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Appleton thrilled after win

Image: Michael Appleton: Delighted with the win

Oxford boss Michael Appleton saluted his two goalscorers after the U's hit back from a goal down to beat Carlisle 2-1.

The result was a massive boost to Oxford's survival hopes, but leaves Carlisle - who had Troy Archibald-Henville sent off in the second half - in trouble. Paul Corry put the Cumbrians in front on nine minutes with a long-range free-kick that was badly misjudged in the wind by keeper Ryan Clarke, but Oxford recovered with Patrick Hoban scoring his first goal for the club, on his 13th start, on 38 minutes. And on-loan striker Kyle Vassell hammered home a brilliant winner on 80 minutes, five minutes after coming on as a sub. Appleton said: "Kyle's was a bit of a wonder strike really. "He scored a goal and he looked a threat on other occasions too. "With Patrick's goal it was a brilliant ball in from Kemar Roofe . . . it was a real goalscorer's goal. "Maybe it was a brave decision to play him again today, but there are certain things he brings to the team that we didn't have at the start of the season, and which the other players really appreciate too, and that's important. "We're just as frustrated as he is that he hasn't got the goals that he wanted." Appleton added: "It was a massive win for us. "My overriding emotion is one of delight, obviously, but I thought the character we showed to come back as we did, and dominate, was fantastic. "We started really brightly, and to go behind to a goal like that was disappointing, to put it mildly. "But to come back as we did with some really good football was very pleasing. "At half time I asked the players to just keep believing. "If I'm being honest, I'm not too sure if I wanted the sending-off really. Against 10 men last week they just put men behind the ball, and it didn't help us. But you can see why Carlisle haven't drawn many games this season, because even with a man down, they kept going for it." Carlisle manager Keith Curle kept his players locked in the dressing room for more than an hour after the game, but he insisted afterwards that he had not read the riot act. "It was about giving them information, not reading the riot act. "I'm not the kind of manager or coach to throw tea cups, but the players know I'm not happy. "Today we had to do the ugly side of the game first and foremost, and we didn't do that. "We were lucky to be 1-0 up because they started much better than us. "The pitch didn't really suit either team, but on that kind of surface you have to be playing in and around the opposition's third of the pitch, and we didn't do that enough. "It wasn't about individuals today. As a team we didn't do the basics right. We didn't start off by doing the horrible side of the game and that made it difficult for us from then on."

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