Cook: Stanley were outstanding

Accrington manager Paul Cook was pleased with his side's performance despite losing 2-0 to play-off chasers Oxford on Tuesday night.

Stanley missed a number of chances to go ahead and then draw level after Asa Hall's opener, but Hall scored a second to seal the win at the Crown Ground and leave Accrington in 13th position in League Two. However, Cook was encouraged by the display and feels that the fans reaction at full-time showed they appreciated how well the team had played. "I was really pleased with the performance - it's always an indication of how well you have played when the crowd applaud you off at the end," said Cook. "The crowd's reaction to a performance is always important and sometimes you don't have to win a game to earn their applause and this was one of those occasions." The game could have been different had Jamie Devitt's effort not been cleared off the line to put Stanley ahead. Bobby Grant and Padraig Amond then spurned chances to draw the hosts level and that proved costly. "We didn't make the most of our chances on the night and that is an area of our game we have to improve - but I cannot criticise the lads for that performance, I thought we were outstanding," Cook added. "Our forward players were a threat all night and defensively we had some really good performances. From our perspective there were some really pleasing aspects to our play."