 Oxford won promotion as runners-up of the Second Division in 1995–96, with Aldridge scoring nine goals in 18 Division Two games before missing the final few games of the season with injury.He scored nine goals in 38 appearances in 1996–97, including a hat-trick in a 4–1 win over Sheffield United at the Manor Ground on 14 December.Aldridge, along with the goals of fellow strikers Nigel Jemson and Paul Moody, helped the "U's" to retain their Division One status with a 17th-place finish, although they had been in the playoff places earlier in the season before a dismal second half of the campaign put paid to any chances of a place in the FA Premier League.