RYAN Lowe will not let one victory let him get carried away.

The Shakers stirred at last after a dire run of seven straight defeats without scoring a single goal.

But dramatic as this victory was at a team harbouring hopes of making the play-offs, the Bury caretaker boss remained realistic.

With his side looking like they were heading for consecutive defeat number eight – and a ninth straight League One match without finding the net – the game turned on its head in three minutes late in the second half.

Lowe could lay claim to have made two inspired substitutions as it was the pair he brought on – George Miller and Harry Bunn – who struck to earn the Shakers their first three points since they beat Shrewsbury 1-0 on November 21.

It was the perfect start for the man put in charge until the end of the season when Chris Lucketti was sacked on Monday.

But that is all it was, according to Lowe – a start.

He responded to the victory by saying the mission to survive had only just begun.

The result leaves Bury 11 points off safety with 18 games to go, but Lowe believes they can pull off the impossible if they maintain their new-found attitude and confidence.

“I think we expected to win to be honest because that is the mentality I’ve thrown into the lads, drummed into them and told them,” he said.

“We’ve got to go places and win games, that’s the be-all-and-end-all of it.

“You go a goal down and you think it’s going to be tougher than ever but give the lads the freedom, the licence to go and do what they’re capable of doing.

“Albeit not many people are going to like it, our aim was to win whatever way.

“The away performances haven’t been good enough, the performances all season haven’t been good enough, but we had 19 games to do something with our season and it’s started.”

Lowe and his assistant Ryan Kidd made three changes to the side that suffered a disappointing defeat to Charlton Athletic last time out, with Chris Maguire and Phil Edwards returning to face their former club.

Bury started brightly and almost took the lead when Peter Clarke hit the post from a free kick. And they should have been awarded a penalty midway through the half, when Zeli Ismail was felled in the box by Dwight Tiendalli.

But the visitors know what happens when you do not take your chances and the hosts duly obliged just before the break.

Bury were hit with a sucker punch as James Henry tapped in at the far post from Isaac Buckley-Ricketts’ left-wing cross.

Most sides in Bury’s situation would have buckled under the pressure but the Shakers managed to stay in the game and frustrate the home side.

Miller poked in a close-range equaliser in the 81st minute and then they sent the visiting fans wild when Bunn raced onto a log ball and fired the winner past the keeper.

“It’s good and it’s a good feeling, but I don’t want to get too carried away.” said Lowe.

“We’ve got to be realistic with the situation that we’re in and we’ve got to continuing working hard.

“I want to dedicate the win to the fans that have travelled all that way.

“There’s probably been some good press and some bad press, but they’ve travelled in their numbers and that’s hard when we haven’t won for a year away from home.”

Teams and ratings

Bury (4-4-2)

Connor Ripley 7

Phil Edwards 6

Nathan Cameron 5

Peter Clarke 5

Greg Leigh 6

Zeli Ismail 7

Neil Danns 6

Stephen Dawson 5

Danny Mayor 7

James Hanson 6

Chris Maguire 6

Subs: Bunn 7 (for Ismai 74), Miller 6 (for Maguire 67).

Not used: Murphy, Tutte, Laurent, Skarz, Dai.

Oxford United (4-3-3): Eastwood, Carroll, Martin, Mousinho, Tiendalli, Henry, Mowatt, Ruffels, Mehetti (Ledson 62), Obika, Buckley-Ricketts (Napa 80).

Subs not used: Shearer, Dickie, Fernandez, Raglan, Van Kessel.

Referee: Robert Lewis (Shrewsbury).