OXFORD United's players are on the dough-path tomorrow.

With their wages in their bank accounts at last, and the threat of any strike action over, it's back to the small business of trying to avoid relegation when they travel to Watford.

After going nearly a week without pay, they're determined to make up for lost time, according to midfielder Joey Beauchamp.

"We treated not getting paid as a joke," said Beauchamp. "Through the week we have kept having a laugh and a joke about it.

"We all knew we were going to get our money sooner or later, I'm sure it might have got more serious had we not known that.

"Now it has been paid and we've got to knuckle down and see if we can get a few bonuses at Watford. We've not had any win bonuses for a while.

"We're more concerned about getting out of the bottom three than getting our pay cheques. We've been playing well, we just haven't been getting the rub of the green.

"The lads have all been wondering whether the takeover is going to go through, but we'll be giving it 100 per cent at Watford, you can be sure of that."

Beauchamp will be playing for the first time since it was revealed he has turned down a possible move to Manchester City as well as Fulham.

"The gaffer told me he would keep me informed if any club came in for me and he kept to his word.

"I didn't feel they were the right moves for me." United go into the Division 1 game without their record signing and seven-goal leading scorer Dean Windass and left back Simon Marsh, who serve one-match suspen- sions.

Yet while manager Malcolm Shotton admits Windass's absence is a blow, he insists that it shouldn't necessarily mean the team have little hope of collecting their first away win of the season.

"We're not a one-man team," he said. "We've got other boys out there who are quite capable of going out and putting on a good performance."

It seems likely that Shotton will persevere with the three-man central defence he has used in recent games, so Paul Powell will come in at left wingback in place of Marsh, with Beauchamp on the opposite flank.

Martin Gray returns from suspension to shore up the defensive part of the midfield and Shotton may feel Tony Wright did enough on his full debut against Crewe last Saturday to keep his place.

Striker Andy Thomson has a groin injury and is rated 50-50 at this stage. If he passes fitness tests today, he could line up in attack with Nicky Banger.

If he fails to make it, Shotton would probably go for a front two of Banger and Matt Murphy.

Long-term casualties Steve Davis, Kevin Francis, Christophe Remy and Simon Weatherstone have not been considered for the game.

Shotton himself is not fit, having gone down with tonsilitis.

Fourth-placed Watford are the country's top scorers away from home but at Vicarage Road, they are less effective and have drawn their last four games.

Watford boss Graham Taylor switches between four and five-man defences, depending on how the opposition line up. Zaire international Michel Ngonge is set to return to the attack to partner Gifton Noel-Williams.

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