MICHAEL Appleton will use City’s unbeaten record as an added incentive for hosts Oxford tomorrow.

The U’s have settled comfortably into League One life after winning promotion.

Home form has been the key with 11 points from their opening five games at the Kassam Stadium – a run that came to a juddering halt in front of the TV cameras last weekend.

Now Appleton is looking for an immediate response to that 3-1 loss to AFC Wimbledon and believes his side can do it by becoming the first to take all three points against the Bantams this season.

Appleton said: “We get the chance to be the first team to beat them and we will certainly be looking to put in a better performance than we did on Sunday.”

City can expect to line up against one familiar face – striker Wes Thomas.

The well-travelled 29-year-old had a mixed loan spell at Valley Parade last season, scoring once during a two-month stay.

But he has settled quickly at Oxford with four goals already under his belt – including one in their recent 2-0 win at Phil Parkinson’s Bolton.

Thomas, pictured, has twice played for Appleton before at Portsmouth and Blackpool and admitted that was a big factor in his move.

He said: “When you’ve not had a very good spell for the last couple of seasons, you think ‘I can get my career back on track with a manager who has got the best out of me’.

“I think he understands what sort of player I am.”

Appleton has not been afraid to tinker in the opening quarter of the campaign. Keeper Simon Eastwood, who played 28 games for McCall’s City on loan from Huddersfield in 2009, is the only ever-present.

But Oxford will be forced into one change after left back Joe Skarz was ruled out for a minimum of two to three weeks. The former Huddersfield man suffered an injury to his left shoulder in the Wimbledon loss.