The U's visit Burton Albion tonight for the first leg of the Play-off Semi-finals, having secured second place with last weekend's 2-0 win at Northwich Victoria.
The match, will be shown live on Setanta TV, kicks off at 7.45pm and is all-ticket for U's fans. A limited number of away tickets are still available until 2pm, when the Ticket Office will close.
We're rated as outsiders to take a first leg lead tonight and there are a whole host of match odds and specials on offer, including First Goalscorer and Scorecast. Click here for all the match odds.
Team News
Jimmy Quinn rested seven players last week, and with other players returning from loan he has a full squad to choose from for these play-off matches.
Crawley striker Magno Vieira scored the first two goals of his loan spell in the win at Northwich and he looks likely to keep his place, with the rested Mark Beesley favourite to partner him up front. Lee Boylan missed the game at Northwich because of the knee injury he suffered against Torquay but returned to training yesterday and could feature on the bench, while Lee McEvilly also looks set for the bench as he continues his comeback from a five-week ankle injury.
Hinting that Vieira's pace may be valuable at Burton, Quinn said, "I think you've got to take the game to people. We could go there with one up front and try to get a draw but the way my teams play is to have a go at them, then get numbers behind the ball when it breaks down.
"At this level particularly you have to have a go at teams. If you look at their last few games they've let something like ten goals in so that will prey on their minds. They let four in against Exeter, four in against Kidderminster, so there's an opportunity there for our lads. They don't like a bit of pace and know-how against them so I think we need to take the game to them."
Leo Fortune-West, Mark Convery, Gavin Hoyte and Stephen Smith have all returned from their respective loans at other clubs, giving Quinn the biggest squad he has had all season.
Warning that there will be changes to the team, he continued, "I can only pick eleven players and some people are going to be disappointed and think they deserve a place in the starting line-up, but it's a squad game and I have to pick the best team possible to get a result up there.
"It's a nice problem to have but Lee (Boylan) has a sore knee and only joined in training again on Wednesday, and Lee McEvilly has probably come back a couple of weeks earlier than expected and he's a bit lacking in fitness. He's had a game and a half and he's still a bit off the pace, but he's a good tool to have in your armoury, whether you start with him or bring him on.
"The home game may be a bit different and we may want to play another striker against them or change the midfield slightly," he added.
"Every one of them can be a hero. We've been out of the league for a few years and it's an opportunity to grasp the situation and show the composure to win the game. I know that last time we played there our fans never stopped shouting from start to finish and made it feel like we were the home team, and that really does give the team encouragement."
The Opposition
Burton Albion have achieved their highest ever league placing by finishing fifth in the Blue Square Premier this season but their recent form has dropped a little, with just four points from the last nine while United took nine from nine.
However Quinn warned, "You can't read too much into that because players do raise their levels and drop them depending on how they cope with pressure in these big games. The slate is wiped clean and it's all about what happens on the day.
"My job is to get these lads highly motivated to go out and give it everything they've got, which they've done all season for me. We just need to add a little bit here and there that will help us against their dangerous players, and try to nullify their strengths.
"They have some good players, particularly Daryl Clare up front who's a proven goalscorer at this level and Gilroy on the left wing puts great balls into the box, so there's two players straightaway that you need to stop playing. If you do that you go a long way towards getting something from the game.
"It's all very exciting and everyone is looking forward to it. We'll be well organised and it's a matter of doing what we've done many times this season and going away to Burton Albion to grind out a result, then get back here for the home leg.
"It would be fantastic if we can sneak a win at Burton, but we have to go up there and make sure we don't give too much away and try to get at least a draw. When the game ends tonight it's only half-time so we can't get carried away and we just have to make sure that everybody knows their jobs within the team, which we've been working on all week.
"We give them all the relevant information on their team to give ourselves the best possible chance, right down to the finer detail of which foot they use and where they make their runs, and whether there's any weaknesses in their team that we can exploit, and obviously we work on what we're going to do to them, which is the important bit.
"There's no doubt they will both be tight games and Burton have some very good players, but hopefully we've got the right type of youth and experience to get us through the tie. We've got players who have been there and done it before, and we'll be very well-prepared and trying to keep another clean sheet, like we have in the last three games.
"Nerves play a part in big matches and my job is to try to get through to the players that it's just another game. It's usually the team that shows the most composure and doesn't make as many mistakes as the other team that will go through and win it," said Quinn, adding that his psychologist friend will visit to 'have a chat' with the players on Friday morning as part of their preparation.
"Anything he can say to help will obviously help us," he said. "Hopefully he'll put little things in their minds that will help them go out and perform to their best."
More Information
The match at Burton is all-ticket for U's fans. Our Ticket Office closes at 2pm but secretary Wayne Purser will be manning a CUFC-specific window at Burton Albion's ticket office for collection of pre-paid tickets and any enquiries.
You can read Doug Shulman's 'The Other Side' preview here, directions and other details are here, and if you fancy a bet on our match or any other event this week please follow this link to visit our official betting partners bet365 - the only place where your online betting makes money for the U's.
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