Early team news as Oxford take on Dagenham and Redbridge
Oxford United should be able to call on the services of defender Johnny Mullins as they head for Dagenham and Redbridge in Sky Bet League 2 on Saturday.
Mullins, who has assumed the captain’s armband while Jake Wright recovers from a back injury, limped off against Braintree on Tuesday night but has trained since and Head Coach Michael Appleton expects him to be available as the U’s return to the Daggers just ten days after a Johnstone’s Paint Trophy win on the same ground.
“He’s a bit sore but we’re optimistic” Michael told Yellow Player HD. “We’ll look after him as best we can. Sam Long has been training for a week or so and that gives us cover, although we have to be cautious with Jake’s back which is taking a little bit longer than we first thought. But from John’s point of view we’ll wrap him in cotton wool and we think he’ll be fine for Saturday.”
Despite the two sides having played each other so recently Michael doesn’t believe that the first meeting will have any bearing on Saturday’s game.
“Probably not if I’m honest” he said. “I think both teams were very different in the JPT to what will happen on Saturday. I fully expect Kyle Vassell to play for them up front, and probably Jamie Cureton as well. I think their front four are exciting and can be a handful: I certainly think they are in a false position in the league at the moment.”
It’s at the other end of the pitch that Appleton faces decisions though. Pat Hoban’s third goal in two games and Ryan Taylor’s fourth in three mean they are in great form along with the always dangerous Danny Hylton and Kemar Roofe, although Michael was giving little away:
“You need competition for places and people in good form” he said. “We seem to have that at the moment and I hope it continues over the next five or six weeks until the turn of the year.”
See the whole interview plus an exclusive with Liam Sercombe and a highly entertaining Preview Show, all in Yellow Player HD right now.