IF Michael Appleton needed a reminder of how far both he and Oxford United have come in 12 months, then tomorrow’s visit to Field Mill should do the trick.

It is almost exactly a year since the U’s got dragged into an awful long ball battle away to Mansfield Town.

The hosts were painfully average, but bagged three points when Adam Murray’s late run was not tracked, allowing the midfielder – now the Stags boss – to blast a late winner.

Appleton, who left a hole in the perspex surrounding the bench, came out for his post-match interviews muttering “we won’t forget this”.

A year on, the U’s boss will cut a very different figure on the touchline.

“I won’t forget it because (the bench) probably cost me a couple of hundred quid,” he said.

“Apparently we ended up paying, but it was an expensive day from my point of view.

“It was a big learning curve because I wasn’t particularly happy with the way the game went.

“I thought we did ever so well to get back in it, but to lose the game with some real basic errors – they are the type of things we’ll remind the players of this weekend, because if we get the basics right we’ve got enough ability to win games.

Oxford Mail:

  • Michael Appleton next to the damaged bench at Mansfield Town last season

“I’m certainly a lot more prepared, because of the time I’ve had to spend behind the scenes making sure we have the right people in place on and off the field.”

With the exception of a couple of frosty post-match encounters, Appleton was always accommodating during interviews last season.

But there has been a noticeable change in his demeanour since the end of the last campaign.

He said: “I think the fact I’m more relaxed comes down to a lot of things.

“We had a good break over the summer, from a recruitment point of view it went quite well, we got the majority of players in we asked for and before the first day of pre-season and within the culture we’re trying to build there’s that trust.

“I have got trust in the group, we’ll have slaps in the face but can we deal with it and bounce back quickly, I suppose a bit like we did at Luton.”

United’s Kenilworth Road comeback last Saturday, scoring twice in the final ten minutes to salvage a 2-2 draw, preserved an unbeaten run which stretches back to March.

Before the game Appleton received a big cheer from the travelling supporters on his way across the pitch to the dugouts.

It was a welcome which was not always seen last season and the feelgood factor increased with an entertaining 3-1 home win over Notts County on Tuesday night.

It means for the first time during his reign, United’s head coach is keen to ensure expectations are kept under control.

Appleton said: “I think everyone at the club is in a good place at the moment – certainly the players are and I think the fans are as well.

“It’s just making sure we keep a lid on that and making sure we don’t get carried away with anything.

“I think we’ve made a solid start to the season, which is a big improvement on last year.

“We’ve just got to make sure we continue to do that on Saturday against Mansfield.”