Chris Wilder is hopeful that Paul McLaren will recover from the knock he picked up on Saturday in time to face Dagenham & Redbridge tonight.

But Oxford United’s boss says that Andy Whing is touch and go to make the line-up for the npower League Two clash.

McLaren took a heavy blow in Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Burton Albion, while Whing felt ill and was forced off after 24 minutes.

“Macca will hopefully be OK,” Wilder said. “We will wait and see if he is able to train or not, but with a bit of luck he will be fit.

“Whingy was struggling Saturday and it all came on pretty quickly.

“But that’s why we have a squad of players and Damian Batt has been knocking on the door to play and produced a consistent display when he came on.”

Deane Smalley will return to the squad after recovering from bad toothache, and loan signing Robert Hall will also be involved.

“I do think we have been a bit unfortunate on the injury front, but have never gone on about that as an excuse,” Wilder said. “Tony Capaldi is going to be a big player for us and hasn’t kicked a ball.

“Peter Leven was injured pre-season then when he got back had the family issue with his partner having a baby girl, which of course we understand, and he didn’t really train last week.

“Tommy Craddock scored 17 goals last season and hasn’t been involved, so there are a few things that have gone against us.

“But we go to Dagenham in good heart and if we can take our chances and cut out the individual mistakes, we are confident of the right result.”

Dagenham’s Mark Arber and John Nurse, who both came on at half-time in Saturday’s 3-1 defeat at Rotherham, are set to start.

Dagenham & Redbridge: probable Lewington, Ogogo, Arber, Doe, McCrory, Nurse, Gain, Lee, Scannell, Tomlin, Williams. Subs: Bingham, Walsh, Hogan, Rose, Woodall.

Oxford Utd: from Clarke, Batt, Duberry, Wright, Davis, Heslop, McLaren, Leven, Potter, Constable, R Hall, Smalley, A Hall, Payne, Worley, Whing, Brown.