Oxford United will be looking to bounce back from the disappointing 1-0 defeat to Crewe Alexandra in their last outing at the Kassam Stadium when they host Hereford United tomorrow.
The U's have been boosted by the decision of talismanic top scorer James Constable to refuse a move to arch-rivals Swindon Town, while the club has also reportedly turned down a bid from high-flying Crawley Town. Despite conceding a late winner last Saturday, Oxford moved up a place to sixth in League Two thanks to results elsewhere, and boss Chris Wilder will be expecting his team to consolidate their position against the struggling Bulls.
Constable is likely to lead the line with two from Tom Craddock, Alfie Potter and Jon-Paul Pittman alongside him. The U's have no new injury worries with only Tony Capaldi a long-term absentee, although Deane Smalley and Josh Payne have both gone out on loan to other clubs.
Hereford currently lie 21st in League Two and lost 1-0 to Oxford in their previous meeting this season, with loanee Rob Hall grabbing the only goal for the U's. Former Oxford midfielder Simon Clist is a major doubt for Hereford with a groin injury, but new loan signing Kern Miller, a defender signed from Barnsley, could feature.
Speaking ahead of the game, Chris Wilder said he expected Hereford to come to the Kassam Stadium and defend, and said he wanted to see more guile from his players.
"We have to have a bit more guile and a bit more more inventiveness and a little bit more patience in the final third, and be better," he said. "What does concern me is we don't score enough goals. It's up to us to overcome the hurdle that people put in front of us.
"The players have still got a massive belief in what we're doing, that it's the right thing, and we've got to put it right on Saturday. They won't go toe-to-toe with us, that's an absolute cert. They're going to sit everybody in, and they're going to try and counter with a little bit of pace and they've got some good players."
