Oxford City manager Mike Ford could ring the changes for the clash with Altrincham in Skrill North at Marsh Lane tonight (7.45), writes MATTHEW BRUCE.
City must play twice a week throughout the next month, and Ford said he hopes to keep his players fresh by rotating his squad.
Striker Steve Basham, who scored in Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Barrow, could drop to the bench, while defender Daniel Akubuine may make his debut after signing from Nuneaton Town last week.
Ford said: “We worked very hard on Saturday at Barrow and I might have to give a few of those players a rest if I want them to be fresh for Saturday.
“We had Mike Symons, Lee Henderson and Jamie Cook on the bench on Saturday, so I have a very strong bench to call on.
“I’ve got to be very careful with Bash and I might have to give him a rest, because he’s spent a lot of time on the sidelines and I want him fit for the rest of the season.
“Daniel’s the right age for me to be able to mould into the kind of full-back that I want and I think he can be a good prospect.
“But I have to be careful about making too many changes, because I don’t want to upset the balance of the team.”
Captain Darren Pond’s fitness will be assessed ahead of the game, having been substituted at half-time on Saturday after taking a knee to the back.
In Calor League Division 1 South & West, North Leigh boss Mark Gee is eyeing a return to winning ways at home to struggling Fleet Town after seeing his side concede a sickening injury-time equaliser to Bridgwater Town in a 1-1 draw on Saturday.
“It always feels like a defeat when you concede that late, and it’s the fourth time that’s happened to us this season, so you can’t help but think about points dropped,” said Gee.
“We’ve had a tough, tiring game at the weekend, so there may be a few changes to the starting XI.”
With the exception of midfielder James Dobson, who is at a funeral, Gee will have a full complement of players to choose from.
TONIGHT’S SQUADS
Oxford City (v Altrincham, home): from Scott, Ballard, Stonehouse, Pook, Learoyd, Willmott, Benjamin, McNish, Symons, Pond, Winters, Basham, Cook, Bell, Henderson, West, Jackson, Akubuine, McEachran.
North Leigh (v Fleet Town, home): from McHugh, Hole, Hopkins, Osborne-Ricketts, Gunn, Westlake, Else, Bowles, McDonagh, Woodley, Williams, Turk, Organ, Caton, Walcott, Clark.
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