JIM Smith says Oxford United's players now have to show their character to make sure they get into the play-offs after their title hopes disappeared with a second successive home defeat last night.

Although it's not mathematically impossible to catch Dagenham and clinch the one automatic promotion place, the U's boss admitted after the 1-0 defeat by Kidderminster - and another Daggers victory -- that those thoughts had now gone.

The focus from now on will be on ensuring United finish in the top five, he said, to see if they can regain their place in the Football League through the play-offs.

"That's the pressure we've got now - to make sure we get into the play-offs," he said.

"We've got to show our character now and start winning again on Saturday.

"Everyone's got to pull together - the team and the fans, to make sure we stay where we are.

"The focus doesn't change, as such, we've still got to win games."

Smith's own frustration was shown by a confrontation with a linesman, which led to him being sent to the stand.

And he could now face a touchline ban.

It followed an offer to the linesman to take the manager's glasses after a controversial offside decision in the second half went against the home side.

The referee was unimpressed by Smith making fun of his assistant, and ordered the U's boss to watch the rest of the match from the stand.

"I was just having a bit of fun really," he said. "I've never seen an offside like that in my life. There was not one, but two players behind Marvin Robinson."

Kidderminster won the game with a brilliant 30-yard drive from midfielder Simon Russell five minutes from the end.

Billy Turley had earlier saved a penalty to keep Oxford on level terms, but the U's again missed good goalscoring opportunities.

And they now face games next week without key players Rob Duffy and Martin Foster, with Foster also collecting his tenth yellow card of the campaign, which means a two-game ban.

Smith said: "We missed two open goals, and goals change games.

"Yemi had two great chances. One was harder to miss than to score, I would have thought, and that would have changed the game, had that gone in.

"As happens when you're having a bad run, they hit a 'worldie' - though it should have been cleared better than that."