Oxford City have made one of the most eye-catching signings in the National League North this season, bringing in former Watford and Sheffield Wednesday forward Fernando Forestieri, subject to international clearance.
The 36-year-old joins up again with manager Ross Jenkins, his former teammate at Watford. Forestieri, whose family is now settled in England, said on signing: "I'm looking forward to coming back to England." Jenkins said the forward's experience and character would benefit the squad, particularly its younger players.
It's a signing that reflects where City are at the moment, near the top of the division after two difficult seasons at this level.
City's one season in the National League, 2023/24, ended with them bottom of the table. With Boreham Wood and Dorking also relegated, the Hoops were placed in the North for 2024/25 rather than returning to the South division they had played in for eight years.
For a part-time club based in Marston, that meant a lot of long journeys. Away games at South Shields, Spennymoor, Darlington, Scarborough and on Merseyside involve significant travel, and midweek fixtures are especially demanding for players with jobs the following day. Jenkins has spoken about the need to keep his players as fresh as possible for the longest trips.
City spent much of 2024/25 in the bottom half and finished 19th, two places above the relegation zone. Last season was similar. They were 21st in February before improving to finish 17th.
This season has been a different story. After ten games, City have six wins, two draws and two defeats, scoring 18 and conceding seven. They were top of the table in early September and, after a late equaliser in a 1-1 draw with Morecambe last weekend, sit third on 20 points. That's three behind leaders Hereford and one behind Macclesfield.
Their away form stands out, with four wins from five on the road. The travel that weighed on them in previous seasons hasn't held them back so far, and Forestieri gives Jenkins another option as they look to stay in the promotion picture.
Born in Rosario to Italian parents, Forestieri came through at Newell's Old Boys and Boca Juniors before moving to Genoa as a teenager. Loan spells at Siena, Vicenza, Málaga, Empoli and Bari followed while he was on Udinese's books, and he represented Italy at youth level up to the Under-21s.
He joined Watford on loan from Udinese in August 2012, and the move was made permanent that winter. He was part of the side that beat Leicester in the 2013 play-off semi-final, the game settled by Troy Deeney's late winner. Two years later he helped Watford win promotion to the Premier League.
He then joined Sheffield Wednesday in 2015 for a reported fee of around £3m. He finished as the club's top scorer and Player of the Year in his first season, and scored 40 goals in 134 appearances over five years before being released in 2020.
After a season back at Udinese, he moved to Malaysian side Johor Darul Ta'zim. He scored 25 goals and provided 13 assists in 32 games in his first season and added 21 goals in the next, also playing in the AFC Champions League. His most recent club was AEL Limassol in Cyprus, and he spent the summer at the PFA's pre-season camp for players without a club.
At 36, and with two league goals in Cyprus last season, Forestieri isn't likely to play every week, and he won't need to. Step 2 football through the winter is a different test from anything he's faced recently.
What he does offer is quality in the final third, the ability to make a difference in tight games, and experience for a young squad trying to sustain a promotion challenge. For a club that has spent the last two years looking over its shoulder, it's a sign of how much things have changed.
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