TAKING on npower League Two’s form team holds no fears for Chris Wilder this afternoon as Oxford United attempt to halt a slide which has put their play-off place in jeopardy.

The U’s go into the game after suffering back-to-back defeats for the first time in almost six months.

Although Good Friday’s trip to Northampton, where the hosts scored a 91st minute winner, saw a marked improvement on the 2-1 defeat to Morecambe in the previous game, the result was the same.

The task of bouncing back this afternoon is made tougher by the opponents, Torquay United, who have won an incredible 14 games out of 18 since the goalless draw with the U’s on New Year’s Eve.

“Torquay are doing things right, keeping it tight at the back and winning an incredible number of games 1-0,” Wilder said.

“But the game holds no fear for me at all in terms of how we can go about it – if we play well we’ll win, there’s no doubt about it in my mind.”

United’s hiccup has seen their advantage over the sides outside of the play-off positions whittled down to just two points – and the U’s could today find themselves outside of the top seven for the first time since January.

But with four more games to follow Wilder does not believe it will be a decisive afternoon in the race for promotion.

He said: “It’s always the case that you can’t afford to lose too many games now.

“We have to make sure that we get back on track and get a win under our belts to put the pressure on the other teams.”

United will have to make two enforced changes to the starting line-up in the wake of the Northampton game, with Peter Leven ruled out with a leg injury and Michael Duberry suspended.

TODAY’S SQUADS Oxford Utd: from Clarke, Batt, Worley, Wright, Davis, Hall, Whing, Chapman, Morgan, Rendell, Montano, Constable, Pittman, Johnson, Wilson, Tonkin, Capaldi, Brown.

Torquay Utd: from Olejnik, Nicholson, Saah, Oastler, Ellis, Mansell, O’Kane, Morris, Stevens, Lathrope, Howe, Rowe-Turner, Jarvis, Atieno, Rice, MacDonald, McPhee.