, and these are the sort of players I want to work with. He is someone very committed to me, to the club and to the fans and he is someone who wants to do great things for the club this season."

The action at the Kassam Stadium was another step in the preparations and Sousa said:

"We are still growing. This was the first game where we have given them more minutes for their legs. It is a process where we want to build the physical confidence and we are still training on the morning of games. I saw some things I liked, other things I didn't like too much but it is part of the process that when we want to see things from training, we want to see them more often.

"When they don't come, we still are pushing the work to create during the game the possibilities for the players to enjoy what they are doing, with the right attitude and with the right football I expect.

"Specifically, I am pleased with the circulation from the back which was better. Of course, after that the decisions need to be a bit better in quality. Some players are better in shape and better in movement. They create good space for themselves and for their team mates and a bit more confidence with our defenders and with our goalkeeper."