Bury FC was forced to draw 2-2 against Stafford Rangers after a late dramatic twist at the Stan Robinson Stadium, writes Rizki Ramadhan Putra.
The Shakres arrived in Staffordshire sitting in third place in the NPL West and riding a seven-match unbeaten run, but made a hard-fought effort against a Stafford side fighting for survival, buoyed by the appointment of new manager Graham Deakin, who took charge of his first home game.
Tim Lees made four changes from the previous weekend with Oskar Therkeld returning to the starting XI for the first time since November, and Joe Piggot handed his Shakers debut.
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Stafford made a lead in the 27th minute, as Jack Birch spotted Mitch Allen off his line and produced a delightful looping finish. The hosts went into the lead until the half-break with a 1-0 advantage.
Minutes after the second half, Bailey Slane marked his first goal in Shakers colours in style. The defender latched onto a loose ball and lifted a clever looping effort over the goalkeeper to restore Bury’s performance.
Bury pushed for a winner as the clock ticked down, and it appeared their persistence had paid off in the 89th minute. A slick exchange between Touray and Gavin Rawshtron opened up the Stafford defence, and Touray showed a great fire from his left foot to make it 1-2.
Apparently, there was a final twist. Deep into the added time, Stafford refused to give up and grabbed the equaliser, punishing Bury for a momentary lapse at the back to snatch a point and deny the visitors all three.
With the late score, the draw extends Bury’s unbeaten league run and underlines their away performance. With the promotion race still finely balanced, the Shakers will look to turn frustration into fuel as they prepare for the next challenge.
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Watch the match highlight below:
Watch the post-match interview with Tim Lees:
Watch the post-match interview with Joe Piggott:
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