Chris Hargreaves' return to Oxford United has now been confirmed. The 37-year-old midfielder has joined United from Torquay United on a free transfer until the end of the season as manager Chris Wilder looks for someone with experience to see the Us over the hump and back into the Football League.

Hargreaves' first spell at the club was a particularly traumatic time in United's history, with the side experiencing relegation from the Football League for the first time in May 2006, followed by the equally disappointing failure to return at the first time of asking after losing in the play-off semi-finals to Exeter City on penalties after being 2-0 up. However, United fans owe it to the alice-banded one to take a look at themselves through the looking-glass as he tries to take us back to Wonderland (very, very sorry about that). As with all returning personnel (including Graham Atkinson, Hugh Curran, Paul Moody, Joey Beauchamp, Nigel Jemson, Bobby Ford, Phil Gilchrist, Jamie Cook, Malcolm Shotton, Denis Smith, and Mark Wright) they will start their second spell with a clean slate and everything to prove. Whether the signing of Hargreaves proves to be a masterstroke or a disaster, he will be judged (by us, at any rate) on the next three months, not what happened two and a half years back.

Hargreaves will continue to be based in Torquay, where he has a young family and a surfboard. He is likely to be included in the squad for tomorrow's match at Chelmsford in the FA Trophy third round and, if he plays, he will become the fourth oldest player to have turned out for the Yellows since the side turned professional in 1949 (and no, we're not going to tell you who the other three were). [@player]hargreaves, chris[/@player]