Wayne Hatswell returns to the Kassam Stadium for the first time today determined to prove he's grown up as a player.

The Kidderminster Harriers centre back is enjoying arguably the best form of his career in a defence that doesn't concede many goals away from home.

Hatswell says he owes a big debt to Oxford, who gave him a grounding in the pro- fessional game when they signed him from Forest Green Rovers for £35,000 just over three years ago.

He went on to make 52 appearances for the U's, but many were in a struggling team and United fans only occasionally saw the qualities which prompted a former manager to predict he could go on to become another Matt Elliott.

Hatswell said: "I'm looking forward to this game for obvious reasons. When you go back to one of your old clubs you always want to do well.

"It was brilliant at Oxford while I was there. It was a big step for me from Forest Green to join a club like Oxford, and I learned my trade there as such.

"I learnt a lot from certain managers - and we had a few! There was Denis Smith, Joe Kinnear and David Kemp, then Mark Wright and Ian Atkins.

"I had some great experiences at Oxford and I remember the atmosphere at some games was tremendous.

"I was chucked out at left back a bit, though, which I never liked. I was signed as a centre "It didn't work out for me when Ian Atkins took over. You like to think you can prove yourself to any new manager, and I'd done that quite a few times, but he had his own ideas on what he wanted, and I didn't really fit in with that. But that's football."

Hatswell joined up with Wright again at Chester and made 35 appearances in the Conference before a fall-out with the manager.

Kidderminster boss Jan Molby made him his first signing when he returned to Aggborough in October, and Hatswell has gone on to form an effective centre-back partership with Craig Hinton, which drew great praise during their two recent FA Cup games against Wolves.

"I feel I'm a much better player now than when I was at Oxford," Hatswell said. "I've grown up a lot in two years.

"I was looking the other day at a photo of myself when I was at Oxford and I thought I looked like a kid then. I'm 29 next month and I'm older and wiser, and hopefully I can come back and show that.

"It's going to be a really tough game for us, but we've been difficult to beat away from home and a big pitch like the Kassam Stadium could suit us."