Oxford United manager Ian Atkins hailed the resilience of his side after Lee Steele's 88th-minute winner gave them a 3-2 victory over Scunthorpe at the Kassam Stadium last night.

The win takes third-placed Oxford six points clear of Mansfield, in fourth.

It all looked to be going horribly wrong soon after Paul Wanless and Mark Rawle had scored in quick succession just after the half hour.

The U's threw away the two-goal lead, with Steve Torpey banging in a brace, and in the second half, as anxiety crept in, their game was beginning to go to pieces until up popped sub Steele, who finished well after a calamitious mistake by Cliff Byrne.

Atkins said: "I'm delighted with the win.

"Everybody stuck to their tasks, they never gave up and kept plugging away. We were positive with the substitutions we made - and we got our rewards in the end.

"To actually win the game after the disappointment of being brought back to 2-2 is not easy sometimes, because the crowd get a little bit anxious . . . they booed the players off at half-time and I didn't think they deserved it, but that's football.

"We struck at our tasks and you have to remember that Scunthorpe don't lose many games, they're a hard nut to crack.

"I've got an awful record against them, which played on my mind as well!"

It was Steele's first goal since returning from knee surgery.

Rawle also made quite an impact in his first appearance since September, and he took his excellent record to seven goals this season, having made just three league starts.

Atkins said: "We decided to change the system around and play three up front and it probably took them by surprise in the early stages.

"We created more chances tonight than we have for a hell of a long while. We must have had 15-plus shots at goal.

"We went 2-0 up and were coasting, then that bit of anxiety set in and decision-making cost us.

"To be 2-0 up and then to 2-2 at half-time was scandalous.

"It was poor decision-making by individuals, not a collective thing, so at least we could highlight it.

"Things were going to plan. We won a lot of ball in midfield in the first half, Hunt was absolutely fantastic, and everybody did their jobs well.

"Rawle gave us life up front - he gives us the unexpected - big Jules came back and was a major threat, and Bash had his chances.

"But the goals we gave away were poor goals. The free-kick for the second came in from a long way away and we didn't attack the ball.

"Torpey's a wily old character and he led Jon Ashton a merry dance a bit in the first half, not only with the header that went in for the second goal, but the one that came off the bar, when he reacted quicker than anyone."

Matt Robinson, whose classy free-kick had produced the opening goal for Wanless, said: "Steeley's been brilliant in training. He looked very sharp and took his goal well.

"We were two up and cruising to victory. We created a hell of a lot of chances in the first half and if two or three of those had gone in we'd have been out of sight.

"But even after Scunthorpe got two goals back, the lads kept going and going, and deserved it in the end."