JOSH Ruffels earned Oxford United an excellent point at Bury and described his equalising goal as his best moment in football.

The midfielder headed in Danny Rose’s corner just before the hour mark, only two minutes after Craig Jones had given a lively home side the lead.

United had to dig deep to claim a 1-1 draw, which consolidated their third place in the Sky Bet League Two table and extended a superb unbeaten away run to 13 games.

Ruffels, who provided his first assist for United in Saturday’s win over Wimbledon, was ecstatic to open his scoring account.

He said: “I’m delighted, it was a great feeling.

“It’s got to be my best moment in football, I didn’t know what to do when it went in.

“I could see Mulls (Johnny Mullins) running towards me and I was just jumping around.

“I think it’s a really good point away to a good Bury side.”

The 20-year-old was one of three development squad players in the starting XI.

Matt Bevans continued his run in the side at right back, while Callum O’Dowda, 18, was handed a first league start.

Caretaker manager Mickey Lewis, who has now bagged five points from three games since taking over, hailed the young trio.

He said: “They were great, not just their work rate, but they are also not scared to play. This is a tough place to come on a Tuesday night, in difficult conditions where the pitch isn’t the best.

“They’ve all got stuff to learn and we will keep working on them, but it shows they have definitely got something to offer.

“We all know about Callum’s ability and we see him in training every day, but eventually he has to come out and play with the big boys and I think he’s acquitted himself really well.”

United would have gone second in the table with a win, but Lewis, with seven first-team players unavailable through injury, was happy to take a point.

He added: “In the last six games, we have won three and drawn three, which is really good form.

“We want to win away from home, but you have to be aware of the opposition and Bury have had a real change around, which made it one of our toughest games of the season.”