OXFORD United will have a trio of players determined to vanquish disappointing Wembley memories on Sunday.

Centre-back Mark Creighton and top scorer James Constable were both members of the Kidderminster Harriers team that lost 3-2 to Stevenage Borough in the 2007 FA Trophy final.

Current U’s team-mate Damian Batt, meanwhile, was on Stevenage’s books at that time but endured personal anguish under the arch, as he was forced to watch from the sidelines having suffered injury a fortnight before the game.

Three years on, speaking about his desire to avoid a repeat performance when Oxford take on York City in this weekend’s Blue Square Premier play-off final, Creighton said: “It wasn’t the greatest day so myself and Beano (Constable) have got unfinished business.”

Right-back Batt will also be hoping this match can ease some of the frustration he has harboured over the last three years.

He added: “I was unlucky that I got injured two weeks beforehand, so I was unhappy not to play. I had to watch from the stands.

“I’m not a good watcher anyway, but watching at Wembley was worse. I was out for nine months but, touch wood, it will be nice to play there this time.”

Batt and Creighton are two components of an Oxford defence that has shipped just one goal in their last eight matches.

Speaking about the team’s resilience ahead of facing the Minstermen, Creighton added: “We’re pleased as a team with how we’ve been defensively lately.

“Keeping clean sheets, obviously, is a lot down to your back four and your goalkeeper but, all over the pitch, if everybody’s working hard and doing their jobs, it makes it so much harder for teams to break us down. And that’s what we’ve done.

“We’ve got a good work ethic at the club and it just flows through the team and makes our job a lot easier.”

With Oxford hoping to take as many as 40,000 fans to Wembley, Creighton believes the atmosphere will be better than that generated at their own Kassam Stadium during the second leg of their play-off victory over Rushden and Diamonds.

He said: “Last Monday, I thought we were excellent and I think the fans appreciated that we were good and thoroughly deserved to go through. The final will be fantastic and like Monday times ten.”

Oxford boss Chris Wilder, meanwhile, has reported a clean bill of health in his camp, saying: “I don’t think there will be too many surprises in our team, or in either team.”