MICHAEL Appleton thanked Oxford United’s travelling fans for their emphatic backing of his position during the Emirates FA Cup victory at Rotherham United.

The build-up to the third round tie had been somewhat overshadowed by speculation the head coach was in the frame for the vacant England Under 21 job.

Although Appleton stressed there had been no approach from the Football Association and he would not be applying, the U’s boss reckoned he would be “off his rocker” to rule himself out if there was genuine interest.

United’s away support made their feelings known, chanting “we want you to stay” several times during the 3-2 victory.

Appleton, who paid tribute to the contribution the 1,292 fans made to the cup upset as a whole, was touched by the way he had been singled out.

He said: “You know me, I play everything down (but) it was fantastic.

“It feels good and it’s nice to know you’re appreciated.

“They were magnificent.

“When you come to a fantastic stadium like this if you can bring the type of backing we brought it gives the players a massive lift.

“When I saw the toss and I knew we were going to be attacking towards them in the second half I had a little wry smile to myself.”

On the pitch, Appleton thought his side’s play merited more than the 1-0 lead they held at half-time.

But given the way the visitors had to withstand pressure after the break before hitting back late on, the U’s boss hailed a complete

performance.

He said: “They had to show two sides of the game – great composure with attacking flair but also show a nitty-gritty side and defend for their lives at times.

“There were a couple of key blocks and Easty (Simon Eastwood) made one or two good saves.”