PAUL Hayes said Wanderers' travelling fans made Saturday's derby clash with Oxford feel like a home game - which made it easier for the players to get the job done on the pitch.

Just shy of 1,700 Blues fans made the short trip down the M40 for the game and cheered their side on a 2-1 win, having fallen behind in the first half.

Hayes said victory was down to Blues wanting it more - and the skipper said the support from the away end filled the players with a greater desire to get the better of their opposite number.

He said: "When it comes to derby games it's massively important to win your individual battles. Wherever you are in the table, form goes completely out the window - it's about who wants it more in their hearts and their heads.

"In the team talk and the huddle we talked about it and I'm proud of all the players for how committed they were and the desire they put into every challenge. Every single player wanted to win every ball. I can't be more proud of the lads today.

"For a club the size of Wycombe, we couldn't have asked any more of the fans. The win was for the fans. They made the effort, they paid the money to come to Oxford, who are a bigger club. They pay bigger wages, they have a bigger squad, they should be higher than they are.

"Wycombe's at the other end of the scale and holding their own, so to bring 1,700 fans was tremendous. The atmosphere they created, it felt like a home game. They kept the Oxford fans really quiet and it made our game a lot easier on the pitch."

Hayes got Wanderers back into the game with a second half equaliser, calmly slotting with Oxford defenders appealing in vain for an offside flag that never came.

He said: "I wasn't expecting it to be offside - I knew the defender was vaguely on the right hand side.

"It [the goal] was coming - we were piling on the pressure and it fell to me. It was a great feeling to score in front of the opposition fans in a derby game.

"Second half it was one way traffic. We showed the character within the team to get back from 1-0 down."