Tardif wants a return

CHRIS TARDIF is anxious for a return to the Oxford United first team to help his club halt a run of five straight defeats in Coca-Cola Football League Two. The Guernseyman missed the last match against Macclesfield due to a back injury that forced him off after an hour of the previous game away to Northamp-ton.

The injury came as a major disappointment for Tardif as he had been continuing his excellent early season form.

But on Thursday he reported that he was aiming to be fit to play against Cheltenham Town at the Kassam Stadium today.

'It is better than it was. I am going back in tomorrow for treatment and do a bit of goalkeeping work to see if I am ready to play. I am hopeful for Saturday,' he said.

'I have had it for a few weeks and then the Saturday before last we were playing and it got worse and worse.

'There are lots of problems in there. I am getting a lot of pain in the muscle that attaches the ribs to the pelvis. But I have had a lot of treatment and we have got a quality physio here.'

It has been a miserable October for Oxford as they have slipped to 20th in the table, although their last four defeats have all been by the odd goal, and the pressure has apparently been mounting on manager Graham Rix.

But Tardif, speaking from Rix's car as 'the gaffer' gave him a lift home, said that the squad was not feeling the strain and they did not read the papers anyway.

In fact, he remains very optimistic about Oxford's promotion chances.

'Things are not going great at the moment but in the last couple of games we have started turning things around and have looked all right out on the pitch,' said Tardif.

'I have got a good feeling for Saturday and I have still got a good feeling for the season, to be honest.

'It is still quite early on and it is a close league - a couple of wins and we will be back up the table - but we will have to start winning again sooner rather than later.'

Domestically, the pick of today's league and cup programme is the Cable & Wireless Priaulx clash between Sylvans and struggling Belgraves at St Peter's.

In the Deloitte Jeremie Cup, Rangers entertain First Tower at St Andrew's and in the Collins Cup Rovers play St Peter at Port Soif. All these games kick off at 2pm.

In Jersey, North and Vale rec play St Paul's and Trinity respectively in the quarter-finals of the Wheway Cup.