Steve Maclean plays the final game of his loan spell at Oxford United against Bradford today – but the U’s are very hopeful that it will not be his last appearance for them.

United have agreed a deal with Plymouth for Maclean to continue on loan until the end of the season, and it’s now down to the striker.

“We’ve done as much as we can,” said manager Chris Wilder.

“It’s between Steve and Plymouth now, but we’re very confident that we’ll have him until the end of the season.

“Things have been ongoing and Steve’s expressed an interest to come to us.

“He has got a decent contract at Plymouth that he needs to sort himself out with.

“It just shows that the loan deal that we’ve done is a good one for us and a sensible one.

“The chairman struck up a great deal in getting Steve for the initial period he is with us.

“Hopefully we can see that out, and in the meantime, until the end of the season.

“While Steve’s with us, we can look to do something permanent.”

Wilder must decide whether to stick by the front three he started with at Aldershot last Saturday, or whether to bring back James Constable, who was lively when he came off the bench in the second half, for today’s home game.

Alfie Potter is still sidelined with his shoulder injury.

Oxford have won five of their last six games, and lie two places above Bradford in npower League Two.

“I think it’s a game we can really go and enjoy, supporters and players alike, because Bradford are a big club in this league,” said Wilder, himself a former Bantams player.

“Sometimes people are a bit loose in saying we can get in the play-offs and taking it for granted “Bradford are a big club in this league and have been trying for three or four years to get out of this league and have not managed even to get near the play-offs, so that shows the strength of the league.”

United’s new midfielder Paul McLaren is also a former Bradford player, and he admits he didn’t have the best of times at Valley Parade after being signed by Stuart McCall in the summer of 2008.

“Without sounding big-headed, I know I’m a lot better player than I showed at Bradford,” he said. “There were a few who didn’t do as well as we should.” He played 37 tim-es for them and scored three goals.

Bradford boss Peter Taylor may have Jake Speight available again after he came through a midweek reserve game, as his team attempt to bounce back from last week’s shock 3-1 defeat at home to managerless Barnet.

Oxford Utd: (from) Clarke, Batt, Worley, Wright, Tonkin, Hall, McLaren, Clist, Maclean, Constable, Craddock, Midson, Heslop, Purkiss, Payne, Green, Sangare, Kinniburgh, Deering, Eastwood, Gaughan.

Bradford City: (from) Pidgeley, O’Brien, Oliver, Duff, Eckersley, Daley, Adeyemi, Bullock, Syers, Evans, Harison, Kiernan, Cullen, McLaughlin, Threlfall, Doherty, Osborne, Chilaka, Speight, Hunt.

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