Oxford United: Matt Bloomfield nervous during Watford win

The U’s swatted away the Hornets thanks to a first-half goal from Myles Peart-Harris and a 92nd-minute finish from Mark Harris to pick up a huge three points in their quest for Championship survival.

Oxford dispelled their recent trends of conceding early and dropping points late on as the Yellows boss acknowledged the weight of Saturday’s victory.

“It was crucial today, especially considering the magnitude of the situation that we’re in,” Bloomfield confirmed.

“We have to try and maximise every opportunity, but we’re certainly not getting carried away. We’re still below the line.

Cameron Brannagan celebrates Mark Harris scoring for Oxford United (Image: Oxford United)

“We’ve got a lot of work still to do, but we’re giving ourselves a real chance.

“I think we would have taken that a few games ago to be where we are and still fighting and having given ourselves the opportunity that we have, but…there’s plenty more work still to do.

“I said to the lads before the game, big players, big characters stepped forward and I thought we had a few that really stepped forward today.

(Image: Oxford United)

“The most important thing was getting three points today…but I don’t see how you do that without chasing the performance.

“So the performance today is really satisfying, especially second half.

“[In the] second half, to play with the energy and the intent, I thought there was a real intent about us.

Oxford United’s Ciaron Brown wrestles Watford’s Luca Kjerrumgaard for the ball (Image: Oxford United)

“It would have been obviously very nice to try and get the second a little bit earlier to make it a bit more comfortable because at 1-0, with opposition the calibre of Watford, the individual players that they have, it can turn at any moment.

“Our football intelligence tells us they’re going to have a little spell at some point and at 1-0, one moment can change your afternoon from elation to frustration.

READ MORE: Oxford United’s Jack Currie to undergo surgery on ankle

READ MORE: Oxford United beat Watford with 2-0 Championship victory

READ MORE: Brodie Spencer on ‘most important’ period at Oxford United

“I was a little bit nervous that defending a one-gone lead, there’s just one instant that could go the other way. We wanted to try and get that second and make it more comfortable and obviously it came pretty late. It would have been nice to come back a bit earlier.

United are certainly still in the fight with four more Championship games remaining.

“It certainly looks like a team that believes in each other and in themselves and what they’re doing.

“It takes time to work on these things. The level of our performance in the last couple of months…has been fairly good.

“But you can also lose it as quickly as you can find it. So we have to cherish it, I think, and keep working at it because we don’t want to lose it.”