Bury 1 Rushden & Diamonds 1: IT was another frustrating day at the office for Graham Barrow and his side as for the second time in a matter of days they squandered two home points.

Hot on the heels of Tuesday night's draw with Boston came another 1-1 stalemate.

But unlike earlier in the week when the Shakers took the lead then lost the initiative, this time they had to fight back from a goal behind.

And once again it was a gaffe from Dave Challinor that proved their undoing.

The Shakers skipper, who headed into his own net on Tuesday night, slipped on the edge of his area just before the hour mark only for the ball to break kindly for Rushden's on-loan striker Gary Mulligan who played in Alex Hay who, in turn, beat Bury keeper Glyn Garner from close range.

It was a goal that the visitors scarcely deserved but that said neither team looked likely to break the deadlock prior to that.

The Shakers struggled to counter the visitors' solid formation and on the odd occasion they did get behind the Rushden defence there was no-one to get on the end of crosses.

The nearest Bury came to going in front was a free-kick from Brian

Barry-Murphy that was pushed over the bar by Diamonds' keeper Billy Turley.

It was a similar story after the break until Challinor's slip allowed the

visitors to get their heads in front.

Fortunately, the goal seemed to give the Shakers a kick up the backsides and they responded well to the stout Rushden challenge.

A minute after the breakthough Newby saw a goal-bound effort blocked by Sean Connelly but the striker was substituted three minutes later for Terry Dunfield who went on to have a superb game.

Shortly after the switch the Shakers were level when a pinpoint ball into the box by Tom Kennedy was met by midfielder Dwayne Mattis who swept a powerful left foot effort underneath experienced keeper Turley from 15 yards.

Nugent -- who had been well marshalled by the visitors -- began to show his worth with a surging run and cross that evaded everyone in the box then headed into the arms of Turley at the end of an excellent six-man move.

Rushden's best moments came on the break and Drewe Broughton gave Garner something to think about with a curling effort that drifted wide of the post. But that chance apart is was all Bury in the closing stages.

The busy Dunfield fired narrowly wide of the post after a one-two with Nugent and another cross from Kennedy caused pandemonium in the visitors box with both Nugent and Mattis having efforts blocked by desperate defenders.

With two good shouts for a penalty turned down -- one for a foul on Danny Swailes and another for handball -- it clearly wasn't to be the home side's day and that was borne out in the 89th minute when yet another teasing ball from Kennedy ran across the six-yard box with no-one there to get the vital touch.

BURY: Garner 7, Barrass 7, Kennedy 7, Swailes 6, Challinor 6, Woodthorpe 7, Mattis 7, Barry-Murphy 8, Newby 6 (Dunfield 64, 8), Porter 6 (Kazim-Richards 79), Nugent 7.

ATTENDANCE: 2,672.