Carlisle legend Hugh McIlmoyle

Regular columnist Hugh McIlmoyle runs the rule over the Oxford performance:

"I enjoyed that - it was as good a match as I've seen for a good while.Oxford are a decent team and they push the ball around well but didn't have much punch up front. We created some really good chances and scored two very good goals. Karl Hawley was very quick to get his shot in for his goal and Raphael Nade took his goal well. It was a good, clean game - neither trainer came on the pitch all match. There was a decent crowd again and we're only four points off the top. Team-wise and confidence-wise it was as good a performance as we've seen.

The Livesey - Basham incident looked a penalty to me. Danny seemed to get the wrong side of Basham and pulled him down. I've seen those given against us many times.

Livesey deserved his Man of the Match award but they all played their part. Westwood's handling was excellent and he commanded his area. Karl Hawley has improved considerably from last season - football is a confidence thing and he is now looking to have a go every time. He had a decent shot late on from a Bridges lay-off. I thought that Michael Bridges has excellent touch and vision but I wonder if he has the appetite for it? It must be hard for someone who has played at the top to perform at this level but he could be a big asset and playing in a winning team will help.

The position we are in is well deserved and the team are gelling together. It's good to see Lumsdon getting back to his old level. It was a really good performance and we are making a lot more chances now. The 4-4-2 formation is good with crosses coming in from both wings - something that terrifies defenders. They can deal with the long, diagonal crosses all day but when a winger get almost to the byline and pings one across then that is hard for them to deal with. It does seem that the fear of relegation has gone which helps the players and now we are reaping the benefits. Things are looking well. The fans made plenty of noise and we had the real Saturday feeling in the Main Stand when everyone leapt to their feet when the goals went in.

It's going to be a real test next week against Wycombe but there should surely be a bumper crowd for that one. I'm looking forward to it."