DAVID Oldfield knows how tough it is for Oxford City’s part-time squad to balance a packed fixture schedule with their lives outside football.

The Vanarama National League South side travel to 13th-placed Hemel Hempstead Town tonight, hoping to solidify their own position of sixth.

It is the latest fixture in a run of 13 games in 46 days, owing to a backlog of postponed matches and City’s run to the fifth round of the Buildbase FA Trophy.

Oldfield has high expectations of his players, but concedes it can be tough to juggle the competing demands of family, work and sport.

He said: “It’s so difficult for these boys, because they’ve got jobs and families.

“For us to then demand so much from them when they come under the auspices of Oxford City again is really tricky.

“We are very respectful and we’ll remember that at all times, but we have to prepare properly.

“It’s a hugely difficult game for us, but one that we will be ready for.”

Oldfield’s squad have the extra headache of not getting regularly tested for coronavirus, despite playing two matches each week for the foreseeable future.

Tonight’s fixture is one of the three games that were postponed after Christmas, when City’s squad self-isolated due to contact with a positive Covid case.

The other two – away and home matches against Slough Town – will be played on February 2 and 16 respectively.

City fell a place after the weekend’s games, but remain in the play-off positions.