Preston North End 1, Bury 1

THEY call them Proud Preston, but it was Andy Preece and his young guns from Bury who had every right to be bursting with pride after this one.

Bury save their best performances for the big games, and this was no exception as the Shakers stood firm against a classy Preston side, kept them at bay and even threatened to pinch all three points on several occassions.

Much of the credit must go down to an outstanding defensive display and an even more stupendous showing from the ever-improving Paddy Kenny in the Bury goal.

The performances of Kenny, Matt Barrass and Danny Swailes are going a long way towards lightening the gloom surrounding the club at the moment because of their financial plight.

But there is even a hint of some light at the end of the tunnel in that situation.

The display at Deepdale certainly helped to put that to the back of the mind as Bury matched the crisp, bright day with a similar performance.

Preston showed they were going to be a constant threat with some quick, incisive football in that vital last third of the field. And, as early as the third minute, Steve Redmond did well to block a shot from Mark Rankine, only to see Sean Gregan follow up with a shot that whistled just wide of the right-hand post.

Preston have three former Manchester United youngsters in their ranks in the shape of striker Jonathan Macken, midfield man Michael Appleton and defender Colin Murdock. Their pedigree shone throughout and Appleton showed he was going to be a menacing presence with a sixth minute shot that Swailes did well to clear right in front of goal.

Darren Bullock got away with what appeared to be an elbow in the face at a free-kick as the pressure on the Bury goal mounted in the 10th minute, but Barrass relieved some of that with a good run into the box, only to finish with a weak shot straight at Preston keeper Teuvo Moilanen.

Rankine, returning from suspension with an obviously sharpened appetite, fired low across the face of the goal in the 15th minute. Then, three minutes later, Preston finally hit the target, helped in no small way by the actions, or should I say lack of them, of bumbling referee David Laws of Whitley Bay.

He certainly didn't live up to his name, as he failed to apply them at all on several occasions, including letting things go right in front of his eyes that would have had other officials reaching for their yellow cards, or whistles at the very least, faster than the speed of light. Darren Bullock was fouled twice as the ball was moved out of the Preston half and, with the visitors hesitating, expecting a whistle, Gregan was allowed all the time in the world to play a precise pass through the advanced Shakers back line.

That put Macken in the clear and he made no mistake with a neat, low shot that beat Kenny all ends up.

It was a blow that would have floored a lot of sides, but Bury bounced back eight minutes later with a delightful move that saw Preece and Paul Barnes play two sweet lay-offs that put Bullock right in 10 yards out, but, sadly, with a goal looking a certainty, his shot lacked any power at all.

Preston then contrived to show Bullock how to do it, only to be denied by some excellent handling by Kenny, a header off the line from Swailes and their own wayward finishing.

Lutel James, with only his second goal of the season, was the man who finally got it right.

He broke clear on the right three minutes before half-time, homed in on goal and finished with real aplomb, driving the ball low between Moilanen and the near post.

And oh how they needed it in the second half as Preston laid siege to the Bury goal.

Barrass was lucky not to see red in the 54th minute when Gunnlaugsson went down in a tussle with the 19-year-old right back right on the edge of the box.

The Walshaw lad escaped with a yellow card and Kenny then came to the rescue with four superlative saves from a David Eyres free-kick, a Steve Basham shot, a Graham Alexander free-kick and a Macken shot.

It was Bury, and Preece, who almost had the final say three minutes from the end when substitute Martyn Forrest played a neat square pass in for Preece on the right. He fired in from point-blank range, only to see Moilanen produce a magnificent reaction save.

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