OXFORD United’s players are fully aware they are in a battle to stay up, according to Wes Thomas.

The striker came off the bench to score his 11th goal of the campaign, but Shrewsbury Town won 3-2 in the Easter Monday clash in Shropshire.

While United could take some credit from the way they worried the automatic promotion-chasing Shrews in the latter stages, it was an eighth defeat in 12 games.

With the gap to the drop zone in Sky Bet League One cut to four points, Thomas acknowledged it was getting serious.

“We are in a relegation fight at the moment,” he said.

“I think (before) we probably didn’t want to think about it too much, but we need to look at it now because we don’t want it to go down to the last couple of games.”

He added: “You’re paid to score goals, so I’m happy to get one, but it’s frustration again. We’re not safe, so it’s come to nothing.

“We can’t just keep saying ‘we were a bit unlucky’.”

Shrewsbury are having a terrific season on a modest budget, but their win took them a massive 35 points ahead of United.

Thomas said: “I think we’ve got better players than them in their team, but they’re playing with a lot of confidence and intensity that seems to be working for them.

“We need to add more to the team and get it into the right areas more. We’re looking for an extra pass and then it’s breaking down.”

Thomas’s goal came from pouncing on a loose ball in the penalty area, but not for the first time in his three games in charge, Karl Robinson was left bemoaning his side’s reluctance in the final third.

The head coach said: “Do you know what we need to learn to do? Cross the ball, or shoot.

“When Shrewsbury get into the final third they ask a question of your goalkeeper and we don’t do that enough.

“What’s the point in having a player who’s a goalscorer if we don’t put a cross into the box?”

The result made it 61 goals conceded for United, who have kept just one clean sheet in 14 games.

Centre back Rob Dickie said: “If you score two goals you usually expect to come away with something.

“The second goal was a massive deflection, but we have to take it on the chin and move on.”