Rushden put the boot in

STICKING the boot in is probably a way of life for a team bankrolled by Max Griggs, the millionaire boss of the Doctor Marten's empire.

There's no doubting that as far as the Shakers are concerned this result was as painful as a hearty kick in the tender parts.

Far from walking on air Andy Preece's men were left feeling decidedly footsore and no doubt bemused at not taking at least a point from this encounter.

Playing the best football they'd shown for weeks, the return of on-loan striker Pawel Abbott seemed to transport the Shakers back to those heady days at the start of the campaign when scoring goals wasn't a problem.

It wouldn't have been on Tuesday night with a bit more fortune.

Fielding a side with three strikers in Abbott, Jon Newby and David Nugent they set about second placed Diamonds with pace and skill and repeatedly got behind their defence.

Newby, in particular, looked back to his best but all too often when the final ball was delivered into the box there was no-one on the end to convert.

Rushden's best chance of the first half came in the opening 20 seconds when a looping header from Duane Darby almost caught Glyn Garner out.

The Northamptonshire side seemed happy to just launch balls forward in the direction of Jamaican international Onandi Lowe but the man-mountain striker was expertly marshalled by the Shakers defence and never got a clean sight of goal.

Meanwhile, Abbott was determined to mark his return to Gigg Lane with a goal and looked certain to oblige after eight minutes when he capitalised on good work from Nugent to fire in a stinging drive that Billy Turley did well to block.

Martyn Forrest, ratting well in the middle of the park, met a near post ball from Newby but his effort went just wide and on another night Nugent's first time strike from a Danny Swailes knockdown would have found the net rather than fly straight into the welcome arms of the Rushden 'keeper.

The second period followed a similar pattern with Bury looking to get the ball down and play while the robust Diamonds were content to go route one.

But that's not to say they didn't have any success.

Garner had to be at his agile best to parry a close range effort from former QPR ace Stuart Wardley then denied Darby, blocking with his legs at the near post.

However, the much travelled striker wasn't to be denied and it was a misunderstanding between skipper Michael Nelson and Garner that let him in.

There seemed little danger when the Bury defender headed a back pass in the direction of the goalkeeper but Darby sensed some hesitancy and just managed to lift the ball over Garner before calmly sidefooting into the net.

The game was held up for a number of minutes while the net had to be attended to following the goal but once play recommenced it was business as usual.

Nelson flashed a ball across the face of the goal that only needed the slightest of touches to be diverted past Turley and two minutes later the inspiration skipper limped off with a worrying knee injury after a challenge with Darby.

His replacement was Colin Cramb - complete with freshly bleached hair - and the Scot did his level best to inject a bit of devilment into the Shakers play.

In the 88th minute he embarked on a superb mazy dribble that caused all sorts of problems for the Rushden defence only to be eventually crowded out and in the dying seconds he played a marvellous ball to the back post that Newby narrowly missed getting on the end of.

"There's no way we deserved to lose that game," said a disappointed Preece. "I'm gutted at the result.

"You can't ask for more than 100 per cent from the players and that's what we got.

"There was passion, commitment, bravery and we played with freedom. I thought we were outstanding and it was a much better performance than of late.

"If we play like that in the remaining nine games we are sure to end up in a good position."

The result saw the Shakers drop to eleventh in the table but they remain only two points from a play-off place and five points from the third automatic promotion spot with a game in hand.

And despite still being very much in the hunt for a quick return to Division Two and facing one of the top sides in the section, only 2,229 could be bothered to make the trip to Gigg.

It was a pitiful gate made all the more disappointing as 1,024 took the trouble to travel to Macclesfield for last Saturday's game.

Given the club are still in 'intensive care' on the financial front, it's hardly surprising the board feel unable to allow a Preece to push the boat out on the transfer front as the run-in approaches.

BURY

Glyn Garner...7

Danny Swailes...7

Michael Nelson...7

Colin Woodthorpe...7

Lee Connell...7

Martyn Forrest...7

George Clegg...7

Jamie Stuart...7

Pawel Abbott...8

David Nugent...7

Jon Newby...8

Subs: Cramb (for Nelson, 80). Not used: Preece, Dunfield, O'Shaughnessy and Unsworth.

Yellow cards: Connell (84), Swailes (86), Clegg (90).

RUSHDEN & DIAMONDS: Turley, Bignot, Hunter, Edwards, Underwood (Sambrook, 45), Wardley, Mills, Bell, Hall, Lowe, Darby (Duffy, 87). Subs not used: Peters, Gray & Dempster.

Yellow card: Darby (67)

REFEREE: Mr J. P. Robinson (Hull)

ATT: 2,291