We're big outsiders - Wilder

The U’s boss says his team will do everything they can to secure a top-five position, but fans need to be realistic.

The midweek results, when all the top teams, apart from Torquay, won, showed how difficult the task will be because the gap stretched again.

And after Saturday’s televised home game against The Gulls, Wilder’s men have eight of their remaining `12 games away.

“People are going to start looking at us now for the play-offs, but we’re still massive outsiders,” Wilder said after last weekend’s 1-0 win over Mansfield.

It was Torquay who ended Oxford’s FA Cup hopes, and Darren Patterson’s reign as manager.

The 2-0 defeat at Plainmoor in the competition’s second round indicated to Kelvin Thomas and other directors that a change was needed, and by bringing in Wilder, they have brought the club fresh impetus and someone the supporters believe in.

Torquay are, on paper, the most difficult side Oxford have faced at home under their new manager, though they have stuttered laterly, losing 2-1 at Kettering last Saturday, and then only drawing 3-3 at home to Forest Green on Tuesday.

However, they fought back from 3-1 in that match, and dominated the second half, which will have boosted confidence.

Torquay boss Paul Buckle praised his players for the way they fought back, saying their attitude was superb.

“When things are going against you, you've got to dig in and show some fight and we've got that in abundance,” he said.

“I'm proud of all the players, we absolutely annihilated Forest Green in the second half, and there was only one team in it.”

Matches between Oxford and Torquay nearly always bring goals.

It was 1-1 in the league meeting at Plainmoor last October, when the U’s at last broke their Setanta duck.

Last season it finished 3-3 at the Kassam Stadium – Yemi Odubade bagging a brace to put Oxford three up at half-time – and 3-2 to Torquay in Devon.

But this United team are made of sterner stuff at the back. They have not conceded two goals in a league game since Wilder’s first match in charge.

And even when they have fallen behind or not managed to break through in a tight game, they still believe they can earn victory in the end.

Centre half Luke Foster said: “There’s a belief among the squad now where, even if we go behind or we’ve not started the best, we think we’ve got enough about us now to get back into it and feel comfortable about getting something from the game.

“Teams coming here take notice [of that] and other teams are watching out for us.”

Buckle’s side, FA Trophy finalists and play-off semi-finalists last season, have familiar faces, of course, in ex-U’s players Chris Har-greaves, Matt Green, Tim Sills and Lee Mansell.

Hargreaves is the captain and Mansell has played every game this season at right back.

Sills, who has struck 16 goals this season, is the target man and it’s a question of whether Green starts up front or whether Buckle plumps for Elliot Benyon, the former Bristol City striker who came off the bench to get both goals against Oxford in the FA Cup.

Green looks to be in pole position, having hit a cracking goal against Forest Green.

“Torquay’s a good test for the team, a good test of character,” Foster said.

“It’s always going to be a nice little battle if Greeny plays. I lived with him when he was down here.

“We’ve got to keep our head on the game, and keep disciplined, and I fancy us getting a win against anyone at the moment.”

And what about the play-offs?

“We’d be fools to start talking about it now, anything can happen,” Foster insisted.

“Obviously we’re in a good position, but at the end of the day we’re still a few points off and you’ve got to be realistic . . . if the teams win the games in hand – which we’re hoping they don’t – we might be too far off. But we can’t do anything else than keep winning and keep progressing like we are.”