Constable lays down the law!

8:54am Friday 18th July 2008

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OXFORD United's new striker James Constable has warned his fellow forwards that they face a battle for a place in the starting line-up.

oConstable, 23, who signed on a season-long loan deal from Shrewsbury, scored the winner on his first appearance for the club against Oxford City and also netted the opener in Tuesday's 4-0 win at Banbury.

In the same game, striker Jamie Guy notched a double - his first goals since signing a season-long deal from Colchester United, while Lewis Haldane opened his account in their 2-1 defeat at Brackley last weekend.

But Constable is relishing the challenge.

"It's something I look forward to," he said. "The more competition you get, the better you get.

"There is going to be a bit of a battle for places. You don't want to get stale, which is what can happen if there is no competition."

Constable says he has put last season's clash with U's defender James Clarke behind him, in an incident that saw the striker sent off.

During United's game at Kidderminster, Clarke clashed with Constable's shoulder as he turned, the referee ruling it to be an elbow.

Video replays later showed Constable did nothing wrong and the pair have already had a joke about the incident to patch things up.

Constable added: "It didn't end too well last time I played Oxford, but I met James at training, we had a chat and a laugh about it and we've put it all behind us.

"We're on the same team now, working for the same goal. James ran into my shoulder. I first thought that something had been thrown from the crowd.

"I did appeal against the red card, but I was told that they needed to have two camera angles.

"The referee had sent off one of their lads (Carl Pettefer) and I think he was squaring it up."