BURY...0

MANCHESTER CITY...0

ACCORDING to Shakers' manager Graham Barrow, Bury didn't just draw with Manchester City once on Wednesday night, they did it twice - back-to-back - in front of a bumper 7,412 crowd.

"Credit to City and Kevin for bringing such a magnificent squad, but in fairness our lads had to put up with playing two teams due to the amount of changes they were able to make," said Barrow.

"Most of them had to play against two sets of legs and we were obviously going to feel the pace no matter who we played, but we hung in and it was very pleasing to finish 0-0 after 90 minutes against a side - or sides - of City's calibre.

"All you have to think of is 'Barnet 1 Arsenal 10' to appreciate what could have happened.

"They created chances but so did we, it was a good exercise and a step in the right direction in this important pre-season phase.

"It also gave my lads the chance to play in front of a fantastic crowd.

"The City supporters are unbelievable, they just keep turning up for them and hopefully that performance will show our own supporters what we are trying to build here," he said.

The gulf in class between the two teams was only just evident in the first half, and indeed it the Shakers who had the first attempt on goal when Brian Barry-Murphy fired a low shot from 20 yards at City's new signing, Geert De Vlieger, with the ball fizzing past his right post on seven minutes.

One of City's two new fullbacks, England international Danny Mills then tested Glyn Garner, driving a low cross into the Bury box, but the Shakers' favourite Welshman dived smartly to snuff out the danger.

Minutes later he was alert again to a ball fired into his 18-yard area aimed at Robbie Fowler and Paulo Wanchope, but again he cut it out.

Bury were looking comfortable with the pace of the game and their organisation looked equal to City's probing and prodding from midfield.

However, Garner was forced to race off his line a third time to smother the ball at Wanchope's feet.

In midfield almost every Bury move was directed by Dave Flitcroft in the middle, who was the hub of all Bury's attacking ideas, assisted by new signing Dwayne Mattis, who was acting as the link man, running the hard yards from box to box.

Barry-Murphy popped up again in centre field to have another pop at De Vlieger, but this time his shot was blocked by a defender's leg.

City continued to push forward and Antoine Sibierski fired a snap shot over the bar from around the penalty spot on 39 minutes, although Garner appeared to have it covered.

Right on the stroke of half time Fowler finally found himself free just eight yards out, but instead of testing Garner he tested the reactions of the crowd behind the goal, ballooning his effort high over the cross bar when a goal looked a certainty.

The visitors started the second half with virtually a new team, with the likes of Richard Dunne, David Sommeil, Jon Macken and the exciting Shaun Wright-Phillips given a 45 minute run out.

Tom Kennedy was given the task of marking Wright-Philips and for the most part kept a tight lead on him, but the City man's bag of tricks and pace caught him out on a couple of occasions.

On the hour the Wright-Phillips had Garner beaten but fired his shot into the side netting.

A minute later Barrow swapped Chris Porter and David Nugent for John Newby and Graeme Jones, with City taking advantage of the reorganisation when Irish under 21 international Willo Flood forced Garner into a tremendous reaction save to deny him a goal.

Barrow then threw on Simon Whaley and former City starlet Terry Dunfield for Woodthorpe and Flitcroft, who had both ran themselves into the newly laid turf for the Shakers' cause.

After 69 minutes Nugent met a tremendous Kennedy cross, but failed to get his free header on target. Minutes later Wright-Philips wasted a similar opportunity in a similar position.

City's extra pace and guile began to tell, with Garner forced into yet another diving block, this time at the feet of Macken, while Wright-Philips, having wrong-footed Barrass then miscued and shot across the face of goal.

The City winger then popped up again minutes later to direct a header straight at Garner.

But Bury almost nicked it in the 86th minute when Simon Whaley's looping drive caught replacement goalkeeper Kevin Ellegaard off his line, but the ball just cleared the cross bar to fall onto the roof of the net.

Garner brought the game to a close with another fine stop from Wright-Philips, as Bury worked right to the end to ensure a share of the spoils from this game with their illustrious neighbours.

BURY: Garner, Unsworth, Kennedy, Barrass, Challinor, Woodthorpe, Mattis, Flitcroft, Barry-Murphy, Jones, Newby. Subs: Duxbury, Porter (for Newby, 61), Whaley (for Woodthorpe, 64), Nugent (for Jones, 61), Dunfield (for Flitcroft, 64)