United’s next opponents are Darlington, who visit the KasStad tomorrow without a manager following the dismissal of former Oxford striker Mick Tait, who has agreed to take charge of the Quakers’ Youth Development scheme. David Hodgson takes over the manager’s seat on Monday, so tomorrow’s side will be selected by former Us midfielder, Ugly Bloke (aka Martin Gray), who will be Hodgson’s second in command.

Oxford will probably be unchanged from the side which started against Bristol Rovers last Saturday, although they’ll be hoping for a better return than just one point after Rovers’ goalie Kevin Miller denied United with a couple of excellent saves. Mark Rawle staked his claim for a return to the first team with two very well taken goals for the Reserves on Wednesday, but he is likely to be on the bench.

With an imminent new boss the Darlo players will obviously be playing to impress and will be keen to do well against third-placed United. However, if Martin Gray’s managerial skill is as good as his midfield play then the best the Quakers can hope for is a lot of sideways movement with no end product. Expect a 2-0 win for United (gosh, that can’t be right).