Michael looks ahead to Bradford and Port Vale
Ahead of the busy Easter Weekend Yellow Player HD caught up with Head Coach Michael Appleton for his thoughts ahead of Friday’s game against Bradford City. The U’s boss is looking forward to a great atmosphere as we travel to the Bantams.
“I think the atmosphere will be great, with it being Good Friday I imagine there will be a lot of people at the game. It’s a great opportunity to go somewhere where the opposition haven’t lost for about 14 months at home so there’s a little bit of extra motivation there for the players and obviously we’re going to make them aware of that” he said. “The approach is no different to any away game other than that we are playing a top side.”
The U’s have a good record against teams in the play-off places, and Appleton hopes that the players can use that to their advantage.
“I hope that continues this weekend. The style that Bradford play will certainly suit us but they have got a different dimension to the times that we have played them earlier in the season. Adding the boy Charlie Wyke up top certainly has given them an opportunity to play more direct if they feel they need to – it’s not something they do all the time, but it gives them a good option.”
Oxford United have freshened the side in recent weeks with a mixture of youth and experience and Appleton looks set to continue that over the remainder of the season.
“Absolutely, over the next four games. It’s an important time for the squad as a whole to get an opportunity to show where they’re at for next year, whether they’re going to be valuable as squad players or not and possibly even in the starting eleven.”
And Appleton is refusing to let the play-off hopes fizzle out, as he admits anything can happen if the U’s can claim maximum points this weekend.
“You always try to find the positive in everything, perhaps it’s me living in my little dream world. If I’m a player in our dressing room right now I’m thinking: in two games time with two wins where does that sit with us? We’ve then got to go and play Millwall knowing that they’ve got to go to Bristol Rovers on the final game of the season.
“Now I may be getting a little bit ahead of myself but that’s how I think. I’m trying to think of the positive and for me we can still get twelve points and it still might be enough just because of who plays who and when.”
See the whole interview plus the thoughts of Joe Skarz and Ryan Ledson in Yellow Player HD