Oxford United midfielder Peter Leven said his spectacular winner against Port Vale on Saturday had been one of the best goals he has ever scored.

The summer signing from MK Dons struck just minutes after Port Vale’s Marc Richards had cancelled out Michael Duberry’s opener for Oxford, lobbing Stuart Tomlinson from 45 yards.

On Tuesday, Leven chipped the keeper to net Oxford’s fourth in the 5-1 rout of Plymouth.

And on Saturday he did it again, and he admitted he was getting a reputation for scoring spectacular goals.

Leven said: “I usually score penalties – but I have scored four goals this season and three of them have been chips.

“But that goal is up there – I have scored a couple of nice free-kicks over the years, but that was a nice one.”

Leven said he felt the U’s had deserved the win.

“Especially the way we passed the ball in the first half, we should have been two or three goals up, he added.

“They got back into it, probably my mistake not going with the runner who got behind me so hopefully that goal made up for it.

“But Clarkey (Ryan Clarke) has saved us again. He saved the penalty and then made that save right at the end.

“The big man has been different class all season.

“I think we are starting to click as a team. But even the boys on the bench show what an unbelievably good squad we have here.”

Leven said he was getting fitter in every game, having suffered a broken foot last season while playing for Mk Dons.

He added: “I was out for four weeks and didn’t have a pre-season, but I’m getting there. Meanwhile, Leven said he was now looking forward to the club's golf day on Wednesday. "I'll be chipping in there, hopefully! he added.

Centre-back Michael Duberry says derogatory comments from some of Vale’s players had helped spur them on against Micky Adams’s side.

He said: “I think in the beginning in the tunnel, for me, and I don’t like airing stuff out, I think there was a lack of professionalism from some of their players.

“But do you know what, we just said we will do our talking on the pitch and it showed.

“And hopefully the people who did it will be a bit humbled and act more professionally.”

He added: “We haven’t got that massive physical presence, but what we can do is play football.

“You look at teams, and I’m not comparing us to Barcelona, but if you move the ball then you don’t have the chance to get physical with anyone.

“Even so, we can hold our own, so that if teams want to bully us – we welcome it.”