IF you believe the bad publicity you'd think Bury had a serious problem with discipline.

First striker David Johnson is sent off for retaliating to crowd abuse after scoring the winner at Peterborough.

Then goalkeeper Dean Kiely is accused of allegedly making rude gestures to opposition supporters...again after the Shakers had scored a late winner...and the police are brought in to investigate.

Discipline a problem? On the contrary. Bury's flying start to the season has been based on that very factor combined with organisation and a willingness to work for one another.

Bury are hard but fair - a quality supported by their disciplinary record which shows that Johnson's red card is their only one so far this season.

That was highly debateable with referee Stephen Bennett sending off the 20-year-old striker for over-celebrating and then repeatedly signalling the score to home fans. Johnson could also claim unfair dismissal in that Mr Bennett red-carded him for two bookable offences but failed to show him a yellow card before the red.

Had Johnson been shown yellow he would have known where he stood and the confusion the referee's actions caused would have been averted.

As for the Kiely situation against Bristol Rovers last Saturday, a handful of Rovers fans claim to have seen something I, and many Bury supporters did not see, and I deliberately watched the goalkeeper's response to John O'Kane's winning goal because of the abuse he had taken following Rovers' equaliser six minutes earlier.

His only 'crime' appeared to be Kiely putting his hands to his ears to highlight the silence among the Rovers followers who had noisily taunted him since their goal.

"If I am guilty of anything it is possibly of being sarcastic," he said.

The root of the two controversies can be summed up in two words...sour grapes.

Opposition supporters played their full part in the situations but escaped scot free. Johnson was subjected to inexcusable verbal abuse - much of it racial - as he danced following his goal.

While the Rovers supporters who complained last week conveniently declined to add that some of their number ran on the pitch following their goal while one fan climbed onto the field and ran towards Kiely as the goalkeeper celebrated his side's winner.

Gigg Lane chairman Terry Robinson took it a stage further when he added: "He suffered abuse, spitting and coin throwing from the Bristol supporters."

The biggest casualties to emerge from the experience could be the fans of other clubs who have enjoyed a healthy rapport with Kiely in the past.

The keeper believes that as well as being involved in the serious business of winning games, he is also in the entertainment business.

"The fans pay good money to come to games and I always try to give them something back," he explained.

"When they have a little go at me I give them a wink or a smile back and it's taken the right way.

"I don't believe they appreciate it when keepers respond to the banter by fixing their sights on the game and ignoring them. And if I can give them a little something to talk about and have a laugh over on the way home then I'm happy."

But he admits that last week's experience may persuade him to think twice the next time he has the chance of a bit of friendly banter with opposition fans - taking a little of the fun out of the game.

"Obviously I won't stop having a rapport with our supporters," he said. "But it may have to change with the others.

"It's a shame because there are a lot of places where you can have a laugh and a joke with the supporters and I would hate to take that away."

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