OXFORD United will be stronger for the run-in after their clash with Wigan Athletic despite losing the game, according to Canice Carroll.

An unusually defensive approach was four minutes away from earning the U’s a precious point at the Sky Bet League One leaders on Tuesday.

It worked until a lapse in concentration allowed Will Grigg to inflict a 1-0 defeat on Karl Robinson’s men, who are now only four points above the drop zone with three games to go.

But despite leaving the DW Stadium empty-handed, Carroll believes the display will boost the side as they look to claim the win they need to secure safety at Doncaster Rovers on Saturday.

“Oh, massively,” he said. “They are such a good side and we’re taking a good performance away.

“That’s all you can do, it would be a lot worse if we had gone there, played terribly and got beat 1-0.

“They’re top of the league and were wasting time at the end because we’ve come here and played so well.

“It’s not a game we need to dwell on. We just need to take this into Saturday now and try to get the points.”

He added: “All the players came in with heads down.

“We were deflated and thinking ‘we’ve let them nick it’, but the gaffer came in straight away and told us ‘there’s no point having your heads down, you put in a great shift’.”

With Robinson leaving four senior players at home in a bid to recharge their batteries for the weekend, Carroll was among those given a chance.

And the teenager, who had not featured for United since January, took the opportunity with both hands.

He began in midfield, before having a 15-minute spell in the second half as a centre forward.

Carroll could not recall ever playing in that role before, but was happy to run himself into the ground before being substituted.

He said: “It was weird when the gaffer said ‘in a minute you’ll go up front’, but I knew what we were trying to work on and what Gino (van Kessel)’s job was – to spin in behind and just do as much as you could to put the centre halves off.

“I’ll always give my all and run around to try to make a difference.”

Robinson was impressed with his first glimpse of the Ireland Under 19 international in a competitive game.

He said: “It doesn’t matter how or where you play, if you run around and leave your heart and soul on that pitch then you can play anywhere.

“Everything he had in his body he left on the pitch.”