Danny Rose is gunning for Oxford United to steal a march on their promotion rivals as they visit Bury tonight.

The fixture, postponed from last month due to the visitors’ FA Cup run, is the only midweek contest in Sky Bet League Two.

United returned to the automatic promotion places with a 2-1 win against AFC Wimbledon on Saturday and another success would move them above Scunthorpe United into second place.

Rose is focused on taking advantage of the game in hand to bring back maximum points, which would put Mickey Lewis’s side just two points behind leaders Chesterfield.

He said: “Knowing we’re back in the top three with a game in hand is pleasing on the eye.

“It’s a great opportunity to get close to Chesterfield and we would go above Scunthorpe, which psychologically would give us an edge.”

United have yet to taste defeat on the road in League Two, a sequence which stands at a remarkable 12 games.

The away run has also helped open up a gap to the clubs immediately below the play-off places. It stands at ten points, a cushion which Rose believes is significant.

He said: “It’s a nice insurance that if you do drop a couple of points here and there, you’re not going to drop out of the play-offs, unless you go on a disastrous run, which I don’t see us doing.”

Rose is expected to line up in midfield at the JD Stadium alongside Josh Ruffels.

The 20-year-old has started five of United’s last six games and played a key role on Saturday, providing the incisive pass which set up David Connolly’s winner.