DES Buckingham says his Oxford United players will have to control their emotions as they prepare for a potentially difficult atmosphere when they make the trip to Reading tonight.

The clash will be the first league encounter between the two sides for more than 20 years, and Royals supporters are expected to use the game as a chance to further protest against the club’s owner.

Tennis balls have been thrown onto the pitch, while fans have led protests before games.

Under the ownership of Dai Yongge, the Royals have been deducted 16 points, and in their televised Emirates FA Cup second round defeat at Eastleigh, supporters threw tennis balls and fake bank notes onto the pitch after 16 minutes had been played.

Royals rivalry: The last six league clashes between U’s and Reading

United head coach Buckingham is confident his U’s players will be able to block out any potential demonstrations.

He said: “The players will have seen that, and they don’t need us to speak to them.

“The main thing is making sure we’re as controlled and switched on as we need to be.”

Oxford-born Buckingham understands what the rivalry means to United fans, and hopes to channel some of that emotion from supporters in the right way this evening.

He said: “It’s not quite of the Swindon level, but I was here when we were in League Two and they had that ascendency from the Championship to the Premier League.

“It was a time where we were looking and where we wanted to be. That’s changed a little bit now, but the rivalry is still there. We’re aware of it and it’s one we’ll have to control.

“You have to control emotions, to help make decisions wherever you can, but when you’ve got a loud crowd of away fans, you want that emotion in the game.

“That’s the exciting part of football, but it’s making sure you control that emotion.”

Oxford Mail:

The Royals’ off the pitch challenges have forced them into fielding the club’s younger players, something which Buckingham acknowledged can go both ways.

He said: “The more games that they play together and get used to each other, it sometimes can be very good, but at other times, it can be a bit hit and miss.

“We’ve seen that, not just at Reading, but other teams across the league.

“Sometimes you don’t know what you’re going to get, and that can either be a problem or a blessing for you going into these types of games.

“The main thing is we have our structure about what we do and how we do it, and if we stick to that, we’ll put ourselves in the best position to perform and hopefully get the result.”

The U’s will be looking for a swift reaction to the weekend’s disappointing 3-0 loss away to Peterborough United, an encounter which saw Buckingham’s side outclassed by a free-flowing Posh side.

“I saw a reaction straight away in the changing room. We had a good chat and the players will admit it wasn’t good enough for the standards that have been set and for what we want to go and do,” said Buckingham.

“The response I’ve already seen in the building is exactly what you’d want to see.”