KANE Hemmings’s surge of goals has sparked the competition to become Oxford United’s top-scorer into life.

The striker has struck four times in the last two games, including a hat-trick against Scunthorpe United in the Checkatrade Trophy on Tuesday.

It took him to 12 goals for the U’s this season, edging ahead of Chris Maguire.

The Scot provided the assist for Hemmings’s third goal in midweek and the summer signing from Dundee admitted there was a friendly rivalry to become the side’s top marksman.

Hemmings said: “We were having some banter coming off the pitch and he was probably thinking about shooting.

“I’m delighted he passed and if he’s in the same position I might think about passing to him.

“The goals are thankfully racking up now and I just want to keep playing as many games as possible.”

United paid a figure in the region of £200,000 to bring Hemmings south of the border for the second time in his career.

The haul so far makes it a much more successful spell than the season he spent at Barnsley in 2014/15, which brought five goals from 28 appearances.

Head coach Michael Appleton has been encouraged by the striker’s form and backed him to break a key target before the end of the campaign.

“If he can get to 12 goals in the second week of January I’d be very surprised if he doesn’t top 20 come the end of the season,” the U’s boss said.

“It does take a bit of time to settle sometimes.

“I think he found that, when he played for Barnsley, where he was injured for a while.

“He’s got it all to prove because it’s not happened for him at League One level before.

“All of a sudden, he’s found himself with another opportunity and should be looking forward to what could be a great 20-odd games.”

One contributory factor have been the displays of another player to swap the Scottish Premiership for the Kassam Stadium.

Marvin Johnson has been used in a deeper role at left back and laid on the winner for Hemmings in the Emirates FA Cup win at Rotherham United.

Hemmings thinks the former Motherwell winger’s form can only be a good thing for his goals tally.

He said: “I’ve picked up quickly that when Marv gets the ball you need to run towards the middle of the goal as fast as you can and hit it into the net.

“If he’s putting balls in like he did at Rotherham week-in, week-out and I’m on the pitch then I’d like to think I’d score a lot of goals.”