Cambridge United 0 - Bury 1.

THERE'S an old Mafiosa saying that revenge is a dish best eaten cold but that's not an adage that Andy Preece and his Shakers players would necesarily agree with.

The high Mediterranean temperatures that they endured on the opening day at the Abbey Stadium were much to their liking as they got an early hit on last season's bogey team.

The six points Cambridge took off the Shakers last season kept them in the Second Division after a long hard struggle.

But Preece's men showed they weren't going to be so generous this time around with a highly encouraging display that augurs well for the next nine months.

The one goal margin didn't really do the performance justice and had striker Paul Barnes had more luck in front of goal he might have had a hat-trick and given the scoreline a more realistic look.

He claimed the 43rd minute winner (hotly disputed by Paul Reid who said he had the final touch!) after appearing to bundle the ball over the line from close range after Chris Swailes had headed a Nick Daws free-kick across goal.

Reid's challenge on Lionel Perez in the Cambridge goal caused the Frenchman to take his eye off the ball and it seemed an age before it found it's way over the line.

For Barnes it was just the start to the season he was looking for and he relished the freedom he was allowed partnering boss Andy Preece.

"This season I've set my stall out to get among the goals and get in the six yard box a bit more rather than be a target man," he said.

"Obviously if I'm playing with the gaffer up front I can be more of a sniffer because he will take the physical workload.

"But if I'm playing with Bhaichung Bhutia or Dean Crowe the emphasis is on me to battle more and knock things down for them.

"Hopefully if I continue to play up front with the gaffer chances will drop for me like they did on Saturday."

And drop for him they did. Twice in the space of three minutes midway through the first half he could have opening the new season's goal account, hooking a close range effort goalwards that was deflected for a corner then firing an angled drive over the bar after racing clear of the U's defence.

Add to that an 82nd minute lob that Perez did well to get a hand to and you can see why he was keen to claim the all-important winner!

Perhaps the most pleasing aspect of the display was the hard work and organisation that restricted the home side to just two worthwhile efforts on goal.

The first was a stinging drive from Alex Russell on the half hour and the second arrived nine minutes after the interval when U's skipper Paul Wanless cracked a first time strike that looked a goal all the way.

On both occasions Paddy Kenny was equal to the job and the Shakers 'keeper looked calmness personified behind a back four that didn't put a collective foot wrong throughout the ninety minutes.

Assistant boss Steve Redmond has spent a lot of time working with the club's defenders in pre-season and it certainly showed at the Abbey.

"Steve has done some great work organising the defence on the training pitch and it's paying dividends," said Andy Preece.

"It's important that you get a solid unit at the back. If you don't concede goals then you've always a chance of winning the game.

"Good teams are built on a solid back line and I though we looked really well at the back on Saturday."

Twin central defenders Sam Collins and Chris Swailes were in dominant mood and, flanked by debutant Lee Unsworth and former Cambridge favourite Dean Barrick, were never going to allow the home side to get a foothold back into the game once the Shakers got their noses in front.

With Daws and Chris Billy matching the midfield workrate of busy U's pairing of Wanless and Russell and Reid and Ady Littlejohn always a threat down the flanks the Shakers always looked likely to stretch the lead.

"We talked all week about that happened last season when they battered us twice," added Preece.

"But the lads stood up and were counted and could have won by three or four.

"If we can continue like that we have got a chance. It's the sign of a decent team when you can grind out results like we did on Saturday."