A brace from Jake Hyde helped Barnet to a 2-2 draw against Oxford United.

Both sides scored in the opening six minutes. Hyde steered a header into the corner for the Bees before Sean Rigg fired home an equaliser in from just inside the box.

Oxford retook the lead a minute into the second period when Andrew Whing headed home but Hyde struck for a second time to ensure the points were shared.

Mark Robson and Edgar Davids made one change to their side as Andy Yiadom came into the starting XI in place of the suspended Edgar Davids.

The Bees started the contest brightly and went ahead after just four minutes. Mark Byrne whipped a corner to the near post and Hyde’s looping header nestled in the corner of Ryan Clarke’s net.

However, Barnet’s lead lasted just 90 seconds as Oxford immediately levelled. A cross in the Bees box was headed down by James Constable and Rigg ran onto the ball and smashed into the corner.

After the equaliser both teams continued to push forward. The Bees came close to converting crosses on two occasions but Hyde and Jon Nurse both missed the ball by inches.

Oxford struggled to break Barnet down in open play but did look dangerous from corners a long throws.

The Bees thought they’d regained the lead when Ricky Holmes scuffed a shot towards goal from a corner and Clark split the ball.

The Barnet players felt the ball had dropped behind the line but play continued and Oxford cleared the danger.

The Yellows continued to threaten from set-pieces and Rigg headed just wide at the near post.

In the closing stages of the half, Rigg against came close to breaking the deadlock. He cleverly turned on the edge of the box and released a shot which flew past Graham Stack’s post.

Neither side made changes at the interval and less than a minute after the restart, Oxford went ahead.

A Peter Leven free-kick from the left found Whing and his header clipped the crossbar and dropped into the net.

The goal didn’t knock the Bees’ confidence and they continued to create chances. Hyde sent a strike into the hands of Clarke before Clovis Kamdjo fired over from distance.

Barnet continued to attack and they equalised through Hyde. Holmes, who caused the Oxford defence constant problems, got to the byline, cut the ball back and Hyde touched home.

Oxford’s came close to retaking the lead from an indirect free-kick awarded after Krystian Pearce was deemed to have passed by to Stack.

From three yards the ball was touched to Leven but the Bees goalkeeper quickly smothered the attempt.

As the game entered the final ten minutes, Barnet pushed forward in search of a winner.

Jon Nurse saw a deflected shot well saved by Clarke before Holmes fired a volley inches wide of the post from the edge of the area.

In the dying moment, Oliver Lee struck a shot narrowly wide but it was Oxford who came closest to taking the win.

In injury time, a Leven free-kick was met by John Mullins and his header struck both posts before Barnet cleared the ball.

It was a deserved point for Barnet who attacked purposefully and defended well for the majority of the contest.

The Bees are back on the road on Saturday as they take on Cheltenham Town.

Barnet: Stack; Fuller, Pearce, Stephens, Brown; Yiadom, Kamdjo, Byrne; Holmes (Lee 87); Nurse, Hyde.

Barnet substitutes: Cowler, Fortune, Edgar, Lee, Weston, Lowe, Johnson.

Oxford United: Clarke; Whing, Mullins, Wright, Capaldi; Champman, Leven, Heslop (Pittman 59), Rigg, Potter, Constanble.

Oxford United substitutes: Raynes, Forster-Caskey, Brown, Worley, O’Brien, Marsh, Pittman.

Attendance: 1,626. (466).