BRENTFORD 5 - BURY 1

IF ever the Ripley's Believe It Or Not exhibition on Blackpool's Golden Mile open a display of sporting curiosities the video of this harrowing encounter would be high on their list of acquisitions.

As an illustration of what can go wrong when you are struggling at the wrong end of the table it could have no equal.

When you are bottom of the pile and facing the team at the top the last thing you need your defence to do is to throw in a schoolboy error masterclass.

But that's just what Bury's back line managed at Griffin Park with disastrous consequences.

That said, there was another major factor in the defeat: Step forward referee Paul Rejer.

Most people would agree with the maxim that you don't kick a dog when it's down.

Mr Rejer believes in clogging them all the way from West London back to deepest Lancashire.

As if the self inflicted wounds weren't enough the Tipton official gifted the grateful Bees two nonsensical penalty kicks then crowned a woeful display by giving Jamie Stuart his marching orders for two bookable offences after a bizarre series of events.

Not even Brentford boss Steve Coppell could believe what was going on and he had nothing but sympathy for Shakers boss Andy Preece after the match.

"I said to Andy after the match that the result flattered us but I can't repeat his response," said Coppell.

"Things seem to conspire to bring you down when you are struggling."

The self destruction side of the equation was in evidence within 38 seconds of the start when, following a long ball out of defence, Michael Nelson allowed Lloyd Owusu to get goal side of him and the powerful striker fired a low drive past Kenny.

It might have been a different story had either George Syros or Nelson not seen goalbound efforts hacked off the line following a third minute corner.

But things took a massive turn for the worse six minutes later when Mr Rejer adjudged Stuart to have bundled over Stephen Hunt when no contact appeared to be made.

Paul Gibbs expertly despatched the subsequent spot kick and that was that.

Ten minutes gone and two goals down the Londoners may have expected to have run up a first half cricket score but the slaughter didn't materialise.

In fact it was the Shakers who did the lion's share of attacking with Jon Newby and Gareth Seddon causing the home defence plenty of problems with their unselfish running and movement.

Chris Billy left the field with knee ligament damage on the half hour to be replaced by Matt Murphy and he was involved in a neat build up that resulted in a Seddon effort being deflected for a corner.

A half-time dressing down seemed to have done the trick as the Shakers came out all guns blazing and camped in the Bees half for the five minutes following the restart.

Jason Jarrett almost pulled a goal back with a fine low drive that Olafur Gottskalksson did well to push round the post for a corner.

But once again the self destruct button was pressed when Syros gave a ballwatching masterclass and allowed Owusu to nip in front of him and head home an innocuous right wing cross.

Despite the crucial third goal it was Bury who continued to take the game to the home side and Seddon should have done better with a far post header after Newby had picked him out.

Syros went some way to redeeming himself after 62 minutes when he headed home a Paul Reid corner to give the Shakers some hope.

But as anyone who has watched the Gigg Lane lads this season knows, what can go wrong will go wrong, and there was a further example of Sod's Law seventeen minutes from time.

When another of the numerous Bury corners was cleared Jarrett's attempt to deliver the ball back into the box was foiled by Jason Price who blocked with both his hands.

Mr Rejer completely missed this infringement and Price continued forward with the whole of the Shakers half at his disposal.

Stuart raced across to cover and as he challenged Price for the loose ball the former Swansea City man leapt in the air like a startled cat then lay prostrate on the ground.

Frustrated at two injustices within a matter of seconds Stuart attempted to drag Price to his feet by pulling the back of his shirt.

But the Bury man's frustration turned to anger when Mr Rejer ran over and brandished two yellow cards and Stuart was heading for an early bath.

To add insult to injury from the resulting free kick the Bees won a corner kick that on-loan Blackburn Rovers youngster Ben Burgess was allowed to head home at the near post.

Undaunted Bury still pressed forward and the full time corner count of 17 for the visitors and 8 for the home side is a fair indicator of the territorial advantage Bury enjoyed - if enjoy is the right word!

Burgess is a big, strapping lad and it would probably take a few lusty blows with a sledgehammer to knock him over but somehow Syros managed it while brushing past him in the box and that was enough for Mr Rejer to award the home side their second penalty of the night.

Gibbs, again, converted.

That was the last straw for Preece who, livid at the catalogue of dire decisions, began making his way to the dressing room well before the final whistle only to return when Nelson went down with what looked like a serious injury in stoppage time.

But the evening had a final twist when a reckless challenge by Martyn Forrest earned the Shakers a seventh booking of the night a total that will see a sizeable FA fine dropping through the Gigg Lane letterbox.

On second thoughts, forget about sending the video to Ripley's . . . You've Been Framed may be a better bet!