KARL Robinson feels it is unfair to focus on the quality of Oxford United’s opposition during their climb up the Sky Bet League One table.

The U’s have won nine of their last ten matches in the third tier, with every victory coming against a side who were in the bottom half at the time.

United’s only defeat was at Doncaster Rovers, who were then third in the table and have since dropped to fifth.

Robinson, however, believes that claims the U’s are flat-track bullies are missing the point.

“If we’d beaten Charlton and lost to two teams below us we wouldn’t have this label, but we’d be worse off,” the U's head coach said.

“We’ve played Ipswich and Hull at home and drawn with them, so I think it’s an unfair criticism.

“Big games are defined by very fine margins and we feel we’ve not had the rub of the green in certain games.

“We've not been way off it, it was very small, individual errors.

“I don’t think the players deserve that label and it’s not something we’ll worry about.”

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Six of United’s next eight games are against teams they would consider promotion rivals, starting with Saturday’s trip to Ipswich Town.

The U’s, who are eighth, have claimed just nine out of a possible 33 points against the top half this season, compared to 34 from 45 in their meetings with the bottom 12.

That does not worry Robinson, who feels United’s performances against the front-runners are more important.

He said: “It’s a very narrow-minded comment.

“Let’s be totally honest – we were dominant at Lincoln and Doncaster away and every shot they had seemed to go in.

“The home games against Sunderland and at Peterborough (in September and October respectively) were the only two games we looked way off our normal level.

“When we started this run, everybody was above us.

“As you get up the table there’s fewer teams above you.”