MOST of the players in Oxford United’s squad will be new to the home fans at the Riverside tomorrow, but one name is certain to stand out.

‘Having an Eastwood’ is Teesside shorthand for a goalkeeper playing out of his skin.

It stems from a pair of meetings between Middlesbrough and Blackburn Rovers two seasons ago, when Simon Eastwood made a big impression in a 1-1 draw in the north east and a goalless stalemate at Ewood Park.

“I did all right,” the 27-year-old said with a grin.

“Our goalkeeper was Jason Steele, who was on loan from Middlesbrough so couldn’t play against them.

“I had one of my better games during my time at Blackburn when we played at Middlesbrough.

“It was one of those games where everything was coming off for me.

“It would be nice if it could happen again on Saturday.”

The goalkeeper has been a stand-out player for the U’s this season, but he has saved some of his best displays for the Emirates FA Cup.

Michael Appleton’s side excelled to thrash Newcastle United 3-0 in the previous round, but there was no doubt the man of the match was in goal.

After denying Aleksandar Mitrovic twice before the break with the game goalless, Eastwood then kept out the striker’s penalty after the break to pave the way for an upset.

But none of it would have been possible without the No 1’s display in the second round at Macclesfield Town.

United struggled badly in the televised tie and could easily have tumbled out, but Eastwood came up with a crucial stop to keep out a Paul Lewis shot in the 75th minute.

Appleton’s men ground out a goalless draw and have not looked back after winning 3-0 in the replay.

Eastwood is happiest when out of the spotlight, but knows if United are to have a chance of upsetting Middlesbrough he will almost certainly have to star again.

He said: “I think I’m going to have to have a good game if we’re going to have a chance, that’s being realistic.

“It’s a good game for us because we have momentum and we’ve literally got nothing to lose.

“It’s good for the fans that we’re playing a Premier League club.

“We’ve had a good run so far in the FA Cup and we can enjoy the game and see what happens.

“As a goalkeeper it’s nice to get the praise, but sometimes if there’s four or five weeks where no-one says a word about you then you’re doing your job.”