NATHAN Holland was delighted to deliver on his return as he scored twice in Oxford United’s 5-1 thumping of Accrington Stanley.

The West Ham United loanee has found form and fitness difficult to come by in the early weeks of the season and was left out of the squad for Saturday’s draw with Gillingham.

But, with Gavin Whyte injured, Holland was recalled for the Accrington clash and made his mark with two excellent efforts in the first 24 minutes.

Read the match report here

The winger then claimed an assist for Matty Taylor’s second-half strike, before Mark Sykes and a late Michael Nottingham own goal completed the scoring.

He said: "It was a big night.

“I was a little bit nervous before the game, to be totally honest.

“The gaffer made a decision the other day and I respect that and reflected on it.

“I prepared well and I’m happy I was able to play my part.”

It was United’s first victory of a frustrating September and saw them climb five places to eighth in Sky Bet League One.

The rain poured before, during and after the match, making conditions tricky, but Holland's solo opener and a classy team goal six minutes later put the U's in control.

Holland said: “Obviously the weather wasn’t the best, you’ve just got to get mentally ready and give it your all.

“Everyone did that and that’s why we got such a great result.”

The 23-year-old managed just 16 minutes on his only previous League One start this season, coming off injured against Crewe Alexandra last month.

He added: “I’ve had to be patient, I’ve been waiting for my start.

“My last start was cut short, which was a shame for me.

“I’m really happy for myself and the team.”

U’s head coach Karl Robinson felt Holland responded excellently to Saturday’s setback.

He said: “I’m really proud of Nathan, sometimes what you call tough love is important for these young players.

“This is serious, this is people’s livelihoods and paying money to watch us play.

“When he performs like that, he’s as good as anything we’ve had as a club.

“When he’s on that sort of form, his ability to float and drift and to front people up in a one-v-one duel is on another level.

"It's about being patient with him, but he showed everybody what a good player he is."