Oxford United have declined a request from Blackpool to speak to head coach Karl Robinson about the vacant managerial position at Bloomfield Road.

The Tangerines, who are 14th in League One, are on the lookout for Simon Grayson's successor following his sacking on February 12.

But Oxford, currently one point outside the play-off positions, are not willing to let Robinson go.

Chairman Sumrith Thanakarnjanasuth said in a statement on Oxford's official website: "When a club is doing well there will always be interest in the manager as well as players; that is inevitable and we thank Blackpool for going through the right procedure.

"Everything has been done properly and we wish them well in their search for a new manager.

"Karl is a central part of what we are building and I hope will be here for many years to come.

"To set the record straight, we spoke to Blackpool yesterday before the game but I didn't want to disturb Karl's pre-match routine.

"It was unfortunate that rumours started coming out just before kick-off, but I rang immediately after the game although Karl was very busy as usual at that time, and by that stage it was 5am in Bangkok and even I need a little sleep sometimes!

"We talked this morning, and we talked a lot about last night's game, an important win, and then about our plans for the rest of the season.

"The team is playing so well right now and we are chasing down the teams above us. It is going to be such an exciting finish and we look forward to facing the challenge together."