Oxford United's players have an extra incentive for beating Hull in today's Division 3 match of the season at Hull.

They are fuming after hearing Hull City manager Peter Taylor allegedly branding them "donkeys" when the two sides clash between the sides at the Kassam Stadium earlier in the season.

And it was Hull's own players - those who were not selected for the team on the day - who told the United players about it, in the dressing room area at the Kassam Stadium on August 16 when Oxford beat the Tigers 2-1.

According to reports, Taylor referred to Oxford as a team of donkeys in his pre-match talk, and then was fuming with his own players after they had lost, blasting: "how can you lose to a team of donkeys?"

The U's beat the Division 3 favourites with a first-half brace from Steve Basham, despite the second-half dimissal of Julian Alsop for a second yellow card.

Alsop went in hard as he challenged Hull's substitute goalkeeper Paul Musselwhite for a high ball.

Cambridge referee Kevin Wright looked as though he was going to take no action until several Hull players raced over to confront the U's centre forward, sparking off a mass mele.

United manager Ian Atkins was convinced that it was only the reaction of the Hull players which prompted the referee to issue the second yellow card to Alsop.

He said afterwards "The challenge went in, the ref pulled away from it and the Hull players came around and started shoving Alsop, pushing him and got him sent off. You don't like to see that in the game."

Taylor wrote a letter to Atkins, saying he was "disappointed" that he could make such comments.

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