Mark Harris’ start to the Sky Bet Championship season couldn’t have gone much better, scoring four in four to start the campaign. But his place in the team now looks a doubt.

The Welsh international won Player of the Month for August after his blistering start to Oxford’s first season back in the second tier for 25 years.

One of the goals was nominated for Goal of the Month, an audacious volley from way outside the box that dipped and swerved over Aynsley Pears in the Blackburn Rovers goal.

This goal perfectly summed up the form Harris was in at the time. It was a speculative effort that he had no right to even attempt. But because of the confidence he had in his ability at the time, he decided to take it on.

He was a player with the bit between his teeth, and there were countless examples in games at the start of the season where he would get half a yard, and hit the ball as hard as he possibly could. It wouldn’t always go in, but it was setting the tempo for the team and letting the opposition know they were in for a game. You could see the reaction on the faces of the defenders and goalkeeper he was up against. They weren’t pleased to see him, that’s for sure.

But that’s the life of a striker. When you’re in form and feeling good, you feel unstoppable. And when you haven’t found the net in a while, every minute that goes by without a goal feels like a lifetime.

And that seems to be where Harris finds himself at the moment. It doesn’t help that his position has seemingly been taken by a 20-year-old on loan from a top Premier League side.

Dane Scarlett is in fine form for club and country

Dane Scarlett’s start to life at Oxford wasn’t easy. He made his debut away at Coventry, coming on in the last minute, with the home side scoring a winner with almost the last kick of the game.

The youngster then didn’t play for three games. When he eventually got back on the pitch, he was playing 10–15 minutes at the end of games, coming on for Harris. He was struggling to make an impact, and seemed to be experiencing the same emotions that Harris is feeling now.

The England U21 star then scored his first goal for the club in the 92nd minute to secure a 1-1 draw with West Bromwich Albion. He was rewarded with a start in the next game at home to Derby County, in which he scored again.

Those two games have changed his Oxford career up to this point. He seems sharper, stronger and more aggressive when winning possession for his team.

Scarlett found the net again two games later against Swansea City to make it three goals in four games.

What has been impressive to see is the type of goals he is scoring. They have all been finishes of real quality from tight angles. Goals that he wouldn’t necessarily be expected to score, but he is taking his chances brilliantly, showing a level of quality that fans haven’t seen enough of from Harris since his scoring run at the beginning of the season.

The youngster has also scored two goals for the England U21 side recently, against the Netherlands and Azerbaijan.

Previous loan spells at Portsmouth and Ipswich didn’t work out for Scarlett. But it’s worth mentioning that he was just 18-years-old when he joined Pompey for a season. The difference between youth football and top League One action is huge.

Two seasons later, Scarlett now seems more ready for the mens game. He’s clearly filled out into his body, and is more than holding his own when it comes to physicality.

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We are now starting to see the potential that Spurs fans have been hoping would come. It’s no surprise that Scarlett is going to be a top player. He’s been on the books at Tottenham since he was a child. He made his debut for Spurs when he was just 16, and already has 17 appearances to his name for the Premier League side. His ceiling is very high.

Scarlett vs Harris

Scarlett is still in the early stages of his career, Harris, now 25, has a few more years of experience under his belt. But, naturally, it seems like the ceiling for what Scarlett could achieve is much higher.

Scarlett is on the path to Premier League football, and has already had a taste for it. He plays regularly for the England U21s, having played through the different age groups at youth level.

Harris, on the other hand, is playing at the highest level of his career, after he was unable to really show his quality after years at Cardiff City. This is Harris’ seventh year in professional football, and he only has 39 goals to his name. 19 of those came for Oxford in their promotion-winning season last year. It was the first season in which the Welshman scored more than four goals in a campaign.

It isn’t harsh to say that Harris is yet to convince Oxford fans that he is good enough to compete in the Championship. That isn’t to say he hasn’t shown his potential. His goal-scoring run at the start of the season showed fans exactly what he is capable of. But to succeed at this level, he needs to be able to show that level more consistently.

And this is what is separating the two of them at the moment. It looks very likely that Scarlett will go on to play at a higher level than he currently finds himself at with Oxford, who, in turn, need his clear Championship quality to compete.

With England, he’s playing alongside players playing in the Premier League and European competitions. His latest England teammates include the likes of Archie Gray and Tyler Dibbling, who play regularly for Spurs and Southampton respectively.

He also started ahead of Ipswich’s number nine Liam Delap in a crucial game against the Netherlands U21. Scarlett scored England’s only goal in a 1-1 draw on Monday night.

Harris’ ceiling isn’t as clear, however. For the time being, it looks like Championship football will be the best the striker will achieve. His movement and ability to create a chance has never been questioned. He is brilliant at running in behind, and causing issues for defenders.

At this moment, he doesn’t seem to have the same clinical ability that Scarlett has developed through years in the Spurs set up, and it’s asking questions of his role in Des Buckingham’s current squad and whether he is the man to score Oxford to safety this season.

The first four games suggested he was, but the picture has changed since.