DES Buckingham joked there might not be enough tickets for all his family, as he prepares for his first home game in charge of Oxford United.

The Oxford-born head coach got off to a losing start at the weekend as United fell to a 2-0 defeat at Cheltenham Town.

The short turnaround for tonight’s clash with Bolton Wanderers means the result against the Robins will have to be quickly forgotten about when Buckingham makes his return to the Kassam Stadium.

He last found himself in the dugout at Grenoble Road was as a member of Chris Wilder’s backroom staff, with the U’s beating Dagenham & Redbridge 2-1 in December 2013, thanks to Dave Kitson’s last minute header.

“The last time I sat in or around the first team bench was back in 2013,” said Buckingham.

“To come back and almost have a sold-out stadium, in front of a good, strong following of Oxford fans, but more so, I know there’s a lot of people that will be there to support the team and support me personally.

“It’s going to be a very proud moment for me. I don’t know if there are enough tickets to go around for everyone.”

Oxford Mail:

Looking to spoil the homecoming party will be a Wanderers side who moved top of Sky Bet League One with a 7-0 drubbing of Exeter City at the weekend.

Buckingham said: “It’s one we’re looking forward to. We spoke about making sure we have a reaction to Saturday’s result and performance.

“We know we’re at home, and we want to welcome a good Bolton side, but we’re a good side ourselves.

“We’re both at the top end of the table, and deserve to be there with how both teams have played, so we’re expecting a very good game.

“We’re expecting a big turnout at the stadium and the fans will see two teams that try and play football in a similar way.

“When you get that, it always matches up for an interesting game, and a good game.”

READ MORE: Ciaron Brown on why return of Kyle Edwards is ‘massive’ for Oxford United

He added: “We’re at home and we’re not a struggling team. We’re a team that has lost two in 12, and is well-positioned in the league.

“We’ve got good players and we’ve recognised some of the areas we can get at them.

“We need to be mindful of the threats they have, but we’ll also make sure we play our game as well.”

Discussing the threats set to be posed by the Trotters, Buckingham said: “You have to be mindful of individual players when they have a big influence on the game, but this group has been so successful this year because of how they’ve worked together.

“Without focusing too much on one area or one player, making sure we collectively stick together and know what our game plan is.”