Understandably, given the way he and Carlisle played on Tuesday night, Nicky Adams was in good spirits. Considering United's next challenge against Wycombe, and the mighty Adebayo Akinfenwa, the winger smiled and said: "He's not as strong as me."

Should an arm wrestle break out at Adams Park, it might still be unwise to bet against the Wanderers' man mountain. Adams was of course joking, yet he also had deeper and more personal reasons to smile two days ago.

After dispatching a peach of a goal past Doncaster in United's 2-1 win, Adams headed in the direction of the main stand, making a heart sign with his fingers.

A Valentine's Day gesture to someone? Yes, but not in the obvious way. It was, in fact, a message for Adams' dad, Terry, who was up in the stand for the first time in months.

"He's been battling cancer all year," the winger said. "He's not been able to get to many games. He follows me up and down the country, him and my uncle, Frankie - they come everywhere, but this was my dad's first game for a long time.

"The last time I scored [against Accrington last September] I did a stupid dance that Danny Grainger picked out. This time I did a little love heart for my dad. I saw him afterwards and he had a massive smile on his face.

"It [the cancer] has hampered him in what he likes to do, because he loves football, loves to come and watch. So to score in front of him was a great moment for myself. Hopefully he enjoyed it."

Because of the trials of bowel cancer, Adams said it was Terry's first game since the Port Vale cup encounter last August. "There have been a few complications but he's getting there, hopefully," he added. "A couple of chemo sessions left, and then hopefully he's through the horrible side.

"I said to him, try and get out of the house. We made sure he wasn't on his own, so he came up with my girlfriend. He enjoyed it. I gave him my watch [a man-of-the-match prize] as well. He'll be happy with that."

These kind of personal insights are often concealed from supporters but Adams was happy to share his extra motivation for scoring in Carlisle's excellent win against the leaders. Back on light-hearted form, he also said his 34th-minute goal was the "best present" he could give his pregnant partner on Valentine's night.

It was certainly a gift to the Blues faithful, who ended the night singing Adams' name and having some of their belief restored three days after the 4-1 defeat to Blackpool. Against Doncaster, Keith Curle's team reminded us of their qualities rather than their flaws. Adams was chief among them.

The goal was a golden moment. "It was just one of them things, weren't it? It was a great ball from Johnno [O'Sullivan]. I thought if this comes anywhere near, I'm in here. It fell perfect. Sometimes they can go in the car park, row z, wherever. But I got a good contact on it and it flew in the top corner."

It was only Adams' second Carlisle goal, a surprisingly low tally for such a dangerous attacking player. "I've had ones cleared off the line, times where I've been, 'Oh my God, how's he saved that?' But I don't dwell on goals. It is one thing I've always wanted to improve on, but as long as I'm playing well, with a smile on my face, creating chances for team, that's my thing."

The team: this is where United were strong against Darren Ferguson's leaders. There was a unity of purpose and also a robustness that was nowhere in their previous outing. Adams also says Tuesday's performance was the result of some straight honesty in Curle's dressing-room in the wake of Saturday's loss.

In his own press conference Curle said his star summer signing had stood up and openly admitted his own failings against Blackpool. Adams confirmed this. "You've got to be honest. I set such high standards for myself - not just me, all the lads do - and Saturday wasn't good enough from all of us.

"The gaffer asked what we thought. It's easy just to sit there and say nothing but I wasn't happy with how I played. It wasn't for the want of trying. Sometimes I'm too critical of myself but I always want more.

"We had to hold our hands up. We make mistakes as a team, win and lose as a team. We were all disappointed but we stuck together. That's one big thing we have in the dressing room. We do a lot of things together. And the gaffer has been brilliant with us. When we came in on Monday he didn't dwell on it. He went through it and said, if we cut these mistakes out, we're still a good side. Go out there and give us a reaction. I think we got that.

"From minute one [against Doncaster] I knew we were going to give a good performance. It's a massive win for us and we've got to kick on now."

Adams says he has never lost belief during Carlisle's "mixed" winter form that they are among the best sides in League Two. Doncaster and Plymouth have pulled clear recently but the 30-year-old feels Tuesday's showing could be a "platform" for the 15-game run-in.

He said: "I've got a lot of friends in other teams in this league and they've been giving it to me a bit, saying, 'You's have gone, you've gone, you've had a wobble'. But we've not gone. You've seen that now.

"Everyone goes on about what a good side Doncaster are, and rightly so. But so are we. At times I thought we were the much better team. That was the sort of performance we were having in our first 20 games, where we were at teams and didn't give them a minute's peace.

"Jonah [Mike Jones] coming back is a big help for us. He's so calm on ball. I have a little relationship with him; I know where he's going to play the ball. But everyone was fantastic. Big Procs [Jamie Proctor] was a massive handful. He's filled the void of losing Charlie [Wyke] and was a massive threat for us. Then we had Jabo [Ibehre] coming on causing havoc. Even in the lads who didn't come on, there are some excellent players."

The song of "there's only one Nicky Adams", as he was substituted in the closing stages, will also have been music to the winger's ears, after the much lower volume against Blackpool. "From day one the fans have made me feel at home," he said.

"I love playing here. I have an arrogance when I play - I'm not that sort of lad, but when I play, I just want to be the best on the pitch. And the fans have stuck by us through thick and thin. On Tuesday the crowd was less than on Saturday but it didn't feel that way. There was a great atmosphere. Sometimes 5,000, when we perform like that and get behind us, feels like 8-9,000."

On, then, to Wycombe: the latest in a run of games against fellow contenders, and more chances for Adams to make his dad smile again, as much as the rest of us. "It's a tough test, but beating Doncaster is a massive confidence boost for us," he added.

"I'm just really excited. Everyone should be. Yes, we had a blip, but people need to realise we've only lost four games all year. We're right in there and these big games are what you want to sink your teeth into.

"What you saw against Doncaster is what we're all about. If we play like that, we won't go far wrong."