OXFORD'S dreaming spires have witnessed the fulfilment of many a fantasy and another was added to the list on Saturday when Bury's Chris Swailes scored on his debut.

The new boy graduated with honours after being thrown in at the deep end less than 24 hours after completing his move from Ipswich Town.

A degree of scepticism greeted Swailes' arrival at Gigg Lane with many believing him merely a makeweight in the £1million deal that took the Shakers' leading scorer David Johnson in the opposite direction.

Swailes dispelled those notions in ninety, energy-sapping minutes at a sopping wet Manor Ground. Not only did he defend with great resolution in an often frantic Bury penalty area, but he added his considerable presence to the attack at set-pieces and could easily have doubled his goal tally.

"So far so good," was the immediate reaction of the genial Geordie on emerging from the cramped dressing room area. "It has been quite a couple of days. I only signed on Friday afternoon after setting off from Ipswich at 5am in the morning. I didn't have much time to train with the lads, and I don't think I shouted a correct name all afternoon, but they knew what I was trying to say.

"Scoring on my debut is really a dream come true because I don't get many. That is only the third goal I have scored in about 100 games, so I hope the fans don't expect to see me celebrating like that every week. If I maintain my average it could be two more years before I get another!"

Swailes said he was so tired near the end of the match that he could hardly breathe, the result of being out of Ipswich's first team for a couple of months.

"I need to get match fit but I was reasonably pleased with my debut," he continued. "We were under the cosh in the first half but played a lot better in the second. It was comfortable playing alongside Chris Lucketti and Paul Butler, they are both accomplished players, strong and good markers. I thought we slotted in nicely but it will take me a bit to get used to the tactics at the back, they are totally different to what I was used to at Ipswich.

"From what I have heard about Bury, the side has been stereotyped as only playing one way and to that extent I suppose some might say this was a typical performance. However, from the little I have seen I know there is plenty of talent at the club and that we can player better.

"Oxford's Nigel Jemson and Nicky Banger are useful front players and in the end a draw was not a bad result."

Swailes' assessment was just about spot on. The game itself lacked nothing in endeavour but was sorely missing that touch of quality possessed by those in the upper reaches of the table.

Stan Ternent, the Bury boss, resisted the temptation for an immediate negative response to the loss of his eight-goal leading marksman and bravely opted for a three-man front line with fit-again Ronnie Jepson recalled to fill the gap.

The veteran striker was a revelation, particularly in the second half when he moved back into midfield and showed a sureness of touch and clarity of thought often AWOL from some of the contest's other participants.

It was Jepson, in his more familiar role, who touched on Nick Daws' long fifth minute throw for Swailes to burst into the box and announce his arrival with a shot that was well saved by quick-thinking Dutch keeper Arjan Van Heusden.

By that time Bury might have already been a man short for Andy Woodward was lucky he saw yellow and not red for a late challenge on Darren Purse. Ternent later admitted he'd thanked the referee for 'using his common-sense' over the incident. The Shakers needed Woodward in their back five because the U's dominated territorially. Joey Beauchamp and Bobby Ford both saw efforts blocked close to goal and the Shakers had some help from an unlikely source when home striker Jemson inadvertently cleared Beauchamp's 13th minute howitzer off the line.

Dean Kiely prevented Jemson making amends with a near post header, Swailes saved a certain goal with a last ditch tackle on the marauding Mike Ford, and Woodward cleared more danger with a brave diving header at the far post.

Jespon briefly relieved the pressure with a long range effort in the 29th minute but Oxford hit straight back to open the scoring.

Former Oldham man Banger made space for himself on the edge of the box, cut inside and fired a low shot that took the slightest of deflections off Chris Lucketti and flew past the full-stretch Kiely at his near post.

The equaliser came twelve minutes later from a Woodward corner, Bury's first of the match, on the right. In a set move, Gordon Armstrong arrived late and when his header was only parried by Van Heusden, Swailes took his chance with great aplomb from five yards.

That was just about it from an attacking point of view for the Shakers and they settled for a point in the second half, bringing on midfield reinforcements Adrian Randall and Tony Rigby.

Even so, Oxford probably felt themselves unfortunate. Darren Purse and Bobby Ford both hit the woodwork, Kiely was forced into a smart, sprawling stop from substitute Matt Murphy, and Paul Butler produced a memorable headed goal-line clearance.

"It wasn't our best by a long chalk so we have to be happy with a point," was Ternent's summation, while U's chief Denis Smith bemoaned the number of chances his side squandered . . . something Swailes could hardly be accused of doing!

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