CHRIS Wilder has warned his players that today could be a long day.

The Oxford United boss saw his side produce a superb display for the opening half-hour against Crewe on Saturday.

But a woeful 60 minutes followed, and a last-minute goal for the visitors saw United’s six-game unbeaten run end with a 1-0 defeat.

And Wilder admitted he could not get his head around how the same group of players could produce such contrasting performances.

The only consolation for the U’s was that they actually moved up a place in the League Two table with Gillingham, who United were level with on goal difference, losing 2-0 at Shrewsbury.

But even that was of no real significance to Wilder, who was not impressed by the manner that his side’s unbeaten run ended.

“For half an hour we were in complete control against a good side,” he said.

“And then we seemed to lose all belief.

“That was possibly because the players felt we should have been in front, but we have to be better than that.

“There was just no service from front to back and all the things we did so well in the first half that caused them so many problems, we just stopped doing in the second half.

“Maybe we should have said that it isn’t our day and take a 0-0 draw, but we have chased it and for the second time late on in two home games we have not done our job properly on that (right) side and we have been punished.

“We get done with the sucker punch, nobody tracks the runner and all the hard work over the last six weeks or so is undone.”

And United’s boss warned the players that they will see their downfalls in training today.

“We will go through the things that were wrong with the players in training on Monday – it could be a long day.”

Going into the game, all the talk was about James Constable and the two bids that the U’s had rejected from Swindon Town.

The striker received a huge ovation from the home crowd when his name was read out before kick-off, and almost scored on a couple of occasions in the first half.

But like so many of his teammates, it was a different story in the second half.

“The front three in the first half were unplayable with their movement and link-up play,” Wilder said.

“But in the second half they were all poor.

“It’s certainly a game where we have been right up there in terms of some of our standards, and then right down there in terms of some of our other play.

“And it is really frustrating as we had been on a good run.

“We have lost and moved up a place, so that shows you how tight it is, but that’s no consolation at all.”