IN the early 17th century, the persecuted Pilgrim Fathers couldn't wait to leg it out of Boston on the Mayflower and start a new life in the colonies and it's a feeling that Bury FC are becoming increasingly familiar with whenever they visit the town.

Since United entered the League four seasons ago the Shakers have failed to win any of the previous seven contests between the two clubs.

This ought to have been their big chance to break their duck, but they blew it, big style.

Boston were soundly thrashed 5-0 by Carlisle United at their York Street ground last Wednesday evening, a shocking defeat that left manager Steve Evans disgusted and questioning his players' attitude.

That disgust turned to delight after half an hour of Saturday's encounter as the Shakers gifted his side a comfortable two goal lead he could only have dreamed of.

A backlash of some sort was always a distinct possibility after such a dismal midweek performance so it was vital to make a high tempo start and keep the home nerves jangling early in the game.

So it was all the more disappointing that Evans' side didn't have to get out of second gear to run up a match-winning lead.

It was true kamikaze stuff from Chris Casper's men, who, in the space of five minutes, saw on-loan goalkeeper Anthony Williams drop a routine corner-kick from Jamie Clarke straight onto the toe of striker Julian Joachim and the experienced campaigner made no mistake from two yards out.

Then things went from bad to worse when Colin Woodthorpe clearly tripped the tricky James Keene in the box, allowing Joachim to strike again from the penalty spot, sending Williams the wrong way.

Yet the home side might have been two up before Williams' costly gaffe as a Keene left wing cross found Peter Till at the back post but, amazingly, the striker headed just wide with the goal at his mercy.

Five minutes later a mix-up between Woodthorpe and Paul Scott let in Keene but on this occasion Williams did superbly to block as the Boston dangerman bore down on him.

It looked like a third heavy away defeat was on the cards hard on the heels of recent four goal hammerings at Peterborough and Carlisle but, in the 38th minute, for the second time in two weeks a wicked deflection came to Bury's aid.

When Allan Smart broke away down the right flank he drove in a powerful cross that sliced off the boot of full-back Lee Canoville and sailed over Pilgrims' 'keeper Conrad Logan into the back of the net.

Suddenly, against the odds, the Shakers were back in the contest, but frustratingly Logan was never troubled for the rest of the game as the Gigg Lane side failed to create a single clear cut opening.

They made a brighter start in the second period but in the last third of the field too often lacked the kind of quality ball likely to undo the Boston defence.

Free-kicks were a particular disappointment and far too many, taken from promising areas, failed to clear the first defender.

Smart worked manfully up front for the full 90 minutes and won his share of high balls but fellow strikers Jake Speight and Colin Marrison didn't look half as effective as they did against Torquay the previous week.

The home side restored their two goal cushion on the hour and, again, it was poor defending that was the Shakers' undoing.

Joachim turned provider this time, finding Till with a clever through ball and the youngster, on loan from Birmingham City, turned Brass and easily slotted the ball past an exposed Williams.

Matthew Tipton and Jon Newby replaced Marrison and Speight in the later stages of the game but neither got a sight of goal with a curling effort from Smart that sailed narrowly wide the nearest Bury came to reducing the arrears again.

"We thought last week's win could be a pivotal point in our season but we've let ourselves down, no question about it," declared Casper.

"We have to bounce back as quickly as possible. People are going to have to roll up their sleeves and work hard.

"Don't get me wrong, the application is there but we were nowhere near as effective as we were last week."

One plus point was the part played by new-signing Chris Brass who deputised at left-back for teenager Andy Parrish who went down with shingles in the week.

Considering it was his first Football League game for two years he looked comfortable and should be a useful acquisition in the coming months.

"You always know you are going to get 100 per cent from Brassy," said Casper.

"But it isn't as if everyone isn't giving their all, it's just our discipline and decision-making that is the problem.

"We've got to start making ourselves difficult to beat again."