Oxford City to host GB deaf team

The GB Deaf Team are expected to provide a stiff test for City.

Oxford City continue their pre-season preparations on Saturday with a match against the Great Britain Olympic Deaf XI at Court Place Farm.

After a 2-1 victory over Oxford United on Tuesday, City will be looking for another positive result when they face the 2005 Deaflympics gold medallists.

"It will be a good test but really it's all about [our first league game] on 15 August," said City boss Justin Merritt.

"We don't want what happened last year where it was a big shock to us."

He added: "It's about getting the preparation right and getting the boys fit enough.

"We know what we're up against and we want to hit the ground running."

The match at Court Place Farm will also act as a fundraiser for the visitors who will defend their Deaflympics title in Taiwan in September.

Chris Gwynn of the GB Deaflympics team told BBC Oxford: "The higher the standard [of opposition] we can get, the better it is for us because it obviously affects their fitness level and team understanding.

"It's going to be tough when we go out to Taiwan. The standard of the game is very, very high so the higher we can play here, the better the preparation is going to be."