U's look to keep momentum going as they face the Robins
Oxford United take on Cheltenham Town at the Kassam Stadium on Saturday with Head Coach Michael Appleton looking for his side to continue the momentum after an excellent win at Plymouth last time out.
Goals from John Campbell and James Roberts sealed a 2-1 win at Home Park and Michael is looking for a similar outcome as they take on the Robins for the third time this season:
“The first two meetings with Cheltenham have been very close” he told Yellow Player. “Obviously for the players to bounce back the way they did after Boxing Day was very good but if you take that game out of the equation we have been on a good run in the league so we want to keep that momentum going.
“We have been very frustrated in both the games against them so far; I thought we played really well in both matches, especially the last one where their keeper had a very good day. Cheltenham may have lost to Exeter but they played well so it’s going to be difficult. They get a lot of people behind the ball so we may have to be patient but it’s a game we are really looking forward to.”
United will assess the fitness of Joe Riley and Jon Meades before naming the squad and are hoping that striker Campbell recovers from a blow to the foot after scoring his first senior goal. With Chey Dunkley having set that goal up on his full debut there has been a fresh impetus about the U’s with new faces arriving:
“That was the idea. You want competition rather than players thinking they are permanent fixtures” Michael said. “Not just those two though: Patrick Hoban is doing really well and should be available in January and youngsters like James Roberts and Sam Long have done well when they have gone into the team. It has freshened everything up and hopefully we can keep things going after Plymouth and get three more points against Cheltenham on Saturday.”
See the full interview in Yellow Player.
Book your place for Saturday by visiting www.oufctickets.co.uk. Please note that the ticket office phonelines are closed on New Year’s Day but will reopen at 9.30am on Friday. Online booking is available 24/7 throughout the New Year holiday