Bury 0 Cambridge 1

THE 'R' word hasn't been mentioned at Gigg Lane this season but a few more results like Saturday's and it soon will be, writes Steve Canavan This disastrous defeat meant the Shakers have taken six points from the least 30; have won once in their last 14 outings and are now lying in 18th position in the league.

Relegation is becoming a distinct threat.

Tom Cowan's 19th minute strike after a mix-up between Sam Collins and Steve Redmond gave Cambridge a shock win as two inept teams slogged it out in the Gigg Lane mud.

Bury did have the chances to salvage a point but once again they spurned them and the supporters made their feelings known by booing the players off the pitch at the end.

Preece also made his feelings clear - he ordered the players in for extra training yesterday.

''We've not played well but we had so many chances to get something out of the game,'' lamented boss Andy Preece, as honest as ever and one of four Bury strikers on during the second half as the home side pressed for a goal.

''The crowd have been great all season. They got restless today but we can't expect them to be happy with a performance like that. It's spoiled all the good work we've done.

''We lost because we didn't start the game the right way. I've ripped into the lads and told them how I feel because this wasn't good enough.''

On a churned up pitch playing good football was almost impossible and both teams soon realised this and gave up trying.

It set the tone for an afternoon's viewing as poor as Channel 5.

Bury had the first real chance, Adrian Littlejohn latching onto a Paul Reid through ball but firing his shot into the side netting.

Then, with their first and only real attack of the afternoon, the visitors took the lead. Cowan nervously approached Redmond and Collins on the edge of the box and was more amazed than the crowd as the two central defenders somehow contrived to let him walk through.

Cowan kept his composure to slot neatly past the unguarded Paddy Kenny from close range.

After that it was catch up and, try as they might, the Shakers couldn't.

The two best chance were both badly squandered.

First Barnes, latching onto a Lionel Perez parry from a vicious long-range Littlejohn shot, hit the bar from six yards with the goal at his mercy.

Then a minute after the break, Littlejohn found skipper Nick Daws unmarked at the back post. With oceans of space and all the time in the world Daws unexplicably shot high and wide.

Collins bought a superb save out of former Sunderland keeper Perez with a header but apart from a few frantic goalmouth scrambles the Shakers never looked like making a breakthrough.

''In football you get what you deserve and today we got exactly what we deserved ... absolutely nothing,'' said Daws.

''We just never got going. I was guilty of probably the worst miss at the start of the second half. I was disappointed with myself but you just have to get on with it.''

Bury must bounce back against Kidderminster in the LDV Vans Trophy Second Round at Gigg Lane on Wednesday, 7.45pm kick off.

BURY: Kenny 7, Redmond 5, Collins 6, C Swales 6, Billy 5, Reid 6, Daws 6, Forrest 5, Jarrett 6, LITTLEJOHN 7, Barnes 6. SUBS: James (for Forrest 46), Preece (for Jarrett 56), Unsworth (for Redmond 82), Barrick, D Swailes. S

Att: 2,629.

Ref: Mike Jones (Chester)