A former Reading FC manager has made a move across the Thames Valley as he has rejoined Oxford United.
Oxford United Women has announced the return of Liam Gilbert as its Head Coach, marking a homecoming for the tactician who led the side during a highly regarded five-year period.
Following Reading’s relegation from the Women’s Super League in the 2022/23 campaign, Gilbert joined the club as Kelly Chambers’ replacement to take charge of the side in the Women’s Championship.
His only season in charge saw Reading finish in 10th position in the Championship as the club continued to battle off-field issues which has plagued the development of the women’s team.
Owner at the time, Dai Yongge, made the decision to stop funding the women’s team which meant they could no longer compete in the Women’s Championship.
As a result, Reading FC Women is now run by the club’s Community Trust and plays in the Southern Region Women’s Premier Division.
Gilbert first made his mark at Oxford United, taking charge of the women’s first team in 2018. Under his stewardship, the club achieved considerable progress, culminating in a third-place finish in the Southern Premier Division before he departed in August 2023
His return comes amid fresh ambition from the club, which sees his experience — both from his previous stint at the U’s and his more recent work at other Championship-level outfits — as instrumental in driving the project forward. Stevie Kinniburgh, Oxford’s Head of Football Development, praised Gilbert’s “standards, professionalism and ambition.”
