OXFORD United have addressed a spot of bother by nominating a fourth penalty taker this season, ahead of their Sky Bet League Two trip to York City tonight.

Kemar Roofe became the third U's player who has failed to convert from 12 yards in 2015/16 with team-mates Danny Hylton and Alex MacDonald also having attempts saved before him.

Kassam Stadium chief Michael Appleton has now handed the responsibility to summer signing Liam Sercombe who, should the opportunity arise at Bootham Crescent, will need to beat a home keeper in Scott Flinders who has saved three of the five spot kicks he has faced this term.

Oxford have also encountered problems overcoming ten-man sides during their current run of three matches without a defeat - their longest unsuccessful sequence of the campaign.

Despite enjoying numerical advantages over Portsmouth and Northampton, they have shared the spoils 1-1 and gone down 1-0 in those respective fixtures.

Their hosts tomorrow, meanwhile, have won three and drawn three of their last six matches in which they have had a man sent off.

The Northampton and Portsmouth matches were followed by Saturday's 0-0 home draw with Morecambe in which Roofe flopped from the spot but Appleton is set to keep faith with the same starting XI meaning new on-loan signing Jordan Graham might need to come off the bench for his debut.

Winger Graham, 20, has been recruited from Wolves, having enjoyed previous loan spells at Ipswich and Bradford and won international honours at under-16 and 17 level for England.

Right-back Sam Long, meanwhile, will be the only absentee with ankle ligament damage.

Despite his penalty woe, Roofe is Oxford's five-goal top marksman having joined the club from West Brom in the summer following an eye-catching loan spell last season.

He has netted 11 times in total for the 1986 League Cup winners and never been on the losing side when on the scoresheet.

Roofe has been responsible for three of Oxford's modest tally of four league goals on the road this season (only the divisions's struggling trio Bristol Rovers, Yeovil and Newport have hit the target fewer times in away fixtures).

The sixth-placed visitors have also failed to score more than a single goal in six of their last seven matches but remain only five points adrift of top-of-the-table Portsmouth.

Oxford (probable): Slocombe, Baldock, Mullins, Wright, Skarz, O'Dowda, Sercombe, Lundstram, Rose, Hylton, Roofe.