THE presence of Andy Whing back in the Oxford United side has prompted other players to raise their game, according to Michael Collins.

Groin surgery during the summer meant Whing had to wait until last weekend for his first start of the campaign.

The team had just lost 5-1 at Cambridge, where the midfielder featured as a substitute, but with him in the starting line-up United have won their last two games.

Collins, who is likely to play alongside Whing again at Carlisle United tomorrow, thinks the former Coventry City trainee’s professionalism has not gone unnoticed in the changing room.

  • Latest United news:

He said: “Whingy’s resolute and works hard in training.

“I think that rubs off on the boys; you see somebody who has played higher up in the game still putting in maximum effort in training and games.

“There’s no excuses from anybody else and if you can learn from players like that with the way they go about things and carry themselves then all for the better.

“Playing alongside him it gives me that extra spur that I’ve got to step up and make sure I match the sort of performances that he puts in.

“I can’t give him enough credit considering the period he’s been out.

“I’ve had injuries myself and it’s tough, but hopefully they’re behind him now and he can be a really big player for the rest of the season.”

Whing and Collins have combined well in the last two games to shore up a side which had looked vulnerable to counter-attacks.

Bicester Advertiser:

  • Andy Whing missed the first quarter of the season as he recovered from groin surgery

It was particularly evident during Tuesday’s hard-fought 3-1 win at Northampton Town, where United showed a real appetite for the physical side of the game.

Collins said: “I think you’re now starting to see the ugly side of it that we’re doing a lot better.

“Probably at times this season because we were so dominant in possession, we probably got a little bit sloppy and teams made the most of that.

“But I think we’ve got that little bit of steel in there now.”

And after claiming back-to-back wins for the first time this season, Collins is looking up.

“We’re starting to have a good look at the division and I’ve said it all along, there’s no-one to fear,” he said.

“Nothing that scares me in this division and we’re now starting to believe in ourselves.

“Hopefully that’s a warning for the rest of the division.”

  • Do you want alerts delivered straight to your phone via our WhatsApp service? Text NEWS or SPORT or NEWS AND SPORT, depending on which services you want, and your full name to 07767 417704. Save our number into your phone’s contacts as Oxford Mail WhatsApp and ensure you have WhatsApp installed.