THE end to a marathon month is in sight, but Karl Robinson says anyone who thinks Oxford United will have it easy tomorrow is clueless.

A run of three straight wins has revived a promotion campaign which was under threat of collapsing under the weight of their fixture congestion.

The head coach admitted he would probably have settled on February 1 for 13 points from their eight games in Sky Bet League One.

Also read: Karl Robinson seeking to agree transfer window policy with Oxford United's board

But having reached that total already, United will be desperately disappointed not to reach 16 tomorrow.

They host a Southend United side seemingly passing time before relegation to League Two.

Sol Campbell’s men have lost more league games and conceded more goals than any side in the top six tiers of English football.

United won November’s reverse meeting 4-0 and are back in form, but Robinson is adamant the hosts will slip up if they take the fixture lightly.

“It’s a massive game,” he said.

“We have to be at our best. I want to win again, properly, but we have to respect the opposition.

Also read: Pre-match nerves at Oxford United are very welcome for George Thorne

“Everyone will be talking a load of rubbish about what the score’s going to be or what we’re going to do.

“It’s stupid, it’s totally disrespectful, because winning games of football is hard.

“They’re coming to a team who they know on their day can be so exciting, but equally our style creates mistakes.

“With all of the bookies I’m sure the odds will be massively in our favour, but we still have to perform and run around.

“They didn’t play on Tuesday, we did.”

You do not have to have followed United for too long to be fearful when the odds appear stacked too much in their favour.

Few teams have troubled them so consistently in the past than Southend, either.

But other than superstition, the strongest argument against a home win could well be fatigue.

Also read: ‘Mobile’ Oxford United will be difficult – Southend boss Sol Campbell

Having strained themselves in recent weeks, United’s players need one more big effort before having the luxury of two days off after tomorrow.

Robinson said: “It’s our ninth game in 29 days and it asks so many questions of my players.

“There will be no team playing under this fatigue that we’re playing under.

“But we are just so desperate to win.”

When talking about a month which will be remembered for years to come, the head coach hailed the unseen work done by those in the background.

He said: “It’s important I speak about the staff, because the lads have just got to turn up and run around.

“But the staff prepare for three or four days for each game, so on the Friday night before the Ipswich game they were looking at Accrington.

“It’s been one of the most difficult months of my whole time.

“It will be a time I’ll look back in years to come when someone will say ‘you’ve got eight games in a month’, but I’ll be able to say ‘I did nine once’.

“We’ve just got to make sure we get this period right and it’s one big push.”