Avon Galling!

Two Bill Holden goals gave the Shakers a 2-1 win back in that glorious 1960-61 season and how Stan Ternent's league leaders could have done with marksmanship of that calibre at the weekend.

A single, and controversial, strike from full-back Darren Barnard, midway through the second half sank the Shakers and ended their run of five consecutive wins - without a goal conceded - all told an impressive 560 minutes of football.

That sequence, which has fired them to the top of the division and installed them as bookies' favourites for the title, earned Ternent the 'dreaded' manager of the month award for March.

Receipt of the accolade often results in defeat the next game and once again Sod's Law was evident in all it's perverse glory.

City, in only their third game under new manager John Ward, had the edge on the Shakers in chances created and twice hit the woodwork before going in front but they were to end the game under siege as Ternent's never-say-die battlers went hell-for-leather in search of an equaliser.

A strong, swirling wind made good football difficult and both side's struggled to find their men in the early stages.

After 13 minutes Ronnie Jepson took advantage of a mistake by Gary Owers to race 45 yards and unleash a powerful drive that just cleared the bar.

At the other end Andy Woodward put in a timely challenge on City dangerman Paul Agostino and forced the Australian to fire wildly over when well placed.

Although the counter-attacking Shakers allowed City rather more space than they should have done the home side couldn't make their territorial advantage tell.

As ever the rock-solid rearguard repelled almost everything thrown at them and when they were breached Dean Kiely's courage and ability came to the fore.

He stopped a certain goal in the 20th minute when Mark Shail's long ball out of defence was flicked on by Barnard into the path of leading scorer Shaun Goater.

With the big Bermudan clear on goal and all set to chalk up his 21st of the season the Shakers' custodian spread himself superbly to block the powerful goalbound effort and the danger was cleared.

Minutes later he dived bravely among the flying feet to smother the ball after a Rob Edwards' cross almost got Barnard in.

Bury's best openings of the half fell to central defenders. A far post run by Paul Butler saw him direct a pinpoint Gordon Armstrong pass straight at Keith Welch and another Armstrong cross was diverted across goal by Jepson but Woodward arrived in advance of the ball and completely misdirected his header.

There was a let-off for the Shakers in first half stoppage time when Agostino looped a header over Kiely but thankfully the ball struck the top of the bar and was scrambled clear.

As the Shakers took to the field for the second period the half-time 'entertainment', an all-girls singing trio, serenaded them with "You Can Do Magic'. The Gigg Lane men must have left their wands on the team bus for it was City who started the brighter.

Twice in the opening minutes veteran Paul Allen burst down the right and crossed dangerously into the Bury box.

Kiely and Woodward combined to clear the first but the second one broke to Barnard who cracked a brilliant 20-yard left foot effort against the post with Kiely grasping thin air.

But the former Chelsea youngster's frustration turned to joy in the 66th minute when he grabbed the only goal of the game.

Everything seemed under control when Dean West nicked the ball off the toe of Goater in the box but Chris Lucketti's first time clearance cannoned off the Bristol man and ran free.

Woodward was about to clear the danger when Agostino blocked him out and let the ball run for Barnard whose sweetly struck shot from the edge of the box gave Kiely no chance.

Eleven minutes from time Carter replaced the injured Dean West and three minutes later the Shakers' leading scorer almost equalised when he got on the end of a Jepson cross but his first time effort was comfortably saved by Welch.

The Shakers threw caution to the wind as they searched for the leveller and Owers looked certain to double the City's tally when he raced clear on goal from his own half but Mr Perpetual Motion, Nick Daws, raced back to thwart the City skipper.

In injury time Kiely made a Schmeichel-like race upfield for a couple of corner-kicks as the Shakers valiantly turned the screws but the nearest they came to success was Butler's flicked header from a Daws long throw that Welch saved at the foot of the post.

Controversial goal ends five game winning run

Shakers' defender Andy Woodward had no doubts that he'd been fouled in the run up to Bristol's winning goal but refused to be disheartened.

"Chris's clearance ricocheted towards me and I felt I had plenty of time to clear but Agostino just cut across me from behind and shoved me over," he explained.

"Credit to Barnard he took it well though he wouldn't have got the shot in if that hadn't have happened.

"The run's over and it's disappointing but you couldn't have expected to keep clean sheets to the end of the season. "In the dressing room, afterwards, we were all disappointed but it wasn't one of our best away performances.

"I thought we let them play a little too much in the first half though we might have nicked a goal in the last ten minutes," he concluded.

Goalkeeper Dean Kiely was philosophical about the defeat in which he conceded a goal for the first time in 560 minutes.

"It's the end of a good run but the important thing now is how we react," he said.

"If we'd have got a draw or a win we'd have been looking to extend the run against Walsall but now we've to start all over again.

"It'll be a test of character but I'm sure we'll come through because that's what's been our strength all season.

"We've just got to try and string another good run of results together and if we do we'll have a great chance," he added.

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