DWIGHT Tiendalli admitted he thought Oxford United’s chance to beat Doncaster Rovers had disappeared when Jack Payne’s penalty was saved.

Goalkeeper Ian Lawlor guessed correctly to keep out the spot-kick 11 minutes from time.

It looked like being the key moment in a competitive game where clear opportunities were at a premium, before Josh Ruffels struck a dramatic long-range winner deep into stoppage-time.

Tiendalli was delighted with the result, especially after fearing United had wasted their golden chance.

He said: “We had a feeling like ‘oh no, it’s going to be one of those games that we play and show a very good fighting spirit but end up with a draw’.

“Fortunately, we won the game in the last minute, so it’s a good win for us.

“It was going to be difficult (after the penalty) because we didn’t create a lot of chances.

“They hit the post but we showed a lot of fighting spirit and played sometimes some very good football.

“So that was the positive thing and to get the win is incredible, really important.”

The former Netherlands international has enjoyed seeing the style United have displayed at times this season.

But he knows they need to show a resilient side in games where they cannot pass teams off the park, which made the Rovers result all the more satisfying.

He said: “Sometimes we’ve played very good football and ended up with a loss, so at this time it doesn’t matter if it’s pretty or not.

“We know we can play really amazing football, but it’s not always about that – sometimes it’s about fighting and winning ugly.”