OXFORD United goalkeeper Ryan Clarke says his manager is right – the team must not let such a great opportunity pass them by.

The U’s are eighth in npower League Two, in their first season back in the Football League, just a point off the play-off places with 15 games to go.

And as they prepare for tomorrow’s match at Morecambe, Clarke believes boss Chris Wilder was right in urging them to go for it, and not be left regretting what might have been.

“The gaffer gave us a bit of a dressing down after the Stevenage game on Tuesday and rightly so as well,” said the 28-year-old.

“The coaching staff have got us in a good position and it’s down to us as individuals to go and win games, which we didn’t do on Tuesday night.

“We’ve got to make sure we do that on Saturday.”

Clarke feels it’s important that United force the issue, rather than wait for events to unfold.

“We’re in a situation where we want things to happen now,” he said.

“The gaffer’s striving for it and we’re striving for it because we want to get promotion.

“No disrespect to this league, but we don’t want to be stuck in this division for another three or four seasons. We want it to happen now, and go up this season if we can.

“I know it’s a bit premature speaking of promotions now, but just going back to last year, the feeling of getting promotion is priceless and any player would be lying if they didn’t want that experience again, and we do.

“It is happening now and it’s down to us as a group to make sure it does.

“We have to give it 110 per cent and at least then, if it doesn’t happen, we can say that we gave it our very best go.”

Wilder says his criticism of the players after Tuesday’s 0-0 draw was simply because he wants to keep standards high.

“I understand that Stevenage do make it messy and a lot of people will say that it was a useful point,” he said.

“I’m not criticising the players’ commitment and effort, but that is standard for me – and they know that. I just want us to show a little bit more.

“It’s not a firing shot across the bows to say ‘We must improve’, though.

“We went into the game off the back of a really good result against Rotherham, so we are in decent nick overall.

“It’s just that I expect standards to be really high and I want to make sure the players know that and we keep to them.”