Sam Slocombe says Oxford United must refocus quickly from their midweek cup upset if they are to get a positive result against fellow fancied side Luton Town today.

The U’s made waves on Tuesday night by thrashing Brentford 4-0 in the Capital One Cup.

But the priority is building a successful campaign in Sky Bet League Two and the visit to Kenilworth Road is an early test of their credentials.

For Slocombe, the ability to quickly move on from such a high and reproduce a similar level of performance is vital for teams who want to be at the sharp end.


The U’s goalkeeper said: “You’ve got to deal with the ecstasy very quickly and drop down to hopefully regain that level.

“If you went high-low-high-low through the season you’d maybe finish mid-table.

He added: “We can take positives (from the Brentford game) – the way we passed the ball with a high intensity, our defensive shape and the patience we had when they had possession, because there will be times where you have to allow them to have the ball.

“We went out with real purpose and enjoyed doing the horrible things, which is the sign of a good team.

“But we have to be very aware Saturday will be a very different game.

“Tuesday was a great performance, but that’s gone now.”

While United were winning at Griffin Park, Luton were also knocking out a Championship side, as they won 3-1 at home to Bristol City.

Michael Appleton believes the key to the game may lie with which side can get back to business most effectively – something the U’s boss attempted within minutes of the final whistle in west London.

He said: “I think it will come down to who deals with getting back to it all being about the league.

“It’s down to the players.

“It’s very easy for me to bring the players back down to earth, because we did it straight after the game, our thoughts very quickly went on to Luton.”

Slocombe, who signed in the summer, enjoyed getting his first taste of United’s away fans in midweek and another large travelling contingent will turn up again this afternoon.

He said: “The away fans usually bring a great atmosphere and I guess going 3-0 up inside 11 minutes obviously helped.

“They were very vocal and supportive, and for us to give back something so quickly in the game was nice.

“As long as they give the other keeper as much stick as I’ll get from their fans I’ll be happy.”