VICTORY tonight would see Oxford United cut the difference between them and leaders Northampton Town to six points, but for head coach Michael Appleton the priority is the gap to the sides below.

Results on Saturday meant the U’s have opened a six-point cushion on the play-off pack.

It is an advantage which would be stretched by a win this evening and while a league title would be most welcome, Appleton admits a top-three finish is all that matters.

He said: “The clever person would probably tell you what you want to hear and say getting closer to Northampton (is the aim), but whether you’re first or third it ultimately means the same thing.

“I’m sure Northampton would love to win the league and they’ve given themselves a fantastic opportunity to do that.

“But if you sat down with Chris (Wilder, Northampton boss) and he was really honest I think he’d take anything between one and three, knowing he’d be in League One next season.”

Given the two sides’ positions in the table, all the ingredients are in place for a big night at the Kassam Stadium.

United have enjoyed some memorable midweek games this season and Appleton is backing the club’s supporters to create another spine-tingling atmosphere.

He said: “The fans have been fantastic this year and I’d love them to come out and support the players again tomorrow night.

“It’s interesting because if we take ourselves back to last Tuesday (a 2-2 draw with Mansfield Town), everything was a little bit flat.

“Those first 20 minutes were as bad as we’ve started for a long time.

“But it was a very quiet night compared to some of the Tuesday nights we’ve had.

“Hopefully they will come out in their thousands again and give the players that extra support we’re going to need against a good side.”

Getting a result against Northampton will be a tough task.

Wilder’s men have put together an astonishing run of 12 wins from 13 games to move six points clear.

It began amid concerns over the club’s very existence, when financial problems saw the Players’ Football Association (PFA) have to pay wages.

But a takeover which brought former U’s chairman Kelvin Thomas to the helm has steadied the ship off the field, allowing them to power on.

“I think what Chris has done at Northampton is fantastic and he should be applauded for it,” Appleton said.

“I think what they did very cleverly was turning it on its head.

“It galvanised them as a group and when you do that, it’s us against the world.

“It certainly worked for them and it was a short period – and once they got through it picking up results they got the boost of the investment they needed.

“It’s given them an opportunity to bring some good players in.”