Bury 0 Manchester United 3

BEFORE Bury kicked off against mighty Manchester United a rumour spread that Sven Goran Eriksson was in the crowd writes Steve Canavan

It turned out to be a white elephant and the man most pleased about it might be Andy Cole.

The striker, set to play for his country against Holland this week, had nine one-on-one chances with Bury keeper Paddy Kenny.

Kenny saved the lot, as well as a penalty from Ole Gunnar-Solskjaer, a performance which earned him man of the match and a glittering accolade from Alex Ferguson.

''He's a top class keeper, no doubt about it,'' said Ferguson.

Kenny - who earns about £1,000 a week compared to Cole's £70,000 - proclaimed himself chuffed with the United manager's comments, adding: ''It's nice of him to say that but it was just one of those nights where everything went right for me.

''Every time Cole came through I just made myself big and they all hit me. He didn't say anything to me after!''

The performance of Kenny wasn't the only highlight of the night.

The Shakers may have been beaten 3-0 but manager Andy Preece played his strongest team for the first half only - and at the break it was level.

United too played a strong team, including a front line of Cole, Dwight Yorke and Solskjaer, but Bury matched them in the first period and would have gone in at the break ahead had the crossbar not stopped Baichung Bhutia's ferocious effort.

Preece took everyone off bar Kenny at half time and the change seemed to disrupt the home side's rhythm.

Phil Neville, Yorke and Solskjaer all scored and in the end class told and United ran out comfortable winners.

Preece however was pleased with his team's effort. ''The team which plays Tranmere on Saturday will be pretty close to the one that started tonight and they did well.,'' the boss said.

''We more than matched United in the first half and that's given us a boost for the start of the season.''

The night wasn't just about football though. More importantly, the estimated £100,000 Bury will earn in gate receipts will keep the club afloat for a few months longer.

BURY: Kenny, Barrass, Armstrong, Nelson, Collins, Redmond, Billy, Newby, Bhutia, Murphy, Reid (cap). Subs used: Too many to name!

MAN UNITED: Van Der Gouw, G Neville (cap), P Neville, Brown, Silvestre, Yorke, Chadwick, Butt, Cole, Solskjaer, Fortune. Subs used: May, Wallwork, Carroll, Roche, O'Shea, Djordic, Stewart.

And, with the take-over delayed, that could be vital. Preece added: ''The money we raised is a massive boost. Everyone knows the situation here and we need every penny.''

Attention now turns to the league campaign and one man set to be named in the team to face Tranmere is full back Matt Barrass, who missed the majority of the last campaign through injury.

He played the first half last night, marking United's Quinton Fortune. ''I'm fully fit now but it was hard out there,'' said the youngster. ''I felt more tired after 45 minutes than I normally do after 90. Their movement is different class and it was a good learning experience to play against them.''

BURY: Kenny, Barrass, Armstrong, Nelson, Collins, Redmond, Billy, Newby, Bhutia, Murphy, Reid (cap). Subs used: Too many to name! MAN UNITED: Van Der Gouw, G Neville (cap), P Neville, Brown, Silvestre, Yorke, Chadwick, Butt, Cole, Solskaer, Fortune. Subs used: May, Wallwork, Carroll, Roche, O'Shea, Djordic, Stewart.