Should Oxford somehow manage to beat Halifax tomorrow, they will have a home game against Redditch United in the third round of the FA Trophy. United and Halifax drew their second round tie 2-2 at Grenoble Road on Saturday, and they replay tomorrow evening at the Shay.[@news]2045[/@news] In the second round, Redditch surprised Conference leaders Dagenham & Redbridge, beating them 3-2. The game takes place on 3 February, meaning that the home game against Cambridge United will have to be rescheduled should Oxford get through.

Oxford have never met Redditch in a competitive game before, but they did meet in a pre-season friendly on a scorching day in Redditch in July 1997, when Oxford ran out 5-1 winners, with four goals from the late Martin Aldridge [@player]Aldridge, Martin[/@player]and one from Simon Weatherstone[@player]Weatherstone, Simon[/@player], currently wondering about his future down at Weymouth.

Meanwhile, United hope to unveil their new signing, Kristap Grebis, tonight, when the reserves play Northampton at Didcot's Loop Meadow. Grebis hails from Latvia, where he was playing for Lieppjas Metalurgs until their season finished in November last year. The striker has been capped four times by Latvia, and he came to Oxford following trials at Leeds and Oldham, both of whom wanted a bit longer to consider their options, while Grebis (and his agent) wanted a quicker decision. His arrival is a boost to United, who have struggled to convert their chances into goals recently, and Grebis's English is said to be okay, although he may have trouble deciphering some of his teammates, whose English may not be as good as his.