Chris Wilder is expecting his team to face a familiar challenge against Hereford today.

But the Oxford United manager is backing his team to this week find the key.

Wilder is certain that struggling Hereford – as a number of teams have done at the Kassam Stadium this season – will get players behind the ball and try and soak up pressure from the U’s.

It was the philosophy Crewe used last week and they got their reward for a determined rear-guard performance with a last-minute winner.

“I would be very surprised if Hereford come and play anything other than 4-5-1 and try and frustrate us,” Wilder said.

“But we have to be better (than we were against Crewe) and have got to find a way to break down opponents.”

Wilder knows that it is the final third of the pitch that is letting United down this season.

“We have to be better,” he said.

“The attitude of the team and how we set up is an attacking one.

“We have possibly got only three real defensive players in the team, our two centre halves and the holding midfield player.

“The DNA of the side is that we should be scoring goals, but the reality is that we have not scored enough.”

James Constable will lead the United attack after turning down a move to Swindon this week, and Wilder is expected to name an unchanged starting XI.

New signing Oli Johnson looks like having to settle for a place on the bench, where he could be joined by Tom Craddock, who was injured last week.

Former United midfielder Simon Clist is a major doubt for Hereford with a groin injury, having limped off before half-time in the win over Dagenham & Redbridge last weekend.

Their manager Jamie Pit-man is expecting a tough test.

“Oxford are a side who are very well organised and have very good players.

“Last year we did a bit of a smash and grab there, but that is what football is like – you can be the better team and lose.

“Defensively we seem to be very good away from home and we have to continue that because this is certainly going to be a big test of how we are doing.”

Oxford Utd: probable Clarke, Batt, Duberry, Wright, Davis, Heslop, Whing, Leven, Potter, Constable, Pittman. Subs from: Craddock, Johnson, Hall, McLaren, Tonkin, Worley, Brown, Chapman.

Hereford Utd: from Bartlett, Townsend, Purdie, Stam, Evans, Pell, Featherstone, Arquin, Facey, Colbeck, Cornell, Lunt, Clucas, Barkhuizen, Elder, Green, Heath.