KARL Robinson argued the only good thing to come out of Saturday would be if Oxford United could use their mauling at Peterborough United as a source of motivation for the rest of the season.

The U’s were well off the pace and Posh tucked in to cruise to a 4-0 win.

Such was their dominance, two of the goals came after Nathan Thompson was sent off in the 63rd minute.

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The visiting players were dragged into work yesterday to go through the game, which will not have made pretty viewing.

Robinson tore into his players in the changing room afterwards and stressed the wretched display cannot be repeated.

He said: “It can’t be forgotten, it has to be a motivation.

“Cameron Brannagan said in the changing room it can’t be something we dwell on, which is right, but equally it can’t be something we brush over.

“It can’t be seen again.”

After an even opening half-hour, Peterborough gained a stranglehold on the game once Siriki Dembele scored on 36 minutes.

It came from a mistake by Brannagan, but by the end most of his teammates had followed suit with uncharacteristic errors.

Robinson used the third goal, when forward Marcus Browne was marking Ivan Toney, who got in to convert a free-kick from the corner of the box, as an illustration of the visitors’ muddled thinking.

He said: “Why is there four in the wall, plus a charger?

“I’m screaming from there ‘why is there five?’ There was a massive gap in the box. It’s basics.”

He added: “We were off it in a lot of areas.

“I’m generally quite supportive of my team, but I don’t think there’s many areas where I can say they did the right things.”

Robinson was hampered in getting his message across as he served a touchline ban – the second in a month – after collecting a fourth yellow card of the season in midweek.

Speaking before the game, he said: “No amount of disciplinary procedure will change me because I care so much and if I feel somebody isn’t doing right by my players I will tell them.

“I know sometimes I do silly things, regrettably, but what I’ve been booked for this season is laughable.”