LIAM Manning was pleased to see his Oxford United side pick up their first three points of the season following what he admitted has been a challenging week.

The 2-0 defeat on the opening day at Cambridge United was followed up with a thumping 5-1 loss at Bristol City in the first round of the Carabao Cup.

The U’s however put those results behind them to secure a 1-0 win at home to Carlisle United this afternoon, courtesy of Mark Harris’ first goal for the club.

Speaking after the game, Manning said: “I’m pleased more than anything and pleased for the players.

“The first two games were a challenging week, but it’s about understanding our journey and that we know we’ve got work to do, and progress to make.

“We’ve shown glimpses and different bits of quality, and then today we’ve shown we can respond and that we’re resilient.

“I’m delighted for the players because we’ve found a way to win.

“The first 20 or 25 minutes were a little nervy and a little edgy.

“We shifted the momentum a little bit too much in their favour by giving away fouls or allowing long kicks and not winning first contacts.

“In the second half, I thought we were excellent. It’d be a lot nicer if we were a little more clinical, there are bits we need to work on and keep improving at but ultimately we’re getting into dangerous areas.”

On limiting the visitors to eight attempts, none of which were on target, Manning said: “I thought we defended the box really well. The alignment is probably the biggest bit.

“At times, we were a little all over the shot during the week.

“That’s the whole point of the video work and analysis we do, to get that alignment.

“The front players have to be our best defenders and sometimes our defenders have to be our best attackers. I thought we got that balance right today.”