Centre back Chris Willmott says it’s up to Oxford United’s players to impose their own game on Histon today – to keep their season alive, writes JON MURRAY.

Third-placed Histon’s direct style upsets many teams – as it did when Oxford crashed 5-2 at the Glass World Stadium earlier in the season – but Willmott believes it’s a different story if the U’s get the ball down and stretch opponents on the wide Kassam Stadium pitch.

“We had an off day when we played them last time,” Willmott said.

“We’ll be expecting them to be quite direct, they’re a big physical side and we’ll obviously have to cope with that, and on our nice pitch at home, and in front of our great fans, we’ll try and impose our game on them.”

United’s supporters can again play an important part in lifting Chris Wilder’s team, just as they did at Stevenage seven days ago when, despite being reduced to ten men early on, they hit back from a goal down to stretch their impressive record to just one defeat in 16 games.

Wilder said: “Hopefully our fans can make it horrible for them, but create a positive atmosphere here for our players.

“There’ll be a few passes going astray, that happens, but they need to be encouraged.”

United know nothing less than a victory will do if they want to stay in the race for the play-offs, and if they can manage that, they will then have more than a passing interest at Aggborough, where fifth-placed Kidderminster take on sixth-placed Stevenage.

Willmott said: “The way the results of the other teams have gone, I think we have to win this one. No-one else seems to be slipping at the moment.

Wilder added: “We’re just glad to be involved after not thinking that would have been possible three months ago.”

Craig Farrell returns to United’s starting XI, while Histon boss Steve Fallon is expected to name an unchanged team after their 3-0 win over Mansfield, with Danny Wright, who has been troubled by a hamstring injury, again on the bench.

Today's squads Oxford Utd: (from) Turley, Chapman, Willmott, Foster, Carruthers, Haldane, Murray, Clist, Nelthorpe, Farrell, Constable, Sandwith, Hinchliffe, Odubade, Killock, Day, Burnell. Histon: (probable) Naisbitt, Oyebanjo, Langston, Ada, Gwillim, Barker, Mitchell-King, Simpson, Knight-Percival, Murray, Midson. Subs: Roache, Andrews, Wright, Pope, Bygrave.