Oxford United’s players got together for a behind-closed-doors friendly at Watford yesterday – with manager Chris Wilder making a point of getting everyone involved.

Billy Turley, Rhys Day, Damian Batt, Kevin Sandwith, Adam Chapman and Jack Midson all got plenty of game time to improve their match sharpness.

United won the game, played at Watford’s training ground at London Colney, 1-0 with Jamie Cook, a second-half substitute, getting the goal.

And Wilder said it was a very useful work-out, especially as “fringe players” could be needed to step into the team at any time in the coming weeks.

Day was returning from a toe injury while Batt, suspended against Crawley last week, and Midson, were both on the bench and came on as second-half subs in last Saturday’s 1-1 draw away at Barrow.

Wilder said: “Billy, Batts and Kevin Sandwith all played 90 minutes, Adam and Jack played 75, Alex Rhodes played a part of it – we got everyone involved.

“We took everybody there and used it for a training exercise as well as the game.

“I thought it was important that people like Billy, who have been unfortunate and have travelled all over the country with us, to Gateshead and Barrow and didn’t play, got some action. They all played a part.

“Watford had four or five players who have been in and around their first team plus a few youngsters of 18, 19 and 20.”

United’s manager said he wanted to give squad members who are not regularly playing in the first team a game, but it hasn’t been possible recently with so many midweek matches.

“We’ve been playing Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday, Tuesday so we’ve not really had a free week, but it was always in our heads to set up a game like this, and we’ll probably do the same next week.

“It’s better to have these kinds of games than be in a reserve league. You can play who you want and when you want and we get to use contacts we know and do it in a structured way.”

Giving Midson game time is important as he may be needed at short notice.

Nine-goal leading scorer James Constable picked up his fourth yellow card of the campaign at Holker Street and is just one booking away from a ban.

Said Wilder: “With referees in this league, you just don’t know what’s around the corner.”