Oxford United may look at switching home reserve team matches back to afternoon kick-offs following the poor attendance at this week's Avon Insurance Football Combination fixture against Colchester.

The competition from live football on TV - in Wednesday's case, the European Cup semi-final second leg between Juventus and Manchester United - has had a big effect on reserve team gates and on Wednesday at the Manor night just 71 turned up.

With floodlighting and other costs, Oxford United made a loss from the game.

Mickey Lewis, United's youth team coach who played in the match, said: "It was very empty and you have to wonder whether it wouldn't be better playing home reserve games in the afternoons like a lot of clubs do."

Mick Brown, Oxford United's secretary, said: "One problem for us is that we are unable to have our floodlights switched on before 7 o'clock during the winter months of November, December, January and February because we are on a cheap rate tariff with the electricity board. "But with electricity deregulation coming in, we could investigate what other special rates might be on offer.

"Certainly, afternoon kick-offs have the benefit of being less likely to produce frosty pitches when it's very cold in the winter, because it's generally after dark that it starts to freeze.

"A downside would be a greater difficulty in getting match officials, though that wouldn't be our problem but the league's."

Brown said that in future they could look at playing the more attractive reserve team games at night and the less appealing, or those where there is a clash with a big TV match, in the afternoon.

Story date: Saturday 24 April

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