Oxford United may have ended their slump in form with a win on Tuesday night, but there is a lot of work to do before the damage is undone, according to skipper Jake Wright.

The U’s players had an extra spring in their step in training after beating AFC Wimbledon 3-2 to avoid a seventh successive defeat in npower League Two.

Wright was delighted to end the dreadful sequence, but is well aware the result needs to be backed up by a run of good results – starting at home to Gillingham tomorrow.

He said: “We need to build on Tuesday night – it’s one win so it’s not like we’ve turned the corner.

“We’ve had a difficult run and we needed a gritty performance – we showed a lot of bottle to come from 2-1 down.

“We need to carry it on, there’s no point beating Wimbledon and not getting a result at the weekend.”

While the Wombles have struggled this season, the Gills are sure to provide a far stiffer test.

The Kent club have made a flying start to the campaign and a 100 per cent away record has helped send them five points clear at the top of the table.

Wright said: “Wimbledon were a team we were expected to beat – they’ve had a very difficult start as well.

“We need to take the positives from the game, work on the things that went wrong and turn up against Gillingham not expecting to win, but knowing we can win and having that belief.”

One key area for improvement is at the back, with the U’s havng leaked 21 goals in their last eight games.

Wright is likely to have a new partner at centre half, with the ever-present Michael Raynes expected to be ruled out with a hamstring injury.

Harry Worley, who came on as a substitute on Tuesday, is in line to start and his captain is hoping to claim a first clean sheet in the league since August.

Wright said: “We know each other’s games well “I hate conceding goals, embarrassing is a strong word, but it’s something I really don’t like.

“Obviously I want to get a clean sheet, but the most important thing is getting the win.”

l Big match preview: Pages 42-43