MANAGER Malcolm Shotton has taken a swipe at former Oxford United boss Denis Smith for his television comment this week that it was basically his team which destroyed West Brom at the Manor on Tuesday night.

After the U's comprehensive 3-0 win, Smith told TV viewers that, had he been playing in defence, he would have stopped two of the goals.

Smith then remarked: "Oxford were good, but then ten of them were my players . . . players I brought to the club".

That comment angered many Oxford fans who have branded Smith arrogant. Some replied on the Internet that the players never played like that when he was in charge.

And Shotton was also unimpressed with the comment.

"That made me laugh," he said. "They may have been players he brought here, but he was taking them that way (pointing to the floor). They're now my boys and I believe we're heading upwards."

Shotton then gave his rejuvenated players a public pat on the back - and urged them to carry their brilliant home form into tomorrow's tough away game at joint leaders Huddersfield.

Shotton has tended to let assistant Mark Harrison speak on his behalf at post-match press conferences, but the boss came out in the open yesterday to praise his players for the way they have turned it around. "I can't speak highly enough of them, and the crowd," said Shotton. "The gauntlet was thrown down and the players have picked it up.

"Since Sunderland they have worked hard, training's been intense, but they haven't grumbled - they've just got on with it and they've produced it in the games.

"I said they needed to stand up and be counted. Well, they have stood up and they have responded magnificently.

"It's amazing how it goes. A few weeks back we couldn't score for four or five games, but in our last four at home we've hit 13 goals."

"Now we've got to take that on to our travels, as I've said to the players. But they know that. They need to transfer this home form to see if we can at least pick up one win in three when we go away."

Shotton also rejected a recent accusation that there's sometimes a strained relationship between the players and coaching staff.

"That's a load of nonsense," he said. "In fact, nothing could be further from the truth. It's a great relationship between the players and staff."

and on Tuesday night you could see what spirit there was in the camp."

And he added: "The overall picture's much rosier. Our injured players Kevin Francis, Steve Davis and Nicky Banger aren't that far off, and they've been able to find out what the mysterious illness was with Simon Weather- stone.

"They thought it was salmonella, but it's a parasite which was inside him which they can deal with."

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