Exeter City assistant manager Kevin Nicholson feels the Grecians are in a good place in which to attack their FA Cup third round clash with Oxford United on Saturday but they must start cutting out the errors that are costing them in League One.

The Grecians have lost their last two games against leaders Wycombe Wanderers and Bolton Wanderers by a 2-1 scoreline with Wycombe’s winner and both Bolton goals coming in the closing stages of the game.

At Wycombe, it was a dubious penalty awarded for a controversial ‘handball’ by referee Scott Simpson, while Bolton’s 88th minute equaliser and stoppage time winner were both avoidable goals. They have tainted an otherwise good festive period for the Grecians, whose performances have generally been very good.

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“Our Christmas period as a whole, we have seen a lot of stuff that stuff we are really happy with and we have controlled games. I thought against Bolton, it was the most in control we have been against a team of that stature” Nicholson said.

“With the ball, we dominated for the most part, we were comfortable and created chances and without the ball, it was probably the best we have pressed and the most comfortable we have been, albeit they caused us a few problems with long balls down the sides.

“The hard part is letting the players understand and making sure the players understand how much they did well and how many good things came out of that game, but also, if we are to take the next step and become the team we think we are capable of being, those big moments and bits at the end of games where your thinking has to be clear, your decision-making has to be good, your concentration has to be on it, they are the bits that have let us down.

“We will always win together and lose together and we really need the lads to understand how much good they have done, how far they have come, but also, we are still in a position where everything is on the table in terms of what we want to achieve this season. But we have to make sure that when we find ourselves in those positions again, we see those games out by playing our way.

“That’s not kicking the ball as far as we can and hoping for the best, that’s being brave to play and making clear, proper decisions, so if we are playing long, we play long with quality and into an area that is a problem for the opposition to defend. We are not just kicking nd hoping and getting loose.

“We know that has cost us in the last couple of games and it is really disappointing but, at the same time, when we sit down and debrief – as we have done – we know that there is a whole lot of good that has come out of this period and we’ve done a lot of things right.”

With the break from the league, City go into tomorrow’s Cup clash as underdogs to an Oxford team that are fighting well for survival in the Championship, following their promotion from League One through the play-offs in May.

Their place in that was achieved by winning 2-1 at Exeter on the final day of the season, although the Grecians pushed them hard that day and were unfortunate not lose. Tomorrow will act as a good marker to see how far Exeter have come since that day and how they can compete against Championship opposition.

“We know that we are doing a lot of things well and we know we have come a long way in a lot of areas, but we are never willing to sit back and say: ‘well isn’t that great’ because we want more.

“We want more for these players and the opportunity that’s there and we want them to go and take it and have no regrets at the end of the week, at the end of the month, or the end of the season.

“We want to feel the excitement, we want to feel the history and we want to know the opportunity that we have got to create more history and more opportunity and to be able to sit and watch that fourth round draw with real excitement. But with all that said and done, we have to real it right back to just making sure that we are ready for what’s coming.

“They are a good team, they have good players and a manager who has been there, seen it and done it, so it’s business as usual for us, but with a whole load of stuff on the outside that you want the fanbase to enjoy and you want to enjoy yourself at some point. The best way to do that is to get a result and beat Oxford.”