Oxford United manager Ian Atkins backed his skipper, Andy Crosby, after a 'cheat storm' overshadowed Saturday's 1-1 draw with Bury at the Kassam Stadium.

Bury striker Jon Daly was sent off for a second yellow card after 61 minutes of the Division 3 game after appearing to leave his foot in when Crosby cleared the ball.

While Crosby was writhing around in agony, Bury players angrily accused him of over-reacting.

They then singled him out in the remaining half an hour, trying to wreak revenge, with one of them barging him into an advertising hoarding.

There was jostling between the players when they went back down the tunnel, and tempers flared again in the dressing-room areas after the game.

But Atkins insisted Crosby had done nothing wrong.

"It was disappointing for the Bury management team and players to come out and call Andy a cheat.

"The referee has informed me that he is reporting their manager, Graham Barrow, and the coaching staff and some of the players to the FA.

"If they'd like to come and see Andy Crosby's leg, and see the lacerations from the knee-cap down to the ankle, they're quite welcome.

"I'm disappointed by their reaction, because it was a horrendous tackle. It deserved a straight red, never mind a yellow.

"The referee said our players were fantastic in the tunnel. They didn't react, and showed their true discipline."

Bury became only the fourth visiting team to take a point from the Kassam Stadium when their ten men held out for a draw in yet another game dominated by the wind.

This time it was blowing from the Oxford Mail Stand towards the open car park end.

The U's survived the first half, against the wind, all square, only to fall behind to a suspiciously offside-looking goal two minutes after the break.

"They had two players offside," Atkins insisted.

"The linesman has apparently said he thought it was one of our players who nicked the ball on to the lad who scored, that's why he kept his flag down. If he's come up with that statement, what's he doing in the game?

"It's decisions like that which change games. And instead of it being 0-0 at the very start of the second half, we had to then claw the game back, which we did with a great strike from Dean Whitehead.

"The effort was there from us, but it was misdirected. We tried to force things too much, got a little bit edgy, and got edgy with the crowd as well.

"I thought physically they were too strong for us. Their three centre halves dominated our two strikers, they won all the loose balls in the middle of the park, and their two strikers closed us down. So you've got to give them a bit of credit on for that."

United remain in third place and they stretched their lead over fourth-placed Mansfield, who lost 2-1 at home to Doncaster, to four points.

But, worryingly, Huddersfield are catching up quickly. They beat Lincoln and are also breathing down Oxford's neck.