Oxford City manager Mike Ford says his Blue Square Bet North side are taking their marathon fixture list in their stride, thanks to their strenuous pre-season training schedule.

Tonight City play their fifth league match in 11 days when they host fourth-placed FC Halifax at Marsh Lane, following Saturday’s goalless draw against play-off contenders Harrogate Town, but Ford is impressed by his side’s resilience.

“Our pitch is not in a great state, but the teams just got on with it and served up a full-blooded battle,” said Ford.

“After the game the players didn’t show any signs of fatigue and still had plenty of gas in the tank.

“We have played some really tough games against some play-off contenders and managed to compete in all of them.

“I wrote a piece in our programme about how much work we did in pre-season and we are being rewarded for it.

“My physio, Chris Adams, has worked really hard with the lads.”

Striker Jamie Cook comes straight back into the side, while Andy Ballard faces a late fitness test on an ankle injury as City look to make it five games unbeaten.

Oxford City: from Townsend, Benjamin, Stonehouse, Malone, Learoyd, Willmott, Pond, McNish, Ballard, Basham, Cook, Stanley, Barcelos, Joyce, Bell, Joyce, Gunn.