OXFORD United will have to make do with the smallest squad they have had for a decade next season - whatever division they're in.

Manager Malcolm Shotton has been told by the club's new owner Firoz Kassam that the squad for the 1999-2000 campaign will have to be between 20 and 22 players only.

This season United began with a 24-strong professional squad and they have 23 players at the moment, though Steve Davis has missed virtually the whole season.

Although that's the size of the squad, with personnel changes and loan signings, they have used 31 players in all.

Two first division clubs, Port Vale (44) and Sheffield United (41) have fielded more than 40 players as have Reading (41) and Burnley (42) in the second division.

Shotton confirmed: "I know what sort of squad I can have next season and it's between 20 and 22 which isn't very many. But there will hopefully be opportunities to bring players in."

Kassam has already said there will be little money to spend on new players in the summer, so it will be up to Shotton to wheel and deal with the ones he has got. There will be hundreds of players available for free under the Bosman ruling.

But which division United are in will have a huge bearing on which players he can attract to the club.

Shotton this week defended himself against accusations that he should have brought in a striker on loan before the transfer deadline by saying players simply didn't want to come to Oxford because of their off-the-field troubles.

Port Vale boss Brian Horton was able to strengthen his squad on transfer deadline day by signing five players at a total cost of £500,000, while Bury brought in Derek Lilley on loan from Leeds United with Lilley then going on to score the Shakers' winner against Oxford at the Manor. Bristol City took David Howells on loan from Southampton while even cash-strapped Crewe have been greatly boosted by their special arrangement with Liverpool which helped secure the talented Danny Murphy on loan.

But Shotton said: "Players wouldn't come here. Take Rob Steiner at Bradford. He left QPR because he wanted to know he was going to get paid and after our much-publicised troubles he didn't want to know. So he joined second division Walsall.

"We've heard that Port Vale had £1m to spend, and Horton spent £m, Crewe and Bury have spent and Bristol City spent a load of money last year. Hopefully with a new owner our fortunes will change."

Story date: Friday 23 April

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.