CURTIS Nelson admitted Oxford United needed to make improvements, but stressed no-one was hitting the panic button after a second successive defeat.

Walsall ended United’s unbeaten home record in Sky Bet League One with a 2-1 success, a week after Pep Clotet’s men had gone down 3-1 at Blackpool.

Both games had seen the U’s giving themselves a mountain to climb after going 2-0 down.

While Nelson was not overly concerned, there was a frustration the side could not provide a better response to the Blackpool defeat.

He said: “We wanted that bouncebackability that we’ve proved before – dealing with disappointment and getting a result after a loss.

“It’s very disappointing.

“The first goal was a bit fluky with the deflection. On a different day we could have had the deflection go for us, but I still think we’ve got to do better all over.

“I don’t think it’s a case of hitting the panic button or having crisis meetings, it’s not like that at all.

“We put ourselves in a good position in the first six or seven games and I think we’ve shot ourselves in the foot a little bit because we haven’t been able to maintain it.

“But I think the key for us now is to make sure we put it right and go again.”

United have an immediate opportunity to make amends when they visit Bury tomorrow night and as skipper, Nelson has a role to play.

He said: “I’ll send a few messages and we’ve already spoken in the changing room about what needs to happen and what we do next.

“We all know what we need to do and I will reinforce that along with the manager.”