Aston Oxborough has had to wait two seasons until he got his chance to play regularly between the sticks at Motherwell.
The 26-year-old showed patience in abundance, and in the summer of 2024, he signed a new contract as he looked to show everyone what he was about. Since that moment, the plaudits have been loud for the shot-stopper.
Making the number one jersey his own, Oxborough has pulled off some wonderful saves that have helped the team earn points and a semi-final spot in the Premier Sports Cup.
“It’s been brilliant from a team collectively and from a personal point of view,” Aston Oxborough said.
“A lot has happened, and I have made a lot of good memories so far; hopefully it can continue. I thought there would be a few more downs, to be honest.
“It’s been very good, and there have been a lot of highs. I’m sure there will be lows throughout the season that I’ll have to deal with. But the biggest high was the quarter-final win against Dundee United. The save from the 1v1 was great, but the whole night was amazing.
“There is a surreal feeling around playing in the semi-final. It’s going to be a brilliant moment for me, the team, and the fans. I’ve got my family coming up for the game, so I can’t wait.
“When we first got through, there was a bit of a buzz, and some people were talking about it, but now we’re back into league games. It’s settled down, and we’re focused on the league and results. It’s been put to the side for the minute.”
It would seem that putting the semi-final game on hold has done the trick. Oxborough has been named in back-to-back William Hill Premiership team of the weeks, as well as being voted the player of the month for September by the Motherwell supporters.
“The fan vote is more important to me,” he explained.
“They see the games and watch every week. It’s not just about statistics and saves; it’s more about general play and contribution to the team.
“There’s an unwavering belief in myself, but I don’t talk about it too much. It’s just the way I am and the way I was brought up. Football-wise, it’s the best I’ve played in my career. I’m super confident and loving it.”
Starting the last 11 matches, the Englishman has relished the opportunity to showcase his ability. And whilst this isn’t the first time he’s played a string of games, it is the first time he’s done it at a high level.
“Both loan spells in my career, I played 25 games,” he added.
“That is double what I’ve done so far here, but this is a much higher level. It’s good to be playing constantly because you can keep the momentum going. The team is riding the wave at the minute, so hopefully that can continue.
“It’s a brilliant changing room with no egos. We all get along, which is massive in my opinion. That stems from the manager, with the type of characters he signs and how he runs the dressing room. Equally the Skipper McGinn and Stephen O’Donnell also keep everyone level.
“There’s been a high turnaround of players this year, probably the biggest here in recent years, so it does take time to gel on the pitch. We were frustrated after the group-stage of the cup, as it didn’t go as smoothly as we would have wanted.
“Equally, however, we lost one game across pre-season and the group-stage, so it might not have been fluid, but we were still getting over the line.”
Sitting in fifth place in the table, Motherwell have made a positive start to their 2024/25 season. One big difference has been the sturdy defensive line and elimination of conceding so many goals. In the 2023/24 Premiership season, Motherwell conceded 59 goals.
This was joint fourth highest in the league, but what made this stat worse was that they scored 56 goals. The highest tally outside Rangers and Celtic. After eight games this season, they have conceded 12. An improvement on the previous campaign.
“There’s been a shift in mentality,” Oxborough stated.
“First and foremost, we’re giving ourselves a good foundation, being hard to beat. Then, on top of that, we’re playing good football and attacking teams. Some boys have come in and have been excellent.
“We’re all desperate to keep clean sheets every week, and while we haven’t been able to do that, we’ve reduced the amount of goals and chances conceded. We work on it during the week and did a lot of work as a defensive unit during pre-season.”
With everything going so smoothly, life got even better for Oxborough last week, with the keeper signing a new deal at the club until 2027.
“I was all for it; I have loved playing this season and would love to continue to do that,” he said.
“I’m settled up here, and what’s important for me has been having a sustained run of games under my belt. This is the perfect place to do it.
“My partner and I spoke about everything. The last six months, everything just seems to have clicked into place. We have waited a long time for things to happen. That’s just how life goes sometimes; you have to be patient.
“Personally, for the rest of the season, there’s statistics for goalkeepers. I’ll have my internal targets, clean sheets, save percentage, and minutes played. But I just want to carry on contributing how I’ve been doing.
“I want to do that long term consistently. That’s a big one for me; if I can play regularly and play a positive part in games, that’ll be massive for the team.”
