JOHN Mousinho is determined to become more of a threat from set-pieces next season after breaking his long goal drought.

The Oxford United skipper converted a penalty in the 2-1 victory against Rochdale last weekend.

It was his first goal for almost four years, a significant barren spell for a player who as a youngster could be relied upon for a couple of goals per season.

The 32-year-old put it down to a move away from central midfield, but admitted he needed to improve on converting set-pieces – the only time as a centre back he is around the penalty area.

He said: “When I signed for Burton in 2014 I was playing in midfield and I scored a couple before moving to centre half.

“Since then I’ve not managed to find my scoring boots.

“The majority of goals I’ve scored in my career have been longer range strikes, rather than set-pieces.

“When you’re a centre half it becomes about getting on the end of set-pieces.

“Even at my age it’s something I really need to work on and develop to make sure I become more of a threat.”

He added: “We’ve seen they’ve been massively important this season and since we’ve sorted that out we’ve picked up some points.

“Hopefully it will change next year.”

Mousinho’s penalty helped guarantee United’s status in Sky Bet League One, meaning they have nothing riding on the trip to Blackburn Rovers tomorrow.

He said: “We’ve had a few games over the past few weeks where the pressure has really been on.

“Sometimes it’s been quite nervy, but I think in terms of performance levels we certainly should benefit from not having any league pressure on us.”