Oxford United go into their opening game against Forest Green tomorrow just as they go into the new season - full of optimism, but without getting carried away.

They want to get off to a great start, of course, but they did that last season and it wasn't enough.

A good start is useful, but more important is that United have what it takes to last the pace throughout the campaign, and manager Jim Smith believes he does have more options this time.

The squad is stronger, there is better competition for places, and he can mix it up from time to time, which he will need to do with games sometimes taking place in rapid succession.

"The team have looked strong and pre-season has been encouraging," Smith said. "But now we've got to take it on where it really matters.

"We know what we've been like at home, a bit nervous sometimes, but Saturday is a massive game for us.

"We'll have to set off correct in that game, and I think if we do that, we'll go on from there."

Having to choose two strikers from five - Rob Duffy, Yemi Odubade, Marvin Robinson, Gary Twigg and Joel Ledgister - may be a tricky problem for him, but it's a good one for any manager to have.

And he has to decide whether he wants to have pace - in the form of Odubade or new signing Ledgister - from the start, or have them on the bench ready to come on.

Former Gravesend forward Ledgister helped change the game against Birmingham on Monday when he came on in the second half.

"Ledgister's pace is what we'd missed," said United's manager.

"Whoever you play, without Yemi or without Joel, you've got no cutting edge because you haven't got that pace. You have to win every ball, whereas when you've got that pace you can knock it over the top and turn them, so that's major in my thoughts.

"But I thought Robinson did well again on Monday night. He's put himself right in contention. He's aggressive.

"It's going to be tough for whoever's left out, but playing Sunday, Thursday, Tuesday, they're all going to get their chance to play because we play so many games.

"What's good about our squad is that we can change it, and it won't change the ability of the team."

Asked who he'd like to have up front, Smith's mind turned more to the Premiership players he has worked with in the past.

He said: "I know what kind of partnership I'd like to go with up front . . . I'd like to put somebody's head on somebody's body, and somebody else's body on somebody else's legs, but that ain't going to happen!"

Forest Green proved on March 10 that experienced manager Jim Harvey has transformed them into a useful Conference side - and certainly not the push-overs they were at The New Lawn six months earlier.

They beat the U's 2-0 at the Kassam Stadium and were, along with Exeter in the play-off semi-final, second leg, just about the only visiting team to outplay Oxford on their own pitch.

The Gloucestershire outfit finished 14th last season, but improved dramatically.

Harvey has brought in five new players - Anthony Tonkin (Yeovil), Stuart Fleetwood (Hereford), Oliver James (Tranmere), Jonathan Smith (Morecambe) and Chris Davis (Shortwood) after losing Kevin Nicholson to Torquay.

They will be hard to beat, but the U's will be fancied to repeat their opening day result from a year ago, when they defeated Halifax 2-0 at home.