Bury 0 Northampton 1

By NEIL BONNAR DO Bury really want to go up?

Their frustrated, suffering supporters are entitled to ask that question after yet another disjointed, giveaway shambles.

Yes, they spend pots of money for the cause - but you can't help wondering what a Hartlepool or a Darlington would do with it.

The Shakers continue to flatter to deceive - raising themselves for the big games and then going to sleep when three priceless points are there for the taking.

Northampton's nickname summed up Bury's shabby show as the Cobblers left a grim Gigg Lane with three gifted points they never should have had a sniff of.

Ian Hughes took the rap for miscueing his back pass straight into the path of Jason White who gratefully slipped the ball past a helpless Lee Bracey. But the honest youngster shouldn't be so hard on himself.

He's a solid defender or a strong and determined central midfielder - a left back he isn't despite the over excited hype he has received in his makeshift role. And if Bury had got their act together at the other end his mistake wouldn't have mattered.

Hughes, whose mistakes over the last four years can be counted on one hand, admitted: "It was a big mistake and it has cost us.

"I didn't see White coming. I apologised to the lads because I felt I let them down.

"The all round performance wasn't as good as it should have been.

"It's amazing how we don't perform in games like these, maybe it's down to a bad attitude on the part of the players - that the players think they are better than they really are. It shouldn't happen but, unfortunately, sometimes it does."

Hughes' mistake apart, there wasn't much wrong with the defensive side of the Shakers' game as Bracey, whose brilliant performance at Chester last week earned him the vote ahead of Gary Kelly, had nothing to do apart from pick the ball out of the net.

It could all have been so different had Cobblers keeper Andy Woodman not performed miracles to keep out Chris Lucketti's 31st minute header at point blank or David Pugh's rasping volley not whistled the wrong side of the post 60 seconds before Hughes' 50th minute gaffe.

Phil Stant wasted a gilt-edged chance four minutes later when he latched on to Roy Hunter's short back header and did well to get goalside of his marker before mis-hitting horribly.

As Bury pressed forward, new boy Rob Matthews skied his shot after a fine run and Lucketti headed a free kick over under pressure.

Boss Stan Ternent moaned: "We have shot outselves in the foot again. You make your own luck and they were hungrier than us which is ridiculous and hard to accept." Bracey 6, West 6, Hughes 5, Daws 6, Lucketti 6, Jackson 6, Rigby 6, Matthews 6, Stant 6, Johnrose 6, Pugh 6. Subs: Johnson (for Hughes 72 mins), Matthewson and Reid. Att: 3,074.

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