Early FA Cup exit for Bury

QUE sera sera, whatever will be will be, the Shakers aren't going to Wem-ber-lee - at least not in this season's FA Cup competition anyway!

That much is certain after Saturday's thrilling muck and bullets first round tie at Saltergate which saw the spireites scrap home by the only goal of the game.

The result was rough justice on battling Bury, who'd done more than enough to earn a second bit of the cherry and the relived cheers and celebrations emanating from the home terraces at the end of the match said it all.

Holding that slender 1-0 lead, thanks to Mark Williams' 41st minutes strike, the home supporters whistled and screamed for the final whistle as the favourites endured a barrage of pressure from the never-say-die Shakers who launched everything they had at Billy Mercer's goal in search of a deserved leveller.

Even newly-installed Barnet Director of Football Alan Mullery, commenting on Sky TV's televised highlights, thought Stan Ternent's men deserved something more for their afternoon's work but it just wasn't to be and the chance of a valuable money-spinning cup run went to the wall for the second season in succession.

The Shakers chief put on a brace face for the cameras and pointed out that when his side went out at the first hurdle last season they also went on to win promotion.

Nevertheless every club at Bury's level relies on the revenue an extended stay in the competition can bring and what the implications of this early exit will have on the Gigg Lane personnel front only time will tell. It was action all the way for the full ninety minutes (or ninety-five to be precise!) and there was a let off for the Shakers as early as the 40th second.

There seemed no danger when Chesterfield wonderkid Kevin Davies chased a lost cause down the right wing but his endeavour paid off and he whipped in a superb cross into the Shakers box.

Chris Lucketti's attempted clearance broke to Tony Lormor who, after having his first time shot splendidly blocked by Dean Kiely saw his second effort cleared off the line by Paul Butler.

Five minutes later it was the turn of the Derbyshire fans to breathe a sigh of relief when the Shakers had what they thought was a good claim for a penalty turned down.

David Johnson pressurised and dispossessed Spireites skipper Sean Dyche by the corner flag then raced into the box only to appear to be hauled back by the big defender, however referee Frazer Stretton would have none of it and waved play-on.

The closest the Shakers came to levelling matters in the first period came after 26 minutes when Rob Matthews' pace took him deep into opposition territory.

He slipped the ball wide to Mark Carter on the right and his deflected cross was completely misjudged by Mercer who was glad to see it sail narrowly wide of the far post.

On the half hour Johnson brought Mercer into action again with two smart shots within a minute but the game seemed to heading for half-time stalemate until Chesterfield struck four minutes from the break.

Uncharacteristically for the normally well-marshalled Shakers rearguard it was marking from a set-piece that proved to be their downfall. Jamie Hewitt's firmly struck corner caught the Bury defence on the hop and central defender Mark Williams rose above Chris Lucketti to head powerfully past Dean Kiely.

With Ternent's half-time pick-me-up reverberating in their ears the men from Gigg Lane came out for the second half with all guns blazing.

In the 50th minute a neat move down the right between West and Matthews led to Johnson finding space on the edge of the box but he could only curl his effort high and wide.

A minute later the former Manchester United youngster turned provider when he got on the end of a Kiely drop-kick and helped the ball into the pat of Carter but the leading scorer couldn't get enough purchase on his left-foot shot and Mercer saved with ease.

David Pugh was inches away from a West free-kick just before the hour mark and as the Chesterfield goal led a charmed life it seemed just a matter of time before parity was restored.

Powerful long-range efforts from Johnson and Matthews added to the shot-count before Ternent substituted the former for fit-again Ronnie Jepson in the 65th minute.

Gordon Armstrong replaced Michael Jackson ten minutes later and, with one of his first touches of the ball, the former Sunderland man almost created an equaliser when his measured ball into the box was met by Pugh whose glancing header clipped the bar with Mercer well beaten.

With the second ticking away the Spireites defence became increasingly more desperate and Pugh wasted a glorious opportunity when Mark Jules' miscued clearance broke to him but he rushed his shot and volleyed into the shivering fans behind the goal.

Gaps inevitable appeared at the back as Bury threw caution to the wind and Davies had a superb chance to wrap up the game when he broke clear on goal from the halfway line, but he amazingly lost his footing when setting himself to shoot.

Three minutes into stoppage time came the Shakers final chance of salvation when Pugh's lofted ball into the danger zone beat everybody but the inrushing Lucketti, sliding in at the far post, could only divert it wide.

Bury, who'd done more than enough to earn a second bit of the cherry and the relieved cheers and celebrations emanating from the home terraces at the end of the match said it all.

Holding that slender 1-0 lead, thanks to Mark Williams' 41st minutes strike, the home supporters whistled and screamed for the final whistle as their favourites endured a barrage of pressure from the never-say-die Shakers who launched everything they had at Billy Mercer's goal in search of a deserved leveller.

Even newly-installed Barnet Director of Football Alan Mullery, commenting on Sky TV's televised highlights, thought Stan Ternent's men deserved something more for their afternoon's work but it just wasn't to be and the chance of a valuable money-spinning cup run went to the wall for the second season in succession.

The Shakers' chief put on a brave face for the cameras and pointed out that when his side went out at the first hurdle last season they also went on to win promotion.

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