Ian Atkins is hoping the war of words between Torquay boss Leroy Rosenior and Lincoln manager Keith Alexander will inspire the Gulls to pull off a crucial victory.

Ian AtkinsThe two teams meet at Sincil Bank on Saturday with nothing but a Torquay win good enough for Atkins's Oxford United - who in turn must beat York at the Kassam Stadium to reach the play-offs.

But Atkins says he has every confidence that Rosenior's side have what it takes to pull off an unlikely win.

"Lincoln's pitch is awful, as bad as I have ever seen, but don't you worry, Torquay will go there and give it everything, I have no doubt of that," Atkins said.

"The thing with Lincoln, is that although they don't concede many goals, they don't score many either, whereas I believe Torquay have only failed to score three times away from home all season.

"I thought the two managers got on, but it appears they don't at all, so it could make it very interesting."

Lincoln have by far the best defensive record in the third division, but Torquay have scored 70 goals this season, as opposed to Lincoln's 45.

At home, Alexander's side have only scored 28 times, with Torquay finding the net 29 times on their travels.

But if Oxford fans were thinking the Gulls would not worry about their final game of the season, they could not be further from the truth.

The two managers exchanged heated views after their 0-0 draw in September, and both are fired up for the return match on Saturday.

"The way Lincoln play is closer to rugby than football," Rosenior said after the final whistle.

"It really disappoints me when only one team tries to play football, but that's how they get their results."

With just 48 hours before D-Day, Rosenior has reassured Oxford fans that his side will be giving their all.

"I have heard a few things about Oxford's concerns of our attitude on Saturday, but that is just too ridiculous for words," he said.

"I was very disappointed with our performance against Carlisle last week, and nobody wants to leave the season we've had with a sour taste in their mouths."

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