Oxford United will attempt to make the most of all the pressure being on opponents Tranmere Rovers today as they look for a first win in four games.

The U’s have stuttered to three successive draws since effectively securing their safety from relegation with a 3-2 win at Wycombe Wanderers on Good Friday.

Security is a position Tranmere, bottom of Sky Bet League Two after nine defeats in their last 12 games, would envy.

With their 94-year Football League status in jeopardy, the stakes are sky high for Micky Adams’s men.

It is a situation striker Patrick Hoban is seeking to exploit.

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He said: “There’s a lot of pressure on them and none on us, so I’ll be expecting us to get a win there.

“It’s going to be tough for them, with three games to go time is not on their side.

“We just have to do our job, which is win a football match.

“Their backs are going to be against the wall and they will come out fighting.

“Nothing is going to be easy, it’s going to be a battle, they’re playing a cup final.”

Hoban returned to training on Thursday after a dead leg kept him out of Tuesday night’s 1-1 draw at home to Northampton Town.

The Irishman should be fit enough to return and knows United have to improve from the midweek display, when they needed a 91st-minute equaliser from Alex MacDonald to earn a point.

Hoban said: “We didn’t play particularly well in the last game, so we want to rectify that.

“We are definitely not going to go there and have our holiday shorts on.”

Boss Michael Appleton plans to make a late call on George Baldock’s fitness A thigh problem kept the right back, on loan from MK Dons, out of the Northampton game and if he is not right, Sam Long will again deputise.

Winger MacDonald is also in contention for a start.

Tranmere are without defender Marcus Holness, while left back Rob Taylor is a doubt after being forced off with a hamstring problem in the 1-0 midweek defeat at Mansfield Town.

Tranmere Rov: from Fon Williams, Holmes, Ihiekwe, Donacien, Ridehalgh, Myrie-Williams, Power, Jennings, Green, Odejayi, Hume, Koumas, Stockton, Donnelly, Laird, Taylor, Molyneux, Thompson, Hill, Brezovan.

Oxford Utd: from Ashdown, Long, Mullins, Wright, Skarz, Roofe, Collins, Ruffels, O’Dowda, Hylton, Hoban, Vassell, Roberts, MacDonald, Rose, Whing, Ashby, Baldock, Dunkley, Clarke.