OXFORD United’s players must be prepared to match Wycombe Wanderers’ work rate when the sides meet at the Kassam Stadium tomorrow, according to Mickey Lewis.

Clashes between the teams have been feisty in recent years, with the Chairboys finishing both of last season’s games with ten men.

Gareth Ainsworth tends to build sides which take after his own playing style – where quality is allied to hunger and industry.

Lewis knows United will have to be just as tenacious as their visitors to get a result.

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The U’s assistant head coach said: “They’re a decent team, but Gareth always has them fired up.

“They work hard and close you down, so it makes for almost a cup tie, which is good.

“We have played some decent football this year up to now, but before anything you have to match the opposition physically and with your work rate.”

The Chairboys were staring into the relegation abyss on the final day of last season, but have not looked back since staging a great escape at the expense of Bristol Rovers with a 3-0 win at Torquay United.

They have been one of the top sides so far this season and will be looking for a victory to go back to the top of the table.

Wycombe have shown a level of consistency United have yet to discover.

But with a third of the season gone, Lewis is convinced Sky Bet League Two is as closely-fought as it has ever been, which should be good news for slow starters.

He said: “It’s such an even league, I think more so this season than it’s ever been.

“I do think the three best teams in the league got promoted last season, which doesn’t always happen.

“I thought they were quite a bit better than everybody else.

“(This season) I just think there’s no great gap between the teams and no-one’s going to fly away with it.

“Burton were a very solid team and all of a sudden they’ve not got some results.

“I think it makes for a good league, you can be anywhere at this stage and still think you can get right up there, whoever you are.”

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