Bury 0, Portsmouth 2

FIVE days after one of their best league results in recent times soccer's fickle finger of fate showed the Shakers the V-sign - and it wasn't the victory variety!

After dumping league leaders Nottingham Forest on Tuesday, defeat by struggling Portsmouth - who hadn't managed a win on their travels all season - shouldn't have been in the script.

But football isn't called a funny old game for nothing and Terry Fenwick's side were laughing all the way down the M6 after this smash and grab raid.

Two goals, one a splendidly worked effort the second a travesty, separated the sides at the final whistle but the result flattered the visitors as the Shakers created, and spurned, enough chances to have sewn the game up.

Chief culprit was £1.5 million rated striker David Johnson who won't have impressed many of his growing band of admirers in the scouting fraternity with a couple of missed sitters either side of the break.

After 20 minutes he failed to get enough purchase onto a superb left wing cross from Nicky Daws and, with only Alan Knight to beat, glanced his header wide from ten yards.

Then, in the second half, Portsmouth's veteran goalkeeper couldn't believe his luck when, face to face with Johnson at point blank range, the former Manchester United youngster mishit his shot, allowing Knight to palm away and Russell Perrett to hook to safety.

But by that time, and despite the Shakers' greater possession, the visitors had already taken the lead through the pick of the handful of Australian imports, former Cremonese striker John Aloisi.

Missing both midfield kingpin Andy Gray and the in-form Ian Hughes who were both starting their lengthy suspensions, Bury boss Stan Ternent turned to Gordon Armstrong and Jason Peake to fill the breach.

And while he chose not to blame the enforced changes for the defeat the game cried out for someone of Gray's class to grab it by the scruff of the neck.

Pompey boss Fenwick had been at Gigg Lane to see the Shakers demolish Forest earlier in the week and set his stall out accordingly. Relying on swift breaks they sat back and let the home side come at them and frustratingly for the viewing public it worked.

Nevertheless the visitors had made a lively start before retreating into their shell.

Twice in the first ten minutes dangerous crosses from Irish international Alan McLoughlin might have brought early goals.

Aloisi was inches from connecting with the first then John Durnin made a complete hash of a glorious chance, racing in at the far post four minutes later.

But that was the total of their front-of-goal endeavours until the deadlock was broken after 53 minutes.

And when it arrived it was a quality goal, out of place in the lacklustre encounter.

Slick interplay between Durnin and McLoughlin carved up the Shakers rearguard and laid a simple chance on a plate for leading scorer Aloisi who brought his five match goalless run to an end.

The goal was a cue for some concerted pressure from the Shakers.

In the space of ten minutes midway through the second half Peter Swan headed a Daws cross wide and Tony Battersby blazed over a left foot effort after Chris Lucketti headed an Armstrong free-kick into his path.

As they were forced to chase the game substitutes Ronnie Jepson, Tony Rigby and Adrian Randall all came of the Bury bench.

Randall, in particular looked lively when he entered the fray. He saw a couple of powerful drives saved by Knight then provided two crosses that Chris Lucketti and central defensive partner Paul Butler could only head over.

As Ternent ordered his troops to storm forward gaps appeared at the back and former Arsenal man David Hillier sent Aloisi scurrying through on goal only for Dean Kiely to make a vital block.

Insult was added to injury three minutes into stoppage time when both Aloisi and Durnin, seemingly yards offside, were allowed to race clear by the officials and the latter had an easy chance to slide home.

There was still time for Pompey skipper Adrian Whitbread to hack a last gasp Armstrong effort off the line but it seemed the gods of football had decree that Gigg Lane was to be the place for the visitors' first clean sheet of the season.

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