Jake Wright has warned Oxford United to expect Chris Wilder to have a special game plan waiting for his former side when they visit Northampton Town this afternoon.

The two teams go into the game in different form, with United’s 14-game unbeaten run in contrast to the Cobblers, who have picked up one point from their past four games.

Most of the visitors’ line-up have come into the club since Wilder left for Sixfields in January 2014, diluting any added intensity which was present in the three previous meetings.

But Wright knows exactly what his former gaffer will have been doing since the 2-1 home defeat against Dagenham & Redbridge a week ago to give Northampton the best chance to win the game.

The centre back, who was made United skipper by Wilder, said: “As soon as he lost that game on Saturday I know for a fact he would have been on about this game.

“He probably wouldn’t have said much about the Dagenham game, he would have been saying ‘we need to win this game’.

“He was here a long time and it maybe isn’t a bigger game for us, but for him with the way it finished he will definitely want to win, especially with the way it’s been going.

“He will be going through our team and he knows it well.

“He will have something up his sleeve to try and win the game. There’s a little added incentive for him, but for us it’s just a normal game.”

United go into the game fourth and looking for a third successive victory.

If they could claim maximum points it would match the start they had two season ago, with 15 points from the first seven games.

The side went on to stay in the promotion picture for most of the campaign, before falling apart spectacularly after Wilder left.

When comparing the two, Wright is in no doubt the existing group are far better placed to sustain a challenge.

He said: “The start (in 2013) wasn’t as good as this one.

“We won a few games but I think we look so much more professional and solid then we’ve ever done before.

Wright said: “I don’t think we’ve been playing particularly well in every game, but we have a good shape and team spirit which has put us in good stead.”