JEAN Tigana's cosmopolitan collective kicked off with 11 players of different nationalities - 10 of them full internationals - and their Premiership class told in the end.

Preece and Newby cut lonely figures up front as their teammates failed to provide them with any sort of ammunition.

And despite some resolute defending from the Shakers it was inevitable that the Londoners slick passing game would begin to pay dividends eventually.

Yet it looked as if the Shakers would go into the break level until a slip by Dunfield was punished as Stolcers put Fulham ahead.

Bury opened the second period brightly but were rocked in a four minute spell that saw Dunfield stretchered off and Stolcers, on loan from Spartak Moscow, double Fulham's lead.

Any hope Bury had of getting back into the match were scotched a mix-up between Garner and substitute Colin Woodthorpe resulted in the former Stockport man heading the ball over his goalkeeper and Clark gleefully nodded into an empty goal.

Garner redeemed himself later in the game with two breathtaking stops.

Firstly he clawed away a close range header from Argentinian substitute Facundo Sava then minutes later somehow got a hand to a point blank strike from Hayles after the striker had turned the Bury defence inside out.

As the game drew to a close the 600-plus Bury followers roared their approval for their brave heroes' efforts.

And in stoppage time they were rewarded by a magnificent Newby goal that extended the club's run to 18 consecutive scoring games - equalling a record set in the 1960-61 Third Division championship campaign.

After good work from 17-year-old substitute Dave Nugent, Newby was out on the right wing, faced with two international defenders in Cameroonian Pierre Wome and Morocco's Abdes Ouaddou.

The former Liverpool man proceeded to breeze past the first and nutmeg the second before racing into the box and chipping an exquisite left foot effort beyond Maik Taylor.

BURY FORMGUIDE: Garner 8, Barrass 6 (O'Shaughnessy, 80), Stuart 7, Swailes

7, Nelson 7, Unsworth 6, Billy 7, Forrest 7, Preece 6 (Nugent, 72), Dunfield

7 (Woodthorpe, 49), Newby 7. Subs not used: Redmond and George.

REFEREE: Mr D. Pugh (Merseyside)

ATTENDANCE: 4,702