SUNDERLAND 2 BURY 1

SALUTE the Shakers for a battling, backs-to-the-wall performance which gives them every opportunity of reaching the third round of the Coca Cola Cup.

Stripped of the services of five first team regulars - on the sidelines because of short and long term injuries - they were forced to shuffle the pack before Tuesday night's (Sept 16) tough task at Sunderland.

And when Ian Hughes limped out of the action after only 24 minutes, manager Stan Ternent rang the changes once more, with Lenny Johnrose emerging as an emergency left back, Gordon Armstrong switching to sweeper and substitute Andy Woodward filling in for the luckless Hughes.

And still later in the game Armstrong, the perfect professional for a crisis, performed admirably in a midfield role as he made the most of wearing the captain's armband on his sentimental journey to his footballing roots.

By then, despite Sunderland leading 2-1, he and his colleagues had achieved their pre-match objective of turning down the rheostat at the superb Stadium of Light. No Roker Roar here despite the home side having a huge advantage in terms of possession and support.

From the kick-off Bury were getting bodies between Sunderland and Dean Kiely, tactics guaranteed to frustrate and despite some slick passing and intelligent running off the ball the home side's attack was repeatedly blunted.

Even so Kiely had two opportunities to really shine as he flipped a fierce drive from Kevin Ball over the top and then plunged to tip a raking drive from Michael Bridges round an upright.

But just as the Wearsiders were beginning to find their voices, they were stunned into silence, albeit temporarily, when Bury took a shock lead after 42 minutes.

Nick Daws picked up a loose ball, cut inside from the right and from full 30 yards a blistering left foot shot sent the ball slamming against the underside of the crossbar from where it bounced down and then bulged the roof of the net. The Shakers were still in a state of euphoria when Sunderland equalised, Darren Williams surging through to make the most of a rapier-fast 1-2 with Ball by clipping a shot wide of Kiely.

When the home side went ahead after 56 minutes, Bridges heading home after Ball had nodded a corner kick back into the danger area, it might well have been curtains for lesser sides, but to a man the Bury players simply rolled up their sleeves a little higher, ignored the swirling wind and dug the trenches even deeper.

Pretty is wasn't, effective it certainly was and next Tuesday, with a far different game plan, the Shakers may well get their belated reward.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.