JOE Skarz wants Oxford United to make up for lost time tomorrow after missing their first target of the season.

Defeat in midweek saw Michael Appleton’s men collect seven points from their latest five-game block.

It is the only time in this campaign they had fallen short of their eight-point aim.

Although strong returns in previous blocks mean United are well ahead of their initial goal, which would net a playoff place, Skarz wants to make amends when the next section starts at home to Accrington Stanley.

He said: “We’re disappointed we’ve not reached our eight points from five games, but we’ll analyse what we could have done better.

“But we’re ahead of schedule for our target after 30 games, that’s where we want to be.

“We will go on to the next five games and look to get nine, ten, 11 points.

“Accrington is a massive game, but this is what we want to play in.

“They drew on Tuesday and everyone is playing for a lot of things now, so the stakes are high and these are the games all the lads want to play in.”

Defeat to Northampton Town left them 12 points behind the leaders with a third of the season remaining.

United’s strategy has been to keep targets short-term, but Skarz did not think the gap meant it was impossible to win the Sky Bet League Two title.

“Definitely not,” the left back said.

“They are top of the league and are quite far ahead of us now, but we’ll keep going.”