Football really is a funny old game.

Up till a month ago, Oxford United couldn’t imagine where their next draw would come from, and had gone forever and a day since keeping a clean sheet.

But now they have managed successive shut-outs on their travels, and drawn three of their last five!

The unpredictability of football is what makes it so attractive, of course.

For that reason, no-one in the United camp will be fooled into thinking that tomorrow’s game at Morecambe will be anything but another tough old scrap.

Yes, Oxford did beat the Shrimps 4-0 at the Kassam Stadium on Sep-tember 4, but that was one of Sammy McIlroy’s team’s poorest performances of the season, and they have since gone on to beat some of the division’s best.

Chris Wilder said: “We’re going to a team that got into the play-off semi-finals last year, who have a lot of good footballers with a lot of league experience.

“They’ve got players who have played at a real decent level, and a manager who’s managed internationally, and Mark Lillis, who I know well.

“They got a useful point at Northampton on Tuesday and they’ll want to back that up.”

Wilder watched Morecambe’s 1-1 draw with Aldershot ten days ago.

He said: “They were very unfortunate not to beat Aldershot, and are a team that goes for it, so I imagine it will be a very open game.”

Winger Simon Hackney, who made his first start for the U’s on Tuesday, played eight times for Morecambe last season, scoring once, along with Phil Jevons, when they beat Rotherham 2-0.

His month-long loan was extended to May 8 with the option of the play-off games if needed. But there was also a 24-hour recall clause in the deal, and Aidy Boothroyd recalled him to Colchester on April 15.

Hackney says he loved his time at Morecambe.

“Sammy McIlroy gave me the opportunity to go out and play football again.

“I’ve got no bad words to say about Sammy, I know he was a winger, he worked with me while I was there, and gave me a very great opportunity to play my football again, and I’m grateful for that chance.

“It will be nice to see those lads again. The lads were ridiculously close, which was nice to be around because they made me feel very welcome, as they did here at Oxford.

“From our point of view, though, it’s about three points every week, we’ve got to just dig in hard.”

Refreshingly in many ways, Hack-ney is a footballer who switches off from the game away from his job. He just loves to play it.

“I don’t really follow football,” he said. “So I couldn’t really tell you where Morecambe are now, or where any other team is.

“I love playing, so it’s just a case of enjoying it, and getting on with my life.”

The weather may play its part in tomorrow’s game. Forecasts suggest snow is possible in the region.