SIMON Eastwood was grateful for Oxford United’s defensive effort which ensured Blackpool failed to register a shot on target.

It was particularly vital given the wet and windy wintry conditions which goalkeepers fear.

They prompted Eastwood to urge United’s players before the game to shoot on sight, so to have a relatively quiet afternoon en route to the 2-0 victory was a relief.

He said: “I came into the changing room straight away and said ‘just shoot’.

“Keepers don’t really like it in conditions like this where it’s wet and the wind’s swirling, so when you get a chance you’ve just got to shoot.

“If you’ve got wind and rain it makes it ten times harder as a goalkeeper.

“That’s why I didn’t come for too many crosses, because in a split second it can make you look like an idiot.”

He added: “I had to keep moving and stayed concentrated, luckily it wasn’t my busiest game of the season, so it was good.”

The victory was United’s first in Sky Bet League One this season against a side in the top half of the table.

And from Eastwood’s point of view, the manner of the victory was another step in the right direction for a side who have lost just once in 14 games.

He said: “I think it shows how far we’ve come in two or three months.

“It could have gone either way but it’s almost like we’ve wanted it a little bit more and dug a bit deeper to get a good result.

“When you look back in a couple of months people forget the conditions and the performances, you just look at the results so to get a 2-0 win and a clean sheet was a real plus.

“It was quite a tough game mentally. You have to stay switched on and show you really want it in conditions like this.”