Bury Town boss Ben Chenery praised his two debutants, Alex Henderson and Tommy Smith, following the 1-1 home draw against Coggeshall in the top-of-the-table clash.
Teenage defenders Henderson and Smith,signed on loan from Ipswich Town until January, relished the battle at centre-half and left-back respectively.
"I think this is a good point," insisted Chenery.
"We had just one training session with the new players, with the two Ipswich lads.
"We made two changes to the back four, and two changes to the midfield, and the pitch was heavy, which made it difficult for us with the way that we play.
"The two Ipswich lads did very well - they came in to training for the first time on Thursday night, and we got the paperwork done on Friday.
"It's not easy for them, because in Academy football you get used to everyone passing the ball on the floor, it's quite pure.
"Today they had to stand up and be counted. They came in at half-time and you could see in both their sets of eyes that they were due for a test - they were shattered but they grew during the game. They dealt with everything, and it's a big thank you to Ipswich Town for letting them come here.
"That was their first taste of senior football. We have them until January, then we will reassess and look again."
With regards the match, Chenery continued: "It could have gone either way. If we go back a couple of seasons, it's a game we would probably have lost with the number of balls that they put into our box, which we had to defend.
"We had 17 or 18 years-olds in Tommy Smith and Alex Henderson, plus Ross Crane, Max Maughn, Dan Barden and Colin Oppong, so that's half a team of 17 and 18-year-olds!
"But I also have to pay credit to our senior players, the Cemal Ramadans, Ollie Hughes and Ryan Jollands, that supported them with their energy, tenacity and know-how.
"So this is a good point, because if you play the teams around you, then you make sure you don't lose, while you try and win the other games.
"I'm really proud of them, and we are still top of the league going into December.
"This season feels a bit different. There is a defiance to do well. We had Ryan Horne and Joe White (both long-term injured) in the dressing room, and they gave us strength - we want to push on for those two, and get the job finished, which means staying in the top five."
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