ANDY Preece should start checking what time his team go to bed on Friday nights.

Because judging by the first 25 minutes of Saturday's defeat, half the players were still waking up.

Wrexham were two up before the Shakers had launched a worthwhile attack, and it was only in the final half-hour that Preece's men finally looked the match of their impressive Welsh visitors.

The Bury boss said afterwards that his team had been hammered. He was right but, as he also pointed out, with three points out of six on the board it isn't a disaster.

And, in fact, the Shakers had enough chances to have scored four goals themselves. Preece hit the bar twice late on, Dean Crowe had a shot cleared off the line and ref Graham Laws turned down what looked like a legitimate handball appeal.

However, if Bury could have scored four, Wrexham could have had 10.

They looked a class act, led superbly by Brian Flynn's two summer signings, Trinidad and Tobago internationals Hector Sam and Carlos Edwards.

Both men played last week for the national team alongside Manchester United's Dwight Yorke and his influence seems to have rubbed off.

Both strikers oozed class and caused the bewildered Bury back line constant problems. And with Darren Ferguson, watched by dad Alex, excellent in midfield and tall centre-forward Craig Faulconbridge looking a real handful, the Welsh team - who last season went 16 games without a win (ending that miserable run, ironically, at Gigg Lane with a 2-0 win) - look as though they could be serious promotion candidates.

As the match kicked off, though, some optimistic Bury supporters could be heard talking about "being top by five 'o clock".

Preece picked the same 11 who played so well at Cambridge and the feeling was that the Shakers were heading for victory.

3.04pm and things started to go wrong.

Edwards twisted and turned on the left flank and Faulconbridge was allowed too much too time to turn and slide the ball past Kenny from close range.

Wrexham were in rampant mood, Edwards playing so well Lee Unsworth will have nightmares for weeks to come.

They made it two on 17 minutes, Sam racing clear from Ferguson's through ball to coolly slot underneath the advancing Kenny.

Perhaps embarrassed at the ease with which the slick Wrexham team were controlling the game, the Shakers at last started to move up a gear.

On 28 minutes Adrian Littlejohn hit a tremendous volley from inside the six-yard box only to watch in disbelief as Wrexham goalie Kristian Rogers somehow got in the way. Two minutes later the Shakers left-winger came close again, running unchallenged into the area and firing a vicious shot into the net - unfortunately the side-netting.

Kenny showed he could play a bit, controlling an overhit Dean Barrick back pass like Maradona, juggling the ball on his head and booting it to safety with a left-foot volley.

But that was light relief in an otherwise depressing half.

If Bury were to get anything out of the match, they needed to score before the break. But they didn't and were lucky not to concede more, Sam blasting over from six yards and referee Graham Laws - who sent off Paul Reid and Lutel James the last time he took charge of a Bury game - being kind to the Shakers when Chris Swailes challenged Sam heavily in the box.

But those let-offs counted for nothing when Faulconbridge effectively wrapped up the contest shortly after the restart.

He superbly headed home a Darren Ferguson free kick, which - under the new FA rule - had been moved forward 10 yards after Paul Barnes argued with ref Mr Laws.

Two minutes later, on 55 minutes, strikers Cowe and Bhutia replaced Littlejohn and Barnes in a double Bury substitution and it changed the game within 60 seconds.

Crowe struck a beautiful low 20-yard drive into the bottom corner of the net after Wrexham failed to clear.

Bury put the pressure on. Crowe was denied by Wrexham keeper Kristian Rogers after a carbon-copy attempt and Bhutia nearly took a defender's head off with a spectacular if unsuccessful overhead attempt.

But any hope of a fighback was short-lived. The Welshmen made it 4-1, 12 minutes from the end, when midfielder Danny Williams danced through the Bury defence and finished delightfully with a left-foot curling shot from 18 yards.

To their credit, Bury never gave up and rallied bravely. They deserved some reward, especially Andy Preece who hit the woodwork twice in the dying minutes, once with a close range header, the other a superb dipping volley from 18 yards.

Crowe had a shot cleared off the line and Bhutia was everywhere, playing as a left-back cum centre forward.

When card-happy ref Laws blew for time there was disappointment around the ground.

At least the 3,600 crowd had seen an entertaining game though and - credit where credit's due - a fine attacking performance from the visitors.

That, however, wasn't much consolation for disappointed Bury boss Preece.

''We were hammered but we must bounce back,'' he said.

That starts at Crewe on Tuesday in the League Cup.

BURY: Paddy Kenny 6, Unsworth 6, Barrick 7, C Swailes 7, S Collins 6, Billy 7, Daws 7, A Littlejohn 7, Barnes 6, Preece 7. Subs: Crowe 7 (for Barnes, 55), Bhutia 7 (for Littlejohn 55), D Swailes (for Barrick 80), Bullock, Redmond.

WREXHAM: Rogers, McGregor, Owen, Carey, Ridler, Faulconbridge, Ferguson, Williams, Sam, Edwards, Roche. Subs: Morrell (for Sam 71), Gibson (for Edwards 83), Dearden, Chalk, Roberts. REF: Mr G Laws (Whiteley Bay) 6.

ATT: 3,613.