Banbury United manager Paul Davis says his players have nothing to lose when they host Oxford City in the Oxfordshire Senior Cup quarter-final tonight.

Davis, a former City coach, admits he faces a tough task against his old side, whose general manager Justin Merritt is also his boss.

But he says it will be a welcome distraction from their woes at the bottom of Evo-Stik Southern League Premier Division, which increased with a 6-1 defeat at Cambridge City on Saturday.

“We need a game straight after that, to get Saturday out of the system,” said Davis.

“It’s a nice game for us to have because as it’s away from the league we have really nothing to lose.

“We’re capable of beating anyone on our day and maybe, coming off the back of a 5-0 win at Brackley they might think ‘it’s only Banbury’.

“Knowing Justin he won’t be like that, but some of their players might.”

Banbury welcome back Jack Westbrook after a ban, though Nabil Shariff, who has rejoined from Stamford, wasn’t signed in time to play.

Davis will hand debuts to new signings striker Paulo Mendez and winger Helge Orome.

City keeper Mark Scott, who was sent off against Brackley, will keep his place in goal ahead of Salva De La Cruz, who starts a ban on Saturday.

TONIGHT’S SQUADS

Banbury Utd: from Bedwell, Walcott, Cray, Meade, Hartigan, Ryan, Green, M Martin, Tahin, Murombedzi, George, Howards, Amegnaglo, Browne, Westbrook, Tappin, D Martin.

Oxford City: from Scott, Coulson, Stonehouse, Fofana, Henderson, Lapoujade, Jackson, Pond, Yussuf, Rodriguez, Benjamin, Winters, Santiago, Wilson, Barcelos, Del Alamo, Mendez, Orome