This is Liam Manning's latest column written exclusively for the Oxford Mail.

There is a mutual respect between the two coaching teams today when we welcome Wycombe Wanderers to the Kassam Stadium.  I was in the same youth set-up at Ipswich as Wycombe boss Matt Bloomfield so we have known each other a long time now.

Both teams lost in midweek- we were at Wigan, Wycombe were at home to Bolton - so I guess we will both be looking for a positive reaction this afternoon. I thought we played extremely well in the first 15 minutes on Tuesday and were comfortable. Then we turned the ball over, Wigan broke at speed and the ball was in our net for the opening goal. We never quite got back to our best after that although I still felt we were definitely in the game until their late second goal.

It’s a long trip back but it gave me a chance to watch the game and code it for our analysis - I like to do that myself as soon as I  can after any game because it helps me see the whole 90 minutes in detail, not just the big moments that stick in everyone’s mind. By the time we got back to Oxfordshire, I had a very clear view on the game and an even clearer plan on how we could put things right today.

We’ve worked hard in training over the last few days and it was good to have Cameron Brannagan back in the fold after his illness. Cam had what he called ‘proper flu’ and was ‘proper rough’ with it for a few days. It can be debilitating and we will just wait and see how much it has taken out of him. I can tell you right now that he will want to play today, that’s just his nature, but we will monitor his progress carefully.

We know that everyone involved will have to be one hundred per cent today because it’s a fixture that brings a real intensity. People have been telling me ever since I arrived that Swindon are the rivals- I totally get that now- with Reading not far behind. But today we take on the closest side to us, with a passionate crowd of 10,000 people and a history of very close games between two clubs who have very definitely become rivals.

I can’t wait.

There was a great moment on Tuesday when Alex Gorrin made his return. Alex has been through a very tough time with two long-term injuries that have tested him mentally as well as physically. I sat with him when I first arrived and just said ‘get yourself fit, we’ll help you over the summer and see what happens in pre-season’.

During the months since then, it was obvious what a fantastic character he is and how respected he is by everyone at the club. He is relentlessly positive! But him playing again on Tuesday was not based on sentiment, he was out there on merit. He has earned his chance to impress us, fight for a place in the team, and Tuesday night was just one small step along that journey.