I’m starting to think that writing this column is jinxing our games!

Every time I send them in, our match seems to get called off.

It happened last Saturday against Northampton and I just hope that whatever else occurs we get a game today against Bristol Rovers.

Last week it was washed out, but we have excellent ground staff and a pitch that drains quickly at the Kassam Stadium so hopefully we can play our first home league match for a while.

Rob Atkinson: Time for Oxford United to pick up where we left off

The question is whether having a two-week break between matches is more of a help or a hindrance?

It certainly makes it harder to get into a rhythm and keep the momentum going: we’re on a fantastic run at the moment and just want to try to keep that up.

But how do you do that when your most recent league match was 21 days ago and your last at home in this division was Boxing Day?

All I can say is that the players have trained really well this week and there has been an energy and intensity about their work.

I’m going to face some tough decisions and the advantage of the accidental ‘mid-season break’ is that we have just about everyone fit.

John Mousinho is the only player missing today while he recovers from a knee operation.

Otherwise everyone is available and that will mean at least one player being very unhappy today because, having trained so well, they’re going to have to miss out on even being in the squad.

That’s part of the game and I expect anyone who misses out to accept the decision.

They don’t have to like it, but they should still support their teammates and do what they can to help.

I know that will happen – this is a remarkable group of young men who all know our standards, but also get on extremely well and are so supportive of each other.

It’s not like the old days where they turn up today and see whose shirt is hanging on the pegs.

We always train with the team shape on a Friday and the starting XI will take on the other players who will be in the formation we expect the opposition to be.

They wear the same colour as whoever we are playing and we will train in our match shirts.

That level of detail is typical, although I’d imagine the kit man is less keen on the idea, having to get the kit sorted after!

Whoever plays, we know we’re in good shape.

We know it will be tough, but let’s see if we can get back into the groove straight away.

Karl Robinson: We cannot afford to start slowly against Bristol Rovers

Away from the football, there have been a couple of really good things happening at the club this week.

On Thursday our chef, Germain, cooked up 100 meals for the Cherwell Community Larder.

We can’t eat together at the training ground at the moment so it’s great to see the food going to a good cause.

We also announced that Josh Ruffels is becoming an ambassador for Sobell House.

What a fantastic cause and so typical of Ruffs to want to get involved.

We often talk about the club being at the heart of everything across the county.

Although winning games of football remains our priority it’s so important that we play a part, support local causes and understand that sometimes there are more important things than a game of football.