Chris Wilder is looking for his Oxford United side to kick-on in the second-half of the season as they seek to crank up their npower League Two promotion bid, starting with the televised Boxing Day game against AFC Wimbledon.

Although the U’s moved up to eighth with a 2-0 victory against Northampton last weekend, Wilder – now in his fourth year at the club – said his side had not done as well as he expected.

“I’m a little bit disappointed because I think we should be higher,” admitted Wilder.

“But there’s certain things that have contributed to that; we possibly haven’t been as clinical in front of goal as we should have been in the early part of the season and I think the injuries have hit us in the last month massively.

“So, I think those two aspects of the game – one that we can affect and one that we can’t.

“I think generally our play has been very good and generally we have looked pretty solid.

“And, apart from the Crawley game, there has been no team that has taken us apart like they did. We have competed in every game.

“We’re two points off the play-offs and there’s a lot of football to be played.

“We’ve got a lot of home games coming up – 13 out of the last 23 games are at home – we have lost once at home this season and that will play a major part.

“We feel we can get better and kick-on in the second half of the season.”

Meanwhile, Wilder said it was important that his side kept up the momentum over the festive period following the success against the Cobblers.

He added: “It was an important victory for us. It wasn’t a spectacular one. It was a workmanlike performance, keeping a clean sheet and showing good signs going forward.

“And the players that have come back after being injured, (Tom) Craddock and (Alfie) Potter, and with Liam Davis back in, so good signs overall.

“We never turn three points down. There’s bits and pieces in the game you want to be better with, but I always thought that once we got the first goal that we would go on and win the game.

“We were a little bit disappointed that we only scored two goals on Saturday because we had some other chances.

“But I’m sure with a bit more belief and confidence we’ll be better going forward.

“We have re-focused since we had the break and it’s now important we give ourselves the ability to win games from being solid at the back and I think we have been ever so solid in our last two games.

“And hopefully, at the top of the pitch, we can get ourselves going.”