Alan McLeary, Oxford United's assistant manager, insisted on the eve of his first meeting with his old club Millwall that he harbours no bitterness towards the Lions board who gave him the boot.

As joint managers, McLeary (pictured above) and Keith Stevens helped build Millwall into a successful promotion-chasing team, only for the club to decide they needed a change of direction.

The duo were shown the door and now it's new manager Mark McGhee who is taking all the accolades as the team maintain their march towards Division 1.

However, McLeary stressed: "There's no resentment on my part. In football, that goes with the territory. You're not always the man who reaps the benefit of what you do.

"There's no bitterness from me towards Mark McGhee, he was not responsible for it, and I don't resent anything towards the chairman at Millwall. I'm sure one of us will buy the other a drink after the game."

However, having played a major part in constructing such a successful squad at the New Den, McLeary is more aware than most of what a difficult task United face when they take on the Division 2 leaders at the Manor Ground tomorrow.

"Right from the word go when I was at Millwall, our No 1 priority was to get promoted, and everything I know about the players there, and have seen since I left, suggests that they will not only get promoted but will go up as champions.

They play well, they are confident and, as well as putting all their talents together in the team unit, there are some very good individual players. They are rightly up there at the top."

Former Oxford United centre forward Paul Moody, who has hit 11 goals, forms a formidable strike pairing with the highly skilful Neil Harris, who has led the Division 2 scoring charts all season and now has 22 goals to his name.

But almost as effective are the former Republic of Ireland Under 21 striker Richard Sadlier and the pacy Paul Ifill.

"They have got goals from various areas of the pitch, that was how we constructed the side over the course of 2T years," McLeary said.

"It's a very, very good squad that we improved with the players we brought in and some talented young kids coming through from the youth side. It's one that, with due respect to Mark (McGhee), he hasn't had to change."

Millwall crushed Oxford 5-0 at the New Den in September, when at times United looked a shambles defensively, so is there any way bottom can beat top at the Manor tomorrow?

"Yes there is," McLeary said. "But the Oxford team needs to play to the best of our abilities. If we can work as hard as we did the other night against Stoke, we can cause them a shock.

"This is a game I've been looking forward to ever since I came to Oxford. I can't wait for it to come around.

"Millwall are favourites, but we have a decent chance - if we all perform."

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