COMPETITION for places up front for Oxford United holds no fears for striker Scott Rendell.

With top scorer James Constable back from suspension and the addition of Dean Morgan and Cristian Montano on loan to join Rendell and Oli Johnson, the U’s have five players battling for the places in the forward line.

Rendell, on loan from Wycombe, has shown impressive energy reserves in Constable’s absence and has two goals in nine games.

The 25-year-old welcomes the healthy rivalry between players, which makes a place in the starting XI something to be valued.

He said: “It’s always good to have strength in depth, so I’m not going to complain about that.

“If you get dropped out of a team for not playing well you can’t moan.

“We’ve got good players around here, so you know you have to play well otherwise you won’t be in the next game.

“That’s what every footballer likes, you want to play, but the important thing is it’s on merit, not because there’s nobody else.

“It’s always nice to know you have a strong squad and being in the starting XI gives you an even better feeling because you know you’re doing something right.”

Rendell still has another season on his contract at Wycombe but is focused on ending the season on a high with United.

He said: “It’s been fantastic ever since the first day I walked in.

“It’s a great bunch of boys and they’re a great team because of where we are in the table.

“Hopefully we can take it to the next step now, I’m here to try and help them do that.”