United get set for last away game of the season
Oxford United go into the Lions’ Den on Saturday as they end their away fixtures with a trip to play-off chasing Millwall. The Den will be roaring as Neil Harris’s side try and cement their play-off place but United’s Head Coach Michael Appleton sees it as a fantastic opportunity for his side to stand up and be counted:
“I think the players experienced that a bit in the JPT last year” he told Yellow Player HD “but we got the right result by being positive. The first thing you have to do when you got to the Den is match them physically. They are going to be massively up for it because they are chasing the play-offs but we will be up for the challenge as well. We know what we have to face but the players are looking forward to it as a chance to express themselves in the right manner.
“They will need a little bit of character but there is also an opportunity for me to see a slightly different side to one or two players.
“We have been found wanting against one or two of the more physical sides in the league at times and we have to put that right. The more games we have in environments like Saturday, the more good it will do us with next season in mind.”
United will be without West Ham loanee Toni Martinez, but there was a smile when Michael was asked whether that’s the last we see of the young Spaniard in an Oxford United shirt:
“Toni won’t be involved on Saturday, he is still struggling with a knee injury and is getting treated at West Ham so it looks as though we have seen the last of him. For now…”
See the full interview plus the thoughts of Joe Rothwell, all in Yellow Player HD