MARK Harris says he didn’t look for the goalkeeper and that instinct kicked in when he produced a wonderful, lobbed volley from distance at Blackburn Rovers.

The Welsh striker opened the scoring for Oxford United when Matt Phillips chested down Jamie Cumming’s long ball forward into his path, with Harris pinging a sweetly struck first-time volley which looped over Aynsley Pears in the Rovers goal.

Rovers would ultimately fight back with an immediate Joe Rankin-Costello equaliser, before substitute Arnor Sigurdsson won the game late on.

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Harris’ 35-yard effort took his tally to three in three Sky Bet Championship games this season.

He said: “They all count. I don’t mind if it’s like Coventry or if it’s like this one. This one was nice to watch and nice to see, but I’m just looking at my tally and trying to keep that going.

“It was a good strike, but as long as I’m helping the team and scoring goals, that’s what a number nine does and what I’ve been brought into the club to do. As long as I’m doing that, I’m happy.

“I didn’t see the keeper at all. As I’ve gone to get the lay-off from Matty, I’m just expecting him to lay it down so I can go out wide maybe or travel with the ball.

“The way he laid it off, it’s just perfect for a volley, and it’s just instinct. I caught it very sweet, and as soon as I hit it, I knew it had a chance.

“That’s when I checked where the goalkeeper was, and I thought it could do it, and when it rippled in the net, I was buzzing.”

Harris added: “It wasn’t bad, one of my better ones, but I’m just a bit gutted it couldn’t contribute towards a point or three points.

“I thought we started really well, and in the first half, we controlled the game. Our press was good, and I thought we kept moving, and got in the gaps and the pockets.

“We created a couple of chances to go in maybe with at least two. It was a bit of a sucker punch going in 10 seconds before the break with a sloppy goal conceded by us.

“In the second half, it was a bit of a different game, and we didn’t really control it as much as we’d have liked.

“I thought they pressed on a bit more, and they got their goal. All in all, I thought the first half was good, but the second half, there was stuff to improve on.”