ROB Hall was frustrated his early goal proved in vain as Oxford United went down 2-1 at AFC Wimbledon.

The winger found space 25 yards out and fired into the net for the opening goal at Kingsmeadow.

But the hosts hit back to lead by half-time and United could not cash in on their failure to kill off the game.

Hall’s performance was praised by head coach Michael Appleton, but the winger was disappointed his second goal of the season was just a consolation.

He said: “I was proud of it. I was just disappointed we didn’t push on from there.

“I just try to keep contributing to the team when I’m called upon.

“It’s part of the job. We need to find that extra gear when we are 2-1 down and it really matters when we need each other to step up and be counted.

“That’s when the real quality needs to show and we’re just not quite showing it.

“We have done in previous games, so we can’t beat ourselves up too much.”

Hall worried Wimbledon when he ran at the back four, an impressive feat given the heavy playing surface.

But while the pitch made life difficult, the former MK Dons loanee felt it contributed to his shot finding the net.

He said: “I caught it well but I think because of the conditions of the pitch it had a little bounce off the turf which maybe gave it more pace.

“I haven’t really played on a pitch like that in a while.

“It was a big factor in the game, but they played on the same pitch, so we’ve just got to take it on the chin.”