Sam's still a U

It appears that we were a bit premature with our news yesterday that Sam Stockley had joined Colchester permanently, as he today returned to Oxford after the two clubs were unable to agree terms, much to Colchester's chagrin. It would seem that the two clubs were all set to sign the forms but at the last minute Firoz Kassam insisted on a sell-on clause, which Colchester refused to countenance. Negotiations broke down and Stockers returned to the fold, or at least the reserves' fold.

Ian Atkins will no doubt be as displeased at this news as Steve Whitton as it will disrupt his plans to bring in Adi Viveash permanently. One piece of good news for Atkins is that he was able to extend Gavin Gordon's loan for an extra month and Gordon goes straight into the squad that has gone to Carlisle. He has also been cleared to play against Villa if necessary, as Cardiff are already out of the League Cup.

Carlisle preview

Gordon's addition to the squad for Brunton Park is very timely, as there are still doubts about Andy Scott's fitness after he threw up at half-time at Macclesfield. Manny Omoyinmi is back in the squad, but Steve Basham will be on the bench, at best. In midfield there will be no David Oldfield after he pulled a hamstring on Tuesday so it's possible that Roy Hunter could make his first start, with Bobby Ford still missing. The defence is likely to remain the same, despite unconfirmed reports that the so-called “dressing room bust-up” on Tuesday involved Andy Woodman punching Mike Ford square in the face after the coach criticised the goalie.

Carlisle are bottom of the league, and with United having a good away record there is little likelihood of Oxford winning. Therefore our totally inaccurate prediction is a 2-0 win to the Scots.