Bury 2, Bradford City 0

Match Comment, by Richard Sutcliffe.

The Mexican wave which rolled around the away enclosure at Gigg Lane with 20 minutes to go said it all.

A tremendous following of 1,580 fans had followed Bradford City across the Pennines and before the game many were cautiously optimistic of their injury-hit side finishing Easter with a resounding win.

However goals from Tony Ellis and Nick Daws had put struggling Bury ahead and with the game petering out, the City fans decided to provide their own entertainment.

Whenever a Mexican wave starts during a game it is a sure sign that the action on the field is less than enthralling so when the loyal Bantams fans launched their version it was a clear indication of their dissatisfaction.

And just in case anyone was in any doubt as to their feelings they also chanted 'We are bored' and 'We're going to shoot in a minute' as City slipped to this disappointing defeat.

Bury were fighting for survival and the pitch was the type a Sunday League player would turn his nose up at, but even allowing for these factors City were poor.

Their defence was shaky all afternoon against a limited but fully committed Bury attack and it was no surprise when Tony Ellis gave the home side the lead after 39 minutes.

Gary Walsh had already pulled off two great saves to deny the Shakers when he and Andy O'Brien both cleared the ball off their own line in a five second spell.

However Ellis reacted first to the rebound and headed the ball into the net to give his side a deserved lead.

Then seven minutes after the break, Lee Sinnott hesitated when the ball should have been booted clear and Nick Daws collected the ball before coolly slotting it past Walsh.

And even though there were still 38 minutes remaining, few at Gigg Lane could see a way back for a lacklustre City side.

One player who did deserve better was Nigel Pepper, who was returning from his fourth suspension of the season.

Along with Jamie Lawrence, the tough-tackling midfielder kept going to the end and the only time that City seemed capable of breaking down a rugged Bury side was when Pepper had the ball.

He nearly gave the Bantams the lead after only nine minutes with a fierce drive from 20-yards and it was a shame his team-mates could not use Pepper as an inspiration.

Instead, City seemed to have difficulty in doing the simplest things as they were sucked into playing the long-ball game - a tactic which suited Bury.

The Gigg Lane pitch showed why it is regarded as one of the worst in the league with its uneven nature causing problems for the players on duty.

However the old saying is 'It is the same for both sides' and Bury adapted far better to the same conditions.

City were badly hit by injury with Darren Moore and Wayne Jacobs both ruled out since the defeat against Nottingham Forest and by the end of the game they had probably the youngest defence in their history.

Steve McAnespie is 26 years old but his fellow three defenders are all 18 - O'Brien, Mark Bower and Daniel Verity - and the game served as a baptism of fire for Bower in particular.

Playing out of position at left back, he looked vulnerable in the first half but battled back against a physical Bury attack.

The result will have come as a crushing blow for manager Paul Jewell, who is desperate to impress before the board make their decision on who will be in charge at Valley Parade next season.

City have just three games left and it is to be hoped that they can reward their boss with a trio of strong performances.

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