Oxford United welcome Bolton Wanderers to the Kassam Stadium in Sky Bet League 1 on Saturday (3pm)
New boss Liam Manning remains unbeaten but will be hoping to turn four draws into an important win as the U's look to pull away from danger against play-off chasing Wanderers.
TEAM NEWS
The U's hope to have skipper Elliott Moore available again after he took a blow to the head on Good Friday against Sheffield Wednesday. The centre-half missed Monday's game at Port Vale and Liam Manning told us that the U's will take no health risks when deciding wheteher he returns to the side.
"There are protocols and measures in place after head injuries and we will follow those closely. We hope he is available but it's not just a case of a set number of days: he has to be 100% and we will wait and see if he can play."
Young defender Stephan Negru came into the side on Monday but is out for the rest of the season after suffering a facial injury towards the end of the game. James Golding stepped up into the squad on Monday and is again likely to be on the bench.
See the full interview with Liam plus the thoughts of Gatlin O'Donkor in the Preview Show in iFollow right now.
THE OPPOSITION
Wanderers are currently in sixth place in the table but only ahead of Derby on goal difference
“I still think we are in the best position – it is in our own hands and we have that extra game, which is a home game” Manager Ian Evatt said. “I think we are a tough team to beat here. But it is tight and we need results.
“Obviously, there is pressure and in an ideal world – with everyone fit and available – I think we would all be pretty confident that we would get the job done. We are not in that position, everyone keeps telling me that Bolton Wanderers never do things easily.
“I always say that pressure is a privilege, and I’d much rather be in this position trying to fight for promotion than I would in the scenario facing Oxford, Burton, Accrington and the other teams. They have pressure too – but arguably it is worse than pressure for promotion.
“It is about focusing on ourselves and what looks like a good performance for us. As always, the first goal is important, and if we get it we can make things extremely difficult for the opposition.”
TICKETS
Tickets are available now from
- oufctickets.co.uk
- By calling 01865 337533
- In person from the Kassam Stadium Ticket Office on matchday
CPR TRAINING
We are pleased to welcome the South Central Ambulance Charity to the game who will be providing CPR training to the Yellow Army ahead of kick-off.
Positioned outside the South Stand from 12pm, supporters of all ages are invited to visit the South Central Ambulance Charity who are looking forward to delivering CPR training to prepare supporters with the skills needed if someone has a cardiac arrest.
The charity will also be accompanied by their education ambulance and a DRV response vehicle for supporters to explore and 999 Ted, their big fluffy mascot, for our young U’s to have pictures with. There will also be an option to donate to support their critical services in Oxfordshire and beyond.
PARKING AND ACCESS
The gate behind the Planet IT North Stand will be in place so pedestrians cannot move from one end of the ground to the other behind that stand
The Football Special bus services, including the Didcot/Abingdon service, offer easy and affordable transport to home games and from now until the end of the season they are part of the government's £2 for a ticket scheme. Click HERE for timetables and details.
You can download a full guide to bringing your family to the Kassam Stadium here: FamilyDayGuide for download.pdf
FIFTY/50
Our Polythene UK Fifty/50 tickets are available all around the ground and offer a great chance to win cash at half time.
COVERAGE
The game is available to hear in the UK and see worldwide in iFollow
You can also follow the whole game on Twitter through @OUFCOfficial or on our Instagram page and we will have a full match report and Gallery right here on the final whistle.