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James Clarke is available to play at Halifax after serving his one-match ban

Oxford United's players are being warned that today's game at Halifax will be much, much harder than their last outing at Stafford.

Boss Darren Patterson is expected to name either an unchanged line-up, or close to it, following last week's 1-0 victory at Marston Road where everything apart from the finishing was good.

The U's should have scored more goals, but it was nevertheless a welcome win.

But Stafford are part-timers and languishing second from bottom in the Blue Square Premier, and full-time outfit Halifax represent a very different kettle of fish, even though they too are now fighting a relegation battle - they are about to have ten points deducted for entering administration.

Patterson said: "It's going to be a much tougher ask against Halifax than it was against Stafford.

"They've got a lad in Jon Shaw, who's got 22 goals this season, and that's something any team would like.

"Our leading scorers have something like eight and five goals - and the one with five only joined us in January.

"It would be great if we could get another win going into the game against Stevenage on Monday, it would set us up nicely for that."

Patterson is just hoping that cutting edge returns.

"We were pleased with the result and 90 per cent of the performance at Stafford," he said.

"The other side, the clinical side, we've yet to add to our game and have to do much more consistently. I want us to be much more clinical in front of goal.

"But you also have to appreciate that three of the last four goalkeepers we've come up against have come away with man-of-the- match!""

James Clarke returns from suspension and might challenge Matt Day for the right back shirt.

Day's three other transfer-listed teammates, Yemi Odubade, Eddie Hutchinson and Carl Pettefer, are all included in a large 20-man travelling party.

And United's manager says the door is closed to no-one, whether they are part of his long-term plans or not.

"Everybody has an opportunity here, whether they are on the list or not," he insisted.

"If the players respond in training, get an opportunity and do well in the team, then that's great."

Halifax Tn: (from) Legzdins, Davies, Clarke, Wright, Doughty, Forrest, Griffith, Kearney, Heslop, Killeen, Shaw, Campbell, Gaia, Whitehouse, Mawson, Gray.

Oxford Utd: (from) Turley, Day, Quinn, Foster, Howard, Anaclet, Hand, Murray, Trainer, Richards, Green, McAllister, Blackwood, Clarke, Rose, Fisher, Benjamin, Odubade, Hutchinson, Pettefer.

8:00am Saturday 22nd March 2008

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