Winger Lewis Haldane says he is gutted to be missing Oxford United’s next game, at home to Mansfield this Saturday.

The former Bristol Rovers player, who was outstanding in the U’s 3-0 win over Barrow last weekend, picked up his fifth booking of the season and faces a one-game ban.

“The competition for places here is very strong at the moment,” he said.

“Everyone knows you’ve got to work hard and play well to stay in the team, and that was shown with the two lads on the bench on Saturday (Craig Farrell and Yemi Odubade) both scoring.

“I was pleased with my goal, it was a decent finish, but I’m now suspended because that was my fifth yellow card – I knew that as soon as he booked me – and I’m gutted to be suspended.”

Haldane’s end product, and finishing, still leaves a lot of room for improvement, but there was no doubt he caused Barrow big problems last Saturday with his forceful running with the ball – and his stamina in being able to do that from start to finish.

And he feels he has performed well since Chris Wilder took over.

“I think I’ve been doing OK since the new manager arrived,” he told United’s website.

“He’s shown faith in me and I’m looking to repay that. I’d like to be a bit more consistent, but that’s getting better and I’m enjoying it at the moment.

“Hopefully I can keep that going until the end of the season and see how far we go.”

In many ways, it may be not such a bad thing for United that they are not playing York this weekend.

A clause in the contract Farrell signed in his move from York to Oxford stipulates that he cannot play against the Minstermen.

So had it been York away, rather than Mansfield at home, the U’s would have been without two key players.

It has turned out to be Mansfield at the Kassam Stadium for Chris Wilder’s in-form team on Saturday, because York are still involved in the FA Carlsberg Trophy with a home fourth-round tie against Havant & Waterlooville.

There are no new dates yet either for Kettering away or York away, and the Kettering game in particular may be difficult to fit in.

The Poppies are playing every Tuesday between now and the end of the season, and on FA Trophy semi-final first leg day – Saturday, March 14 – they are due to face York in the league, and that too will have to be postponed if York beat Havant this Saturday.

But whenever United’s rearranged matches are played, the team will inevitably have a succession of midweek away fixtures. They are already due to travel to Eastbourne on Tuesday, March 3.

The rescheduling of United’s home game against Mansfield on Saturday means that their Oxfordshire Senior Cup quarter-final tie against Old Woodstock Town now goes ahead at Abingdon United next Tuesday (7.45).