The rivalry between Oxford United and Rushden & Diamonds is one of the fiercest in the Conference – and Saturday's game will be no different.

It stems from the fact that the two clubs used to lock horns in the Football League, at a time when the U's had lost many of their other traditional local derbies, and from the fact that so many characters from one club used to be at the other.

And Rushden it was who dropped out of the Football League along with Oxford in that dismal 2005-6 season.

The U's have Billy Turley, Barry Quinn and Alan Hodgkinson, who all used to be at Nene Park, while Diamonds have three well-known former U's players in Andy Burgess , Rob Wolleaston and Michael Corcoran, plus a striker that Darren Patterson tried to get in the summer – Daryl Clare.

Clare wouldn't come for personal reasons, because of the amount of travelling it would have been to Oxford from the east of the country.

Burgess, who used to be at Rushden before Brian Talbot brought him to Oxford, made his 302nd appearance for Diamonds in their televised 1-1 draw at home to Altrincham on Monday, passing Paul Underwood to become second in terms of appearances for Rushden behind Gary Butt- erworth.

Corcoran started in defence but pushed up into midfield in the second half as the home side shuffled players around in a bid to get back level after Altrincham had taken a shock lead.

Michael Rankine and Marcus Kelly replaced Clare and Burgess and it was from Kelly's corner, and then a header from Corcoran, that Leon Knight stabbed in a 77th-minute equaliser.

Rushden lost the chance to move up to third by not winning, but they are still having a good season, as expected after spending a lot of money during the close season.

They have an experienced side, captained by midfielder Curtis Woodhouse, who has announced he is packing in football at the end of this season to concentrate once again on his other passion – being a professional boxer.

Rushden have been playing better on their travels than at home this season, having won 3-0 at Wrexham last week, following on from a 4-0 triumph at Lewes, where Oxford of course came unstuck last Saturday. Diamonds also won 1-0 at Eastbourne Borough on the opening day.

The U's need to bounce back from that Lewes defeat, and get back to the performance level they displayed in beating Cambridge 3-1.

But these next two games are tough fixtures, with a trip to Torquay next Thursday a similarly stern test.

Anything other than a win tomorrow, and the U's, currently 20th, could drop into the relegation zone in the Conference for the first time.

Woking, just below them, have a difficult fixture at Mansfield tomorrow, but Grays will fancy their chances of three points – which would lift them above Oxford – because they are at home to Lewes.

The U's have found Rushden tricky opponents in recent years.

In that year both clubs dropped down from League Two – that was a second successive relegation for Rushden – Oxford drew 2-2 at home but lost 3-0 away.

Then two seasons ago in the Conference, Diamonds did the double over the U's, winning 1-0 in both matches.

And last season, Rushden effectively ended Jim Smith's management reign with that nightmare 5-0 victory on November 1.

However, Oxford did at last put one over their Northamptonshire rivals by beating them 1-0 in their final home game of the campaign, on April 22, thanks to Yemi Odubade's 85th-minute clincher.