KANE Hemmings was thrilled with the manner of his finishes as a hat-trick took Oxford United into the last eight of the Checkatrade Trophy.

The striker claimed two tap-ins and a penalty as the U’s came from behind to win 4-1 against Sky Bet League One high-fliers Scunthorpe United last night.

Marvin Johnson scored the equaliser in front of just 1,383 – the lowest ever crowd at the Kassam Stadium.

Hemmings now has 12 goals since moving from Dundee in July to edge ahead of Chris Maguire as the club’s top-scorer.

He said: “I pride myself on scoring goals.

“I’m not someone who is going to get the ball and beat four or five people.

“I’m in the middle of the six-yard box waiting to tap it in. I’m delighted.

“Scunthorpe are a good side. It might not have been their first-choice team out, but they’re battling at the top of the league for a reason.

“To beat them 4-1 is good for momentum and our confidence.”

It was a surprisingly straightforward victory in the end for United, who go into tomorrow morning’s draw as the highest-ranked side definitely through to the quarter-finals.

But progression, with the £40,000 in prize money, looked a long shot early on, as they struggled to string two passes together and Scunthorpe opened the scoring.

Head coach Michael Appleton, who made five changes to his XI, said: “You’ve got a responsibility to win every single game, that’s why I was a bit angry and frustrated in the first 15 minutes.

“You probably couldn’t tell from the outside, but inside there were certain things I wanted to do to certain players that you can’t get away with.

“But overall this game will do two or three the world of good.”

Joe Skarz was one of the players to benefit from the game time, having spent several weeks out with a back injury.

He said: “You can train all you want, but there’s nothing that replicates a game.

“They’re no mugs and we had a few players who haven’t had regular football. It’s testament to the character of the squad to come back.

“We could’ve scored more.”