A REPEAT of last season’s terrific win at Rochdale would be very welcome for Simon Eastwood today – with one exception.

The Oxford United goalkeeper had a quiet afternoon in the 4-0 win in January, until he failed to deal with one intruder into his penalty area.

He said: “In the second half I looked down and there was a dead rat in the six-yard box.

“The game stopped for about five minutes.

“I think everybody was panicking, no-one knew what to do or pick it up. I think it was Joe Skarz who booted it away and finally the groundsman came to get it to take it off.

“I will hold my hands up, I was the first not to get involved in that.

“People were telling me to pick it up with my gloves, but I didn’t want any rat things on them.”

Boss Michael Appleton was unsympathetic.

“I asked why he didn’t pick it up and he said he was scared of them,” the then head coach said.

“He could’ve easily kicked it away, it’s not as if it was alive.”