MICHAEL Appleton has challenged his Oxford United squad to banish their relegation concerns for good with a strong showing over the Easter weekend.

A 2-1 victory against Carlisle United on Saturday eased drop fears around the club, by opening up an eight-point cushion over the bottom two.

It took them to 46 points in Sky Bet League Two, ahead of tomorrow’s visit to title contenders Wycombe Wanderers and Easter Monday’s home clash with York City.

Back-to-back victories over Easter would certainly end any lingering fears, while even a four-point haul would see the U’s reach the symbolic 50-point mark.

  • Latest United news:

Appleton is aiming to do more than just scrape to survival over the final seven games, but made it clear everyone was aware the first goal – reaching safety – could be achieved by Monday night.

“The players aren’t daft, they know that,” he said.

“Without a doubt, why put ourselves under pressure when you’ve got an opportunity to get it done and dusted ASAP?

“More importantly, they’re looking forward to coming up against a (Wycombe) side that look as if they’re going to get promoted.

“We’ve tested ourselves against a couple of sides up there over the last two or three weeks with Shrewsbury (2-0 defeat), Bury (1-0 win) and Plymouth (0-0) and done well.”

He added: “Carlisle was a big win, but let’s see if we can go and finish the job off over the Easter weekend.”

Kyle Vassell, who came off the bench to score the winner last weekend on debut, agreed.

The striker, 22, is aiming for a repeat of the outcome from his only other experience of a relegation battle.

He said: “When I was about 18 I was on loan at Staines and it was a similar situation.

“The team shouldn’t have been where they were in the league.

“The boys were brilliant and we were out of it within a couple of weeks.

“Fingers crossed it can be the same situation here.

“If we adopt that attitude and not dwell on wins, but keep our heads down and keep trying to win the next game, hopefully we’ll be out of it straight away.”