HAPPY New Year and welcome to my first Oxford Mail column, bringing readers the latest views from the United boardroom.

It forms part of our commitment to be as open, accessible and connected to supporters as possible.

The new year always offers an opportunity to reflect, reassess goals and refocus on what is important, both personally and professionally.

It has been a whirlwind period for the club since I joined in April, and we’ve made some fantastic progress.

Last year will go down in club history as one of the greats – with promotion, Wembley, a great team and manager as well as a superb all-round togetherness.

Since then we have established ourselves as a strong League One club.

Sponsorship, retail and ticketing revenues are up, our community work is stronger and our relationship with the Oxford Academy continues to blossom.

But we will still strive for progression at all levels.

The agreement, in principle, of the partnership with Oxford City is great news for both clubs and the county.

It helps City survive and will, with time, help United become more sustainable.

The vision is for shared facilities and revenue, to benefit both clubs.

Talks remain at an early stage and there are a lot of hurdles to overcome to make the partnership successful, so bear with us.

A key element to continued success is unity and sticking together. The Yellow Army have been magnificent and play a vital role in the club’s achievements and spirit.

Here’s to a great FA Cup weekend and the chance to dream.

Come on you Yellows!