Oxford United continue their quest for elimination from all three cup competitions in the space of a fortnight when they travel to Aldershot tomorrow for the fourth round of the Setanta Shield. Despite the competition rules insisting that competing clubs field a strong side, United are likely to have something of an experimental line up, caused by injuries to various players. Of most interest will be the attack, as United look to halt a sequence that has seen them fail to score in their last five games. Confidence in the United camp is almost certainly at a low ebb, following Tuesday's FA Trophy first round replay defeat at Tonbridge Angels, and a visit to the Conference table toppers is unlikely to give the Us any pre-Christmas cheer.[@opponent]aldershot[/@opponent][@connection]aldershot[/@connection] The Shots have already beaten United once this season, in the 3-2 win at Grenoble Road.

Patto has continuing problems in midfield, with Joel Ledgister missing the Tonbridge replay, although Phil Trainer is back from his suspension, and Danny Rose should be fit to play. Goalkeeper Billy Turley, who missed Tuesday's game due to suspension, is also an injury doubt, and Sam Warrell could make his second start for United tomorrow. Defender Alex Jeannin is another doubt, and Ben Weedon could deputise, while striker Matt Taylor, who has been scoring for fun for the under-18s, is in the squad for the first time, and Declan Benjamin may also travel. Alex Fisher may get a chance to make his first start for United, as Patto looks for a way to end the side's goalscoring drought.

This is the first season for this new competition, and comes at a most unwelcome time. The last Saturday before Christmas is traditionally a more poorly attended match, and with most supporters viewing this tournament as an unwelcome distraction from the league, this is likely to be a bit of a damp squib in crowd numbers. A decent performance from United is kind of important in terms of a confidence boost, but to be honest, this is a competition that the club would be well out of. This is where we tend to make our prediction, but to be honest, we couldn't really give a toss about this one.