SIMON Eastwood has urged Oxford United to avoid losing focus on what really counts in the next three weeks.

Karl Robinson’s side face an Emirates FA Cup replay at Forest Green Rovers next Tuesday, while tomorrow they are in the draw for the Checkatrade Trophy second round.

But between now and the Trophy tie they face three hugely important clashes in Sky Bet League One.

Gillingham visit the Kassam Stadium on Saturday, followed by meetings with Bradford City and Rochdale.

The latter side are the highest-placed of the trio, in 16th, which offers United an opportunity to finally end their three-month stay in the relegation zone.

And Eastwood was quick to stress which was the most important.

“I think the club sometimes gets a bit side-tracked with cup games,” the goalkeeper said.

“We’ve picked up recently in the league and at the start of the season with the Man City game (in the Carabao Cup) it almost took the attention away from where we should be really concentrating.

“You can play a couple of FA Cup games to get through and everyone’s delighted, but when it comes to mid-May all everyone remembers is where you finish in the league.

“It’s the league that’s 100 per cent the main priority and the three games we’ve got coming up are big.

“We’re playing teams around us and these are our chances to pull away and get a bit of a gap opened up.”

United are on a seven-game unbeaten run in all competitions, which has coincided with Eastwood’s return from a two-month lay-off.

The U’s stopper, short-listed for League One player of the month in October, is delighted the return to action after a dislocated finger has been so smooth.

He said: “I’ve been given quite a bit of credit recently with the player of the month nomination.

“But it’s good to come into a team where you’re settled and people feel like they know my game. It just feels like I haven’t been away.

“I can’t bend the finger as fully as I’d like, but I do 45 minutes of rehab every day.

“I’m still cautious of it before training and games, but once it starts it’s the last thing on my mind and I just get on with it.”