Oxford United are looking to return to playing Conference football again after a lengthy lay-off that has seen them play just one league game, a 1-1 draw at Salisbury City on 28 December, in the past five weeks. Although the massive pitch-clearing exercise at the start of the week failed to get the FA Trophy game against Woking to go ahead, it did mean that, coupled with the rising temperatures at the end of this week, tomorrow's game against Tamworth will almost certainly take place.

It remains to be seen what effect the lay-off has had on the side, which had won its last five Conference games prior to the draw at Salisbury, but the signs are good that it has been mainly beneficial. As well as helping injured players such as Jamie Cook and Damian Batt to completely recuperate, the break has also given a chance for the three new players, Lee Fowler, Jake Wright, and Anthony Tonkin, to train with and get to know their new colleagues. On the down side, the squad could be short of match fitness, although Chris Wilder will doubtless have done his best to ensure that the players' stamina levels won't have dropped.

With the arrival of the three new players there are some interesting decisions for Wilder to make with his team selection. If Batt has completely recovered then he is likely to return at right-back at the expense of Adam Chapman, while we would be surprised if Tonkin didn't replace Kevin Sandwith at left-back. Wright could well displace Luke Foster at centre-back after it was revealed that Foster is free to leave if he can find another club. Fowler is likely to be on the bench for his first United game, but with Adam Murray available for selection after serving his one-game ban at Salisbury, and Simon Clist and Dannie Bulman also vying for the three midfield places, Fowler will have to bide his time before he gets a starting place. Up front James Constable will almost certainly start, with the wide positions to be decided among Jamie Cook, Alfie Potter, Franny and Matt Green, and Sam Deering. This means that, with players like Rhys Day and Jack Midson not even having been mentioned yet, Wilder will have the luxury of a very strong bench if necessary.

Tamworth are currently 15th with two away wins, having played two games more than Oxford. They have not scored a league goal in six Conference games since beating Ebbsfleet United 1-0 on 21 November, although they did win 2-0 at Mansfield in the FA Trophy first round on 12 December. The Lambs were last in the Conference in United's first season at this level, when Oxford did the double over them. [@opponent]tamworth[/@opponent][@connection]tamworth[/@connection]