KANE Hemmings cannot wait to get cracking after answering Oxford United’s hunt for a goalscorer.

The 24-year-old signed a three-year contract after the U’s paid a fee to Dundee which, while undisclosed, was in six figures.

Hemmings was the second top-scorer in the Scottish Premier League last season, behind Celtic’s Leigh Griffiths, bagging 21 goals in 34 starts.

He netted 25 times in all competitions and is already up and running this season, having scored three times in two Scottish League Cup ties.

But the former Glasgow Rangers and Barnsley frontman was left out of the side which lost 2-1 at Peterhead on Tuesday night and drove down from Glasgow to complete the move yesterday.

He said: “It was a long journey, but I’m delighted to be here now and looking forward to getting going.

“Oxford are an ambitious club with an ambitious manager and a good squad – I watched them in the JPT final last season.

“Everything about the club just seems right.

“You like a manager who can develop a player to the best of their ability.

“Hopefully I will be another one of those players and I can succeed here by scoring some goals.”

The deal ends a three-week hunt for a goalscorer, which was triggered by Kemar Roofe’s move to Leeds United.

They missed out on Matty Taylor, who held talks with the club before penning a new contract with Bristol Rovers, but Hemmings was being talked about as an alternative even before that deal collapsed.

Speaking about the move earlier this week, U’s boss Michael Appleton believed it was the right time to pay a fee for a player who could hit the ground running.

Hemmings, who almost came to the Kassam Stadium on loan two seasons ago while at Barnsley, was clear when asked what sort of player United had signed.

“I’m a raw striker,” he said.

“I’m going to be in the box looking to sniff out a chance.

“If I’m in the box, I’m going to shoot. If I’m outside the box, I’m going to shoot.

“I always like to back myself – if something drops to me, I can finish it off.

“Hopefully I can repay the trust put in me by the manager and the owner.

“I’ve been in good form since the turn of the year and hopefully I can continue that here.”

It became apparent during their 4-0 friendly defeat at home to Brighton on Tuesday, that United needed more firepower, and the signing of Hemmings will address some of the fans’ concerns.