Hull boss Grant McCann believed a point was the very least his League One leaders deserved following their 1-1 draw at Oxford

The U’s took the lead in the 10th minute with a superb low strike from James Henry for his third goal of the season.

But the Tigers responded by dominating the second half, and they equalised when Greg Docherty fired in a brilliant 25-yard volley, which took a deflection as it flew past keeper Jack Stevens.

The draw ended Hull’s run of four straight league wins, but kept them two points clear of second-placed Lincoln at the top of the table.

McCann said: “In the first 20-30 minutes we weren’t so good and Oxford got about us and made life difficult for us.

“We didn’t get a goal in that spell, and they did which put us on the backfoot a bit.

“But after that and for the final 60 minutes I thought we were in total control. Unfortunately some big decisions went against us.

“We were a bit more aggressive in our play in the second half, which we needed, and I thought we were good value for at the very least a draw.

“All credit to the Oxford fans. There may only have been 1,000 in there but they made a lot of noise for that number.

“We’re a bit disappointed not to have won it, with their keeper making a good save from Keane Lewis-Potter, and Alfie Jones heading against the bar in the second half.

“But we’d had a quick turnaround from our match in midweek so I can’t be too disappointed. We’ll knuckle down and get ready to go again.”

The decision which riled Hull’s camp the most was when referee Andy Woolmer blew up for a free-kick to the visitors instead of allowing play to carry on when Docherty had a free run on goal.

“The referee apologised and said he’d blown too early, but couldn’t do anything about it, but it was very frustrating,” said Docherty afterwards.

Oxford manager Karl Robinson was delighted to see the supporters back at the Kassam Stadium for the first time since lockdown.

He said: “It was so good to see our fans back. Walking out today I felt it was like the beginning of the season again.

“The way the fans responded when the players walked out, and when they went back in at half-time and at the end….wow!

“What a difference it makes to have them back. The fans mean so much to football. I was pleased with a lot of the performances today.

“For the first 45 minutes we were by far the better team, and in the second half it was very even.

“We were up against a very good football club, with for the most part a Championship squad. Looking across to their bench was scary. But the work ethic of our players was fantastic.

“It was a great strike by James Henry. The trouble was, once he had scored that goal he thought he could then score from 80 yards. But like a lot of players, he’s a showman!

“For me it’s two points dropped but if you ask most people watching it’s a point gained because we were up against the league leaders.

“It’s ironic we have dropped a place in the table after holding the leaders.

“It was a very, very strong back four performance from us. And that’s certainly a positive moving forward.”