“If we’d lost one or two of those nine games and won against Portsmouth, we’d be saying the chase is back on.”

In one quote, Karl Robinson summed up how Oxford United’s record-breaking run of victories has skewed expectations.

On December 5, the U’s fell back into the Sky Bet League One relegation zone with a 1-1 draw against Hull City, albeit after a positive display.

Less than three months on, they are five points shy of the play-offs, with games in hand on five teams above them.

United have gained seven points from their five league matches since the record ninth-straight win against AFC Wimbledon on February 2.

Read also: Oxford United top League One since start of December

You would have expected them to beat Bristol Rovers and Wigan Athletic, while hoping for more than one draw from the clashes with Doncaster Rovers, Ipswich Town and Portsmouth.

But if the U’s had not won so many games in a row, their haul from the last five matches would be no more than slightly disappointing.

There are some concerns, such as United’s inability to find the net in their last three games, but the U’s were always going to experience a dip in form.

Now they must show whether eighth in the table is their limit – or if they can mount a sustained play-off challenge.