Josh Ruffels is confident Oxford United will put up a fight against Charlton Athletic tonight as they look to extend their prolonged FA Cup run.

Although the U’s have only won two games, they have done it the hard way.

Their first-round tie involved two trips to Gateshead for a replay, while the weather intervened again to force two postponements at The Valley.

Ruffels has featured in all United’s games in the competition and believes the difficult run has had a positive impact.

He said: “I think it’s built our team spirit and we’ve fought a lot in this cup.

“We’ve done well, and if we beat a Championship side, it would be good for our morale and boost our confidence for the league.

“It feels like we’ve been in the FA Cup for a while and we don’t want to let it go.

“We’ll put up a good fight.”

Ruffels, 20, played well against Charlton last week and is pushing for another start tonight.

The midfielder, from Kidlington, is relishing a second chance to test himself against Championship players.

He said: “I don’t really see there’s much difference. I just play my own game and I’m confident enough in my own ability that I can face them.”

OXFORD United Women’s captain Sahara Osborne-Ricketts has signed a one-year contract ahead of their debut season in the FA Women’s Super League.