Bury 1, Watford 1 GOAL hero Mark Carter made a case for the defence as he slammed the doubters who believed Bury couldn't live at this higher level.

The veteran striker, who has led from the front with a top-scoring seven goals, paid tribute to the new kids at the back for providing the solid foundation on which the Shakers have built a second potential promotion campaign.

Carter earned a point with the simplest strike of his goal-laden career then made a point rival strikeforces have been learning all season. "I think we have conceded the least goals in the division and if you are hard to score against you are not going to lose many games," he argued.

"With the quality of forwards we have we are always likely to get one ourselves.

"Teams are giving us more respect. When you come up from a lower division they think you are going to go straight back down again but I think we have got rid of that myth."

Not for the first time, Bury stormed back to dictate matters after being second best for most of the first half. But for the second week in succession it took an horrendous goalkeeping blunder to continue their upward mobility. Watching Manchester City scouts must have wondered why they had been sent to see Watford's Kevin Miller when he mysteriously went too far for Nick Daws' long throw, only managing to help the ball on for the predatory Carter to poke over the line two minutes before the break.

Arguing he was pushed in the back, Miller fumed: "The goal was illegal. We should have had three points because I was impeded and fouled." Carter countered: "He just got underneath the ball and palmed it backwards. It wasn't the easiest goal I've ever scored, I got an easier one against Hereford last season."

Dismissing suggestions his side had been lucky to get back on level terms, manager Stan Ternent added tongue-in-cheek: "It was a good long throw, the keeper flicked it on and Spike knocked it in - what's lucky about that?"

Watford looked every inch promotion favourites as they took the game to Bury in the first half. Steve Palmer fired an early warning with a rasping 20-yard drive which whisted inches wide before giant striker Devon White should have done better with a free close range header which suffered the same fate.

David Pugh brought a smart low save out of Miller after a wonderfully fluent move before the visitors got the opener they had threatened when exciting 18-year-old striker Wayne Andrews volleyed in Darren Bazeley's right wing cross at the near post on 32 minutes.

Bury stepped up their game and, after gratefully accepting Miller's gift, applied the pressure without ever managing to breach Watford's rock solid rearguard.

Indeed, it was the visitors who looked the more dangerous on the break with Tommy Mooney thumping a diving header wide from six yards and Dean Kiely left stranded by a deflection on Palmer's last minute effort which thankfully bounced agonisingly wide. BURY FORMGUIDE

Kiely 7, West 6, Pugh 6, Daws 7, LUCKETTI 8, Jackson 7, Butler 7, Carter 7, Johnson 6, Johnrose 7, Matthews 6. Subs: Stant (for Matthews 72 mins), Rigby (for Johnson 79 mins) and Woodward. Att: 4,097.

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