A DESPERATELY disappointed Chris Maguire pointed to Oxford United’s second-half display against Middlesbrough as proof they have the quality to reach the Sky Bet League One play-offs.

The U’s Emirates FA Cup adventure ended with a 3-2 defeat in the fifth round, but only after giving the Premier League side an almighty fright.

Trailing 2-0 at half-time, the underdogs roared back in style to level with goals from Maguire and Toni Martinez in the space of just over a minute.

United threatened to knock out their hosts before Cristhian Stuani struck four minutes from the end of normal time to send the Teessiders into the quarter-final.

It was a bitter blow for the visitors, but Maguire knows if they can

replicate the quality they can still mount a top-six challenge in League One.

“If we can show this second-half performance against a Premier League team in League One then we won’t be far away,” he said.

“We know we have enough to push to get into the play-offs.

“We have a young squad and it will be good for people in the dressing room – hopefully we can put it behind us and move on.”

He added: “We did have Middlesbrough rattled.

“You could see from the way they celebrated they knew they had been let off the hook.

“It’s a real sickener for us.

“We’ve had a good cup run but now we try to put it behind us and focus on the league.”

Maguire was involved in most of the game’s big incidents.

After fouling Stewart Downing to concede a penalty for Boro’s opener, the Scot had a goal to make it 1-1 controversially ruled out when Kane Hemmings was harshly penalised for a foul.

Maguire then scored United’s first from a free-kick, before seeing his shot parried to Martinez for the equaliser.

He said: “At 2-0 down you either show a bit of fight, or lie there and concede another two or three.

“We had belief and everybody thought we were going to go and win it.”

Despite the frustration over having his goal chalked off, the 28-year-old did not criticise referee Andre Marriner.

He said: “The defender’s been clever and the referee has bought it.

“But you can’t start pointing fingers at the referee.

“You need a bit of luck and if that stands maybe things are different, but I think he was pretty fair for both teams.”