Oxford United today secured the first signing of their three season-long loanees with the news that Elfie Potter has joined the club from Peterborough United on a two-year deal. Potter played 30 games for the Us last season, including 12 as a substitute, and he scored six goals, including that goal at Wembley that secured United's Football League status. We may not have reminded you recently that Oxford United are a Football League team again.

Also signing for Oxford today was Ben Purkiss from York City. Ben Purkiss, m'lud, is a right back and will provide competition for Damian Batt. It was his cross that Ryan Clarke threw into his own net to give York a painful glimpse of vain hope in Sunday's play-off final, the game that secured Oxford's Football League status, by the way. Purkiss was also sought after by Conference outfits Torquay United and Burton Albion, but recognised that Oxford are the best option. This is because he is a bright lad, as evidenced by the fact that the boy has a degree in law, achieved at York College of Law.

Purkiss, whose corpus United now habeus, also represented Great Britain at the World University Games in Belgrade in July 2009, alongside Exodus Geohaghan among others, and was called up for the England C squad last year until injury forced him to withdraw. Like the gaffer Chris Wilder, Purkiss is a Sheffield lad, whose career started at the Sheffield United academy, from where he joined Gainsborough Trinity, and thence to York. [@player]potter, alfie[/@player] More signings will doubtless follow, and will almost certainly be reported elsewhere long before we cotton onto the fact. QED.