York City boss Billy McEwan is calling on his boys to play like men tomorrow - whether they are fully fit or not.

Several players and members of the coaching staff have been laid low by bugs in the last couple of weeks and others are carrying knocks.

Striker Craig Farrell, who finally got off the mark for the first time for City against Southport, has been off for three days this week and could be a doubt. James Dudgeon - who could return - has also been struggling.

But McEwan still expects his side to be battling for every ball at leaders Oxford United and won't be accepting any excuses.

He said: "We've got a few germs flying about but at the end of the day, I played some games when I was only 70 per cent and some games I was 80 per cent but I wanted to play.

"My wife insisted that I played because we needed the money to buy shoes for the kids.

"There's no player that goes out there 100 per cent fit. There's always a little niggle or something.

"But we are talking about men here, we're not talking about kids. You've got to ask yourself are you a man or a mouse?"

He added: "The important thing is how you can cope with one or two things if you're not feeling too good.

"At the end of the day, there's times that you play in football that you're not as fit as you'd like to be."

Having his men as close to full strength as possible will be key to McEwan as he readies them for a tough encounter at the hands of former colleague Jim Smith's charges.

Smith and McEwan, who shared the August manager of the month prize along with Frank Gray of Grays Athletic, worked together at Derby County, and McEwan knows the kind of team that will await them at the Kassam Stadium.

He said: "Any team that plays under Jim Smith will be organised, will be strong and will be physical - they will be tough.

"We have had them watched and we know that it will be a difficult game but every game is hard in this league.

"We heard that Stafford Rangers were unlucky not to get something out of the game so we have to go there and not be afraid."

TOMORROW'S SQUADS

Nationwide Conference Oxford United v York City

OXFORD (probable): Turley, Willmott, Quinn, Gilchrist, Anaclet, Pettefer, Hargreaves, Burgess, Brevett, Duffy, Basham. Subs: Day, Hutchinson, Tardif, Odubade, Dempster.

YORK CITY (probable): Evans, Craddock, Dudgeon, Parslow, Lloyd, Bishop, McMahon, Bowey, Woolford, Farrell, Donaldson. Subs: Reid, Peat, Convery, Panther, Webster.

KICK-OFF: 3pm.