JOHNNY Mullins says a victory for Oxford United against Burton Albion today can make all the difference in the race for promotion.

The centre back is aiming for a top-three finish in Sky Bet League Two for the second season running, following success with Rotherham United in the last campaign.

Just like the Millers 12 months ago, the U’s find themselves in the play-offs, but adrift of the teams occupying automatic promotion positions heading into the crucial run-in.

Mullins helped Rotherham to five straight wins, which saw them eventually finish second, and he is in no doubt how important a single result against a promotion rival could be this afternoon.

“We managed to beat Bradford 2-0 away and from then on we felt a little bit invincible, “ he said.

“There was also a 4-1 win at home to Exeter, they are games when afterwards you think ‘we can do this’.

“Without building the game up too much, if we can go into Burton and beat them, then you have that feel-ing.

“Football is all about confidence and once you have it, you feel like you can do a lot more.”

United go into the game on the back of a 3-0 defeat away to another of the sides in the leading pack, Rochdale, last weekend.

Mickey Lewis’ side have taken just one point from their last three games, but a return to the Kassam Stadium is welcome.

They have won their last three home games, their best run in the league for two years, and Mullins knows how vital it is to deliver a response to the Rochdale defeat.

He said: “After losing a game, it’s important you get back in the saddle and win a game.

“We need that winning feeling back, as much as it was only one game it was disappointing in the way that we lost it.

“We’ve got to be positive, which we are.

“There are a lot of similarities with the way that we did it at Rotherham last season, but if we can really start now and kick on then it would stand us in good stead.”