A PRESSURISED atmosphere at the Kassam Stadium is having an impact on both selection and the type of players Oxford United are looking to recruit, according to Michael Appleton.

Back-to-back home defeats to Shrewsbury Town and Cheltenham Town have dented progress and seen the side booed off by some supporters at the final whistle.

United are on the road tomorrow at Dagenham & Redbridge and it is more than two months since they lost on their travels in Sky Bet League Two.

And Appleton believes at the moment it is easier to blood a young player, like Josh Ashby, in an away game rather than on home soil.

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“I just feel it’s not right to do that to Josh at the minute,” the U’s boss said.

“I wouldn’t want to put him in that situation, so I have to be clever.

“It might be a game away from home we’re doing really well in and all of a sudden I can have that comfort of putting him in there.”

He added: “There almost has to be a realisation of where the club is. “It’s very early days still in a takeover with some really likeminded people who really want to take this club forward.

“If people aren’t clever enough to work that out yet then I can’t control that. “I think we are going in the right direction, but ultimately we’re going to need a bit of support somewhere along the line. “The players are respectful of that but it’s obviously going to make life very difficult if they’re put in an environment which I would say is not conducive to try and win games.”

This is not the first time United have struggled to fulfil their potential at home – last season they collected more points on the road than they managed at the Kassam.

And Appleton, who is looking to build confidence with a win at Dagenham to take into home games against Southend United and Exeter City, believes it has had a knock-on effect.

He said: “They had a very difficult period last year, I sense the frustration and I understand it from the fans’ point of view.

“It weighed heavily on the team last year, from what I’m being told.

“We don’t want that, so obviously we want to try and win on Saturday and then we’ve got two home games.”

It has had consequences for the type of player United are hoping to sign this month, as they prioritise targets with strong personalities.

Appleton drew parallels with his spell in charge at Portsmouth.

He said: “The supporters were fantastic and always got behind the side, but they demanded certain types, it’s a little bit similar to that.

“We’ve got to make sure we have the right players coming into the building who can deal with situations.

“I think it’s a good test for people, because eventually if you can deal with it then you’re likely to be successful rather than fail.”

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