Respect is a massive thing at Oxford United and runs all the way through the club.

On Wednesday, I was invited to play in our annual golf day at Studley Wood.

I was told it was a record number of players who turned out, alongside myself, Dan Harris, Darren Purse and Peter Rhoades-Brown.

It may not sound like a big thing, but the previous day the players had worked extremely hard through two sessions on the training pitches.

They were entitled to a day off, but the golfers among the squad (and I use that term loosely about one or two!) know how hard the commercial team had worked on the event.

They came along and happily gave up their day off to represent the club.

At some events like that I have seen the players sit apart, next to each other at dinner.

But this time they instinctively sat at different tables with the guests and were fantastic ambassadors for the club.

Nobody told them to do that, it just comes naturally to this group of players.

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There are so many things we do which in isolation mean very little, but when you add them together they become so much more: principles and little rules that define us.

For example, after a game the players take off their shirts but will ALWAYS hand them to the kit man the right way round.

Nobody would dream of disrespecting the badge and putting their shirt inside out.

If a shirt is on the floor, nobody will step over it.

Today at Cheltenham, we’ll find a broom and will leave the dressing room spotless.

Win or lose, we’ll salute our fans.

Nobody needs to be asked, it’s just the right thing.

If you do those things right it builds a culture.

I get that some fans out there are going to say ‘that sounds great, but you haven’t won away yet’.

What I’m saying is that if you get the culture right you get talented players, the right characters and you work extremely hard, side-by-side with the same core values and principles then you know you’re on the right lines and the results will follow.

It’s going to be a fantastic afternoon.

Last Saturday, we showed real determination against a team at one end of the A40, today we make the short trip to the other end of it when we travel to Cheltenham.

It’s a sold out away end yet again, there will be a wonderful atmosphere and hopefully we make all those little things count and come away with three points.

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As you know, we have some very exciting young players coming through the academy.

As part of their development, they’re starting to go out on loan.

Tyler Goodrham and Michael Elechi made their debuts for Hayes & Yeading and Chippenham last week and right back Ben Watt is due to make his first appearance for Stratford Town today.

It’s important these talented players get experience of football where the result means a lot in terms of points or, as is the case today, progress in the FA Cup.

We have given permission for all three to play today; what better way to learn the game than in the greatest cup competition of them all?