ALFIE Potter admitted it was a big blow for everyone at Oxford United to see James Roberts limp off on Saturday.

The 18-year-old went down clutching his left hamstring as he stretched to keep a pass from Potter in play an hour into Saturday’s 0-0 draw with AFC Wimbledon in Sky Bet League Two.

Roberts immediately signalled to the bench and looked devastated as he was helped down the tunnel at the Kassam Stadium.

The timing could hardly have been worse for the teenager, who had gone from promising talent to first-team regular thanks to three goals in the previous two games.

Latest United news:

United expect to know more today about how long Roberts will take to recover from the injury.

Potter, no stranger to the treatment room himself, backed the striker to return before too long, but acknowledged it was a setback for both player and team.

He said: “Everyone’s gutted for him, he’s been on fire and we’ve been buzzing for him.

“He does (well) day-in, day-out in training and just as he’s got a run in the side that happens.

“He’s just got to stay positive, he’s only young so he will recover quickly and I’m sure he will be back scoring goals.”

Roberts had little opportunity to extend his hot streak before he was forced off.

United saw plenty of the ball, but a combination of a misfiring attack and well-organised defending from the visitors meant it was a game of few clear-cut chances.

The home side only forced two attempts on target, both from Potter which did not look like beating goalkeeper James Shea.

The winger said: “Unfortunately they didn’t trouble the keeper too much.

“I thought we played well and passed the ball, it was just the end product in the final third which let us down a bit.”

The result saw United miss out on a third straight win in all competitions and dropped them one place to 19th in the table.

But Potter feels progress is being made by United, who have now collected ten points from six league games and won in the FA Cup since being hammered 5-1 at Cambridge United last month.

He said: “It is a positive run.

“We were down in the bottom two before that so we are slowly getting there.

“If we had drawn at York and beaten Wimbledon it would be the same total of points, but everyone would’ve been happier.”

  • Do you want alerts delivered straight to your phone via our WhatsApp service? Text NEWS or SPORT or NEWS AND SPORT, depending on which services you want, and your full name to 07767 417704. Save our number into your phone’s contacts as Oxford Mail WhatsApp and ensure you have WhatsApp installed.