Oxford United renew a local rivalry when they make the short trip to Reading on Tuesday evening (8pm)
The first Thames Valley Derby for over 20 years will see close to 3,000 fans backing the U’s and Head Coach Des Buckingham knows exactly what the game means to those travelling supporters:
“I understand that it’s not the same as the Swindon Derby but after that it’s right up there,” he said. “When we were in League 2 they got that push all the way through to the Premier League at one stage, so the game hasn’t happened for a while and I know what that means to the fans.
“It’s exciting, and we will take just under 3,000 people there so there will be a good atmosphere and it is up to us to put on a good performance and make sure those fans make the short trip home again with smiles on their faces.
“The players know what it means to play in a derby, and the ones who have grown up around here are certainly aware of the rivalry. We’ll be without Stephan Negru for five to six weeks with a hamstring strain and that adds another one to the list of injuries, but we have good cover in that position and players ready to step in.
“We want a reaction after Peterborough, and the way we have come in today and gone about our business is exactly what you would hope it would be.
“We know the performance on Saturday was nowhere near the levels we want to be at, but we have a very honest group of players and we had a good conversation after the game and put a few things straight. The reaction this morning and in the training session I took was excellent, so now we take that forward and have the game itself to look forward to.”
See the full interview and see the whole game LIVE, all in iFollow.