JOHN Mousinho is bidding to help ensure Oxford United avoid another “false dawn” by backing up their New Year’s Day win with another strong display tomorrow.

Blackpool visit the Kassam Stadium, where the U’s claimed a morale-boosting 3-1 victory against Milton Keynes Dons this week.

The squad hope it ended a poor run of results, but they have not won back-to-back games in Sky Bet League One since mid-October.

And the skipper knows all too well United have appeared to turn the corner several times this season before lapsing.

He said: “I think it will probably take a couple of wins to restore the faith.

“Maybe we’ve had a few false dawns already this season in terms of turning performances around and then getting back to it.

“We’re fully aware of that as well, so we need to make sure we don’t get too carried away with a win on Monday.”

After only their third victory in ten home league games – which included the 7-0 hammering by Wigan Athletic – Mousinho understands the side have work to do when it comes to restoring confidence on the terraces.

He said: “I think it was a strange atmosphere (against MK Dons) and the fans were a bit pensive, maybe rightly so.

“From our point of view it can make things a bit nervy on the pitch.

“The majority of the fans are absolutely brilliant.

“I know Aaron Martin and I had a wry smile to each other at half-time thinking ‘it’s great we’re 2-1 up and still getting abuse from certain individuals behind the goal’.

“But that’s part of football, it’s just the way it is. It’s quite funny if anything.”

One common theme of recent games has been United conceding goals from corners.

It has happened in each of their last four fixtures, something which particularly irks centre back Mousinho.

It is not through a lack of work done on the training field, according to the 31-year-old.

“The only thing I can put that down to is individual mistakes,” he said.

“We can work all day on corners, which we do.

“We can put as many set-pieces as we want on the walls, we can tell lads they’re marking this man or that, but ultimately if he gets the jump on you then we’re going to suffer.

“The only thing we can say at the moment is we need a bit more focus and make sure when the ball comes in the box we’re defending as if our lives depend on it.

“If we do that we’ll get there because obviously every time a corner is conceded at the minute there’s a bit of apprehension and we need to cut that out.”