SCORING for Oxford United was the realisation of a boyhood dream for Callum O’Dowda, writes DAVID PRITCHARD.

The Kidlington 19-year-old took full advantage of his first start of the season, tucking away Joe Riley’s 15th-minute cross at St James Park.

While the winger was disappointed United were unable to go on and win the game, scoring for the first time was an unforgettable moment.

“I knew Joe was going to beat his man, so I bust a gut to get towards the back post and connected with it well to get a goal,” he said.

“It means everything. I’ve been dreaming of this since I was a young boy and to finally get a goal was great.

“We conceded early so to get it ten minutes later was good for the team.”

Exeter took the lead early on, when Alex Nicholls was brought down by George Long in the area, allowing Graham Cummins to score from the spot.

  • Exeter City v Oxford United highlights

United appealed for offside, but while the goalkeeper was unsure about whether a flag should have gone up, he was confident the referee would not send him off.

Long said: “He was going away from goal, so I didn’t think the referee was going to send me off.

“I had a quick look to see what card he was pulling out, fortunately there wasn’t one.”

The draw means United are still waiting for their first win of the campaign as they go into successive home games this week against Accrington Stanley and Stevenage.

Long felt when the Exeter game was taken in isolation there was little wrong with the result, but admitted the players were desperate to get a victory on the board.

“All things considered it’s not a bad point, but we’re dying to get the three points,” he said.

“We have to look at the positives, we’ve not played our best but still ground out a point.

“We have a couple of home games coming up where we can really put our stamp on things and hopefully kick-start the season.”

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