PORT Vale boss Neil Aspin says his side have “no chance” of beating Oxford United in the Emirates FA Cup tonight if they repeat last weekend’s performance.

The new manager had inspired the Sky Bet League Two strugglers to three victories on the spin, but the run was emphatically ended by a 3-0 loss at home to Swindon Town on Saturday.

Aspin, who spent a decade with Vale as a player, has a simple warning for his squad: improve or United will cruise through.

He told the Stoke Sentinel: “If we play like we did on Saturday we have no chance.

“If we play our best and play like we did in the Exeter game (a 1-0 win), then we are capable of giving them a good test.

“We have to have our more creative players doing more on the ball than they did on Saturday, they need to keep it better than they did.

“There has to be a massive improvement just for us to have any chance in the game.”

It is only seven months since the Valiants were playing United in Sky Bet League One, losing 2-0 at the Kassam Stadium on Easter Monday.

But relegation has opened a gap between the sides.

Aspin said: “I have seen them play, they have good players, they keep the ball well, they pass it and, from watching them, I would say they are definitely better than the level we are playing at.

“If they play at their best, they will be a difficult proposition for us, but my thoughts at the moment are purely that we have to get back to working hard.”