Portsmouth 2 Bury1 MARK Patterson has made his peace with Bury and now wants to go to war with the First Division. The midfield warrior believed he could have played his last game for the Shakers when he went on a two- month loan to Blackpool after a row with manager Neil Warnock over his lack of first team opportunities.

Shakers chairman Terry Robinson even publicly announced the player had said he would never wear a Bury shirt again.

But he was back sweating blood for the cause on Saturday and wants the chance to lead the troops in the battle against relegation.

"It's good to be back," he said despite yet another away defeat and punchless team performance.

"The things that were said between myself and the manager were in the heat of the moment and I admit I could have handled it better.

"But that's all in the past and now all I want to do is play a few games. "Darren Bullock will be a good signing for us because he's a big, hard player and I would love to play in the middle with him because I think we could scare a few people."

Patterson could get the chance he craves. His fighting qualities are exactly what Warnock is looking for as the relegation battle hots up with 15 games left. The boss believes that big hearts not fancy football will be the key to survival. And after seeing his side meekly hand a priceless victory to one of their biggest relegation rivals he admitted that only players who can scrap will win a shirt between now and relegation D-day.

"Everybody will write us off but there are 15 games to go and we have to win battles," he said.

"I have to pick 11 lads with big hearts and worry about football after.

"You have to get people who are ready to roll up their sleeves and die for the cause." There is certainly plenty of room for improvement in that department if this sad show is anything to go by. The passion of the last five years looked a distant memory as they looked a team with relegation written all over them.

And the will to win isn't the only thing Warnock has to find from somewhere. He also needs to stop his defence giving away goals with schoolboy errors and get his strikers to start having some shots on goal.

The Shakers dominated possession with countless eyecatching moves right up to Matthew Robinson's 39th minute opener with his first ever professional goal. But they only once worried home keeper Andy Petterson before substitute Kemajl Avdiu's 94th minute consolation goal.

At the other end goalscoring master craftsman Guy Whittingham regularly found himself in acres of space to conduct a running battle with the magnificent Dean Kiely, whose heroics saved Bury from a crushing defeat.

Kiely, who earned a string of rave reviews after yet another dazzling performance which will further alert his army of admirers at bigger clubs, brilliantly clawed Whittingham's free header around the post eight minutes after the restart and produced an even better stop from the striker's flashing drive two minutes later.

But he could do nothing when Whittingham made it third time lucky on 64 minutes when he planted another free header just inside the post.

"I cannot believe some of the saves he makes," declared Patterson. "I have been in the game 17 years and he is up there with the best in my experience. His reflexes are phenomenal and how he is not in the Irish full squad I don't know." KIELY 9, Woodward 5, Williams 6, Daws 7, Swailes 5, Redmond 6, West 5, Patterson 6, James 5, Jemson 5, Billy 5. Subs: Preece (for Billy 27 mins) 5, Avdiu (for Jemson 63 mins) 5, and Souter (for Woodward 82 mins). Att: 9,062.

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