KARL Robinson says he must focus on his Oxford United side, rather than looking over his shoulder at the teams below them in Sky Bet League One.

The 3-1 defeat at home to league leaders Plymouth Argyle last night ensured Robinson’s side remain eight points above the drop zone in the third tier.

A miserable run of form which has yielded just one win from seven matches has seen United tumble down the table.

Despite the poor run of results, head coach Robinson insists focus remain on his own side rather than those below them.

“We’ve got to find a way to dig ourselves out of this moment,” he said.

“Looking behind us, is that going to give us any more? No, it certainly won’t.

“The players can’t work any harder.

“Do we need more confidence, do we need to be more cohesive? Yes and yes.

“Looking down or looking up is naivety from our point of view.

“That’s the same if you’re at the top of the league – do you look at where you are? No. Do you look below? No.

“This team knows it’s better than the current results.”

Pressed on his own future and whether he would be shocked if he was on the outside looking at the club’s fortunes this season, Robinson said he has experienced worse situations during his near 13 years as a manager.

He said: “I’d be surprised that a team that have gotten the experience they’ve got would be in this situation.

“Does the team play better with someone else? Only the future can tell that.

“I’ve done this a long time, there’s been situations in my career that have been way worse than this.

“I’m letting the ones who criticise me down and I’m letting the ones down who say it should be the case that I stay – I’m letting everybody down right now.”

READ MORE: Karl Robinson admires Plymouth Argyle model in getting to the top of League One

On the defeat to Argyle, Robinson was not for the first time this season left frustrated by his side’s lack of quality in the final third.

“It wasn’t a 3-1 game, far from that,” he said.

“I felt in the first half, it was incredibly even.

“I thought the players put everything into it, the effort was certainly there.

“I don’t think right now the fluidity we’ve had in the last few years in the final third – not just the forwards, but the wide areas and full backs – we just don’t have fluidity and ability to keep teams under pressure.

“We don’t have that potency to really hurt teams or that real anger to get in there and score.

“The players are good enough to take the game to teams, just right now they’re playing with that little bit of pressure and fear sometimes.”