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Siriki Dembele must use first goal for Oxford as momentum to help keep Oxford safe from relegation

Siriki Dembélé finally scored his first goal for Oxford United on Saturday - arguably the club's most important of the season. He must now build on this momentum to help keep United in the Championship.

It's been a very stop-and-start debut season for Dembélé in the yellow of Oxford. The U's broke their transfer record to bring the former Birmingham City man to the club, hoping he would be a direct replacement for Josh Murphy.

An injured ankle kept him out for two months, during which time United lost their early-season momentum, and the realisation of what the season had in store for them set in.

Dembélé hasn't reached the heights that fans hoped he would. But after scoring on Saturday, and teams around them picking up more points, it's time for Dembélé to show why United invested so heavily in him.

Saturday's goal could change the course of Oxford's season

Saturday's home fixture against Watford was Dembélé's first goal for the club, after 22 league appearances. It's fair to say his end product has not been up to standard, and some United fans were starting to lose their patience with the winger.

The beauty of football is how quickly fortunes can turn. At half-time on Saturday, all you needed to do was look at social media to see how unhappy some fans were with Dembélé, many of whom called for him to be taken off at half-time.

By the end of the game, United fans had invented several new chants for the 28-year-old.

It was a calm and composed finish, as if he was in the best goalscoring form of his life.

The winger spoke to BBC Radio Oxford after the game about his lack of goals and assists so far this season: "It doesn't bother me, when it's going like that, I want to continue because if you shy away, there is no point.

"Sometimes you go through a period where you don't score or assist. But the most important thing for me is performances because when you perform well, it gives you the best chance as a team to win."

After conceding two goals in three minutes to Hull City midweek in a game they were leading, picking up three points over the weekend was huge in the context of Oxford's season, with Dembélé the man to thank.

Teams around Oxford are picking up more points than they are

As the season approaches the final stretch, the aim for Oxford is to simply make sure that there are three worse teams than them come the end of the campaign.

Being able to create a gap between themselves and the sides in the relegation zone is the only thing they need to focus on. United are currently 18th in the league, four points above Derby County, who occupy the last spot in the bottom three.

However, the Rams have been in fine form recently, winning their last three games. This impressive run of wins has given John Eustace's side a fighting chance, which looked unlikely only a few weeks ago.

Other sides around United are picking up wins as well. Hull City have three wins and two draws in their last six games, whilst Luton Town have picked up eight points from their last six matches.

The Championship form table has Oxford sitting rock bottom, with one win and four defeats in their last six games, an alarming statistic. Derby and Luton have gained five and four more points than United, and sit 12th and 13th respectively, whilst Hull City have picked up seven more points than Gary Rowett's side.

With sides around them closing the gap, it is absolutely crucial that players step up and show their quality. Dembélé is yet to find a purple patch, with consistency and quality in the final third letting him down. The hope is that Saturday finally ignites his season.

Oxford's remaining games provide minimal chances to pick up points

United have games against three of the top four still to come, and only one fixture against teams below them in Cardiff City. With a tough end to the season, Oxford will need key players to step up and show their worth.

In the final stages of last season, Josh Murphy scored six goals and assisted three, not to mention another two goals in the play-off final. This season he has six goals and ten assists for Portsmouth, underlining his quality in the EFL.

As his replacement, Dembélé is yet to emulate the form shown by Murphy.

With eight games left, now is the chance for the winger to be the man that secures Oxford's safety for next season. He has set the standard with his goal against Watford and Rowett's task is to keep Dembélé involved in the goals and maintaining those levels that will keep Oxford in the Championship.