DOZENS of extra police officers will be out in force for York City's crunch clash with Oxford United on Saturday.

Uniformed officers, police horses and special constables have all been drafted in, with a bumper crowd of about 5,500 expected as City attempt to reach the Conference play-offs.

The police are keen to prevent a flare-up of the disorder which broke out after the two teams met at Oxford's Kassam Stadium, in September last year.

It led to eight York City fans being given three-year football banning orders.

Chief Inspector Dave Hall, of York police, who is in charge of the operation, said: "We are going to have a more significant police presence at the game because of the recent history and because of the high-profile level of the game. We want to ensure everybody has a good day and there is no trouble or silliness."

He said he did not know how many extra officers there would be in total. "It will be more than we would normally have on at York, that's for sure," he said.

He said Saturday's fixture was an all-ticket match and had the potential to attract a capacity crowd.

He said horses from West Yorkshire Police's mounted section would also be at the game.

One public order unit - with police officers in riot gear - will be on standby. There will be extra officers in the ground and the city centre.

He said: "We've got some special constables coming in to help as well. We're making sure we've got the right level of resources.

"It's a deterrent more than anything else because, if trouble makers see the right level of policing, they are going to think twice.

"It's going to be a great occasion and, hopefully, it will be a great football match. I'm sure we've got it all covered."

He said he hoped visiting fans would come to York to enjoy the game.

Sophie McGill, York City's communications and community director, said: "We don't anticipate there are going to be any problems, and certainly we've never experienced any issues in or around the ground.

"It's likely the crowd will be around 5,500, which is nearly 3,000 more than we regularly get, so the police have been in to provide us with extra resources. They have been very supportive and worked closely with us on this game."

She said up to 1,000 away fans were expected to travel up from Oxford.

She said: "They are obviously in high spirits because they have already secured a place in the play-offs and we are trying to get a point to get there too, which is where the level of support has come from."