JOSH McEachran has got his eyes on a fairytale ending to the season for him on a personal note, after returning to his hometown side in the summer.

The midfielder has racked up 30 appearances since arriving from MK Dons, but of his 22 games in Sky Bet League One, only nine have been starts.

McEachran was in the starting line-up though as Oxford United breezed past Peterborough United at the weekend, and with other results going in their favour, it left the U’s sixth in the table and three points clear of nearest play-off hopeful Blackpool.

Des Buckingham’s side have also closed the gap to Barnsley, and sit just two points behind the Tykes, raising hopes that United could climb further up the division.

OPINION: Why U’s boss deserves huge credit for stunning upturn in form

McEachran said: “I’ve said in interviews before that I always wanted to come back and play for Oxford because I’m an Oxford lad.

“To help in any kind of way would be massive, so hopefully we can nick that last play-off place or maybe fifth.”

Against the Posh, McEachran came into the U’s side in place of the injured Cameron Brannagan, and drew various plaudits for his performance as the single six in midfield.

He said: “I think that’s my favourite position, that single six with two eights or 10s in front of me.

“I like to dictate play a lot, and I think with the single six, it goes through you a lot of the time.

“I think a big part of my game is winning the second balls, and anticipating and intercepting balls as well. I did well on Saturday so may it continue.

“I haven’t played as much as I’d have liked to this season, but to play like I and everyone else did, then personally and collectively it’s got to be up there with one of the best performances.”

thisisoxfordshire:

He added: “We all had a big smile on our face after. It was a massive result and the way we did it, it was a great performance all round.

“Off the pitch, the fans were unbelievable. To a man, everyone played their part on the pitch, so it was a good day.

“This season, our results against the teams in the top six haven’t been great. We’ve had the odd good victory here and there, but to do that coming into the business end of the season against Peterborough, who have been flying, was massive for us.

“That’s gone now and we just need to take it into Lincoln.

“It was a massive result and a great way to win, but you can’t get too high or too low. We’ve got three massive games now, and we just need to take each game as it comes.”