This is Liam Manning's latest column written exclusively for the Oxford Mail.

I think most football fans will always have a special place in their hearts for the FA Cup. I remember as a kid watching the finals on TV and loving the whole spectacle of those games. But I also remember watching the matches in the earlier rounds where non-league teams performed heroics and there was drama and everything that makes cup football so special.

We have to make sure we don’t become one of those stories when we take on Maidenhead this afternoon.

It’s hard talking about cup games because I don’t want to say anything that gets pinned up on the away dressing room wall as motivation! We will respect Maidenhead and we have done just as much preparation and homework for today’s game as we do for every single match. They will be dangerous opponents this afternoon, they have a very experienced manager who will have them fired up and it all adds up to what we hope will be a very enjoyable cup tie.

Obviously, I’d love to be in the dug-out and close to the action but instead I will be up on the gantry at the back of the south stand after a red card last weekend. I’ve said enough about that decision already so let’s just focus on today instead. In my absence we have Chris Hogg and Craig Short taking charge from the bench. I know that they will do a fantastic job.

Sam Long will join me in the stands today after picking up an ankle injury on Tuesday night at Lincoln. He will be out for a few weeks and will be a big miss although we do have depth in our squad and players wanting to come into the team and impress. Longy got the injury on the far side of the pitch and had hobbled around on crutches, heading for the changing room. He had just got to where I was standing when we scored the first goal and the look on his face was priceless: he wanted to celebrate but couldn’t really do it without falling over!

He got a great reception from the 450 away fans and I just wanted to mention those fans again. It’s a long way to travel on a Tuesday night and it doesn’t go unnoticed. The support was amazing, we are glad we got the win to make the journey home that bit sweeter, and we will do all that we can to leave you smiling again this afternoon.

If we wanted an example to follow today then it came in the FA Youth Cup on Wednesday night.

Our under-18 side welcomed Bridgwater in the FA Youth Cup and it was a really close game where the away team fought for everything and were determined to cause an upset. In the end, it took a good goal from Aidan Elliott-Wheeler to give the team some breathing space and it ended up being 3-0, but don’t be fooled by the scoreline: it was a proper cup tie, both sides gave it everything and it was a good game to watch.

Hopefully, the same thing happens at the Kassam Stadium later…