WILL the real Oxford United please stand up?

The past week has summed up the season perfectly – after becoming the first team to beat promotion contenders Bradford City, the U’s promptly lost to rock-bottom Coventry City.

Had they won at the Ricoh Arena, United would be sitting in the Sky Bet League One play-offs, just ahead of tomorrow’s hosts Port Vale.

Instead, the 2-1 defeat means they lie in mid-table, equidistant from the top six and bottom four.

United are not the only side grappling with the issue of consistency – the congested table suggests results have been unpredictable in the opening third of the campaign.

But head coach Michael Appleton has warned his side they cannot continue to blow hot and cold and expect to stay in contact with the leading pack.

“I think we’ve had a few occasions now where we’ve got ourselves in a position to really kick on and it hasn’t happened,” he said.

“There will be a time when you stop getting those opportunities.

“We just have to make sure we look into everything we do – how we approach every game, the players we pick and make sure when we get those opportunities in the next 15 games we take them more often than not.”

There is always the risk of results being mixed for sides promoted into a higher division.

But the key source of frustration for United is the issue is not down to a lack of quality.

Of the last four games, they have beaten Bolton Wanderers and Bradford, who are in the top-three, while losing to Coventry and AFC Wimbledon.

Appleton said: “We have a lot of young players and you hope they learn quickly.

“A lot of the stuff we’re talking about is the mental side of the game, rather than ability.

“We will grow as a team but to be successful you have to pick up points in difficult situations for that belief to continue.

“I don’t think the belief will ever go away from this group, but I know when you’re involved in successful sides they find a way of winning sometimes.

“To get that you need a run of five or six (good results) on the bounce.

“It is about putting a run together and we have to do it sooner rather than later.

“The players are aware of that.”

If the missing ingredient is a talent for digging out results when not in top form, Appleton believes a leaf could be taken from tomorrow’s opponents.

He said: “They’re a strong side who can get something out of games when they’re not playing particularly well.

“From the reports I had, Charlton played well on Tuesday, but Port Vale came away with something (a 1-1 draw).

“It’s a lesson we can learn.

“From their coaches’ point of view if they know they have a group of players who will be up for it every single game it’s a bonus.”