BURY toasted manager David Flitcroft’s nomination for League Two manager of the month for February with a champagne performance at home to promotion rivals Luton Town.

The Shakers moved up to fifth, above Southend, and drew level on points with the fourth-placed Hatters after an early Tom Soares header proved enough to seal a fourth straight win for the division’s form side.

They also remain just five points adrift of the automatic promotion places as Flitcroft’s confident outfit stepped up the pressure on their rivals.

Bury twice had the ball in the back of the net in the opening 10 minutes in what was a breathless start by the promotion chasers.

Nicky Adams peeled away in celebration in the fifth minute after Danny Mayor’s curling shot across goal was palmed to his feet, but the midfielder’s tap-in was ruled out for offside.

It didn’t take long for the opening goal to come though as Chris Hussey stood up a ball to the back post in the ninth minute for Soares to head home his fourth of the season and first since Boxing Day.

The early goal was all Flitcroft’s side deserved and it looked like they would blow Luton away, as the Hatters struggled to contain wave after wave of Bury attacks.

Soares was central to their play, bombing forward from midfield in support of lone frontman Danny Nardiello.

The 28-year-old midfielder was denied a decent shout for a penalty after going down in the box under a clumsy challenge from Luton captain Steve McNulty.

While Bury skipper Nathan Cameron was a towering threat at set-pieces.

He had a header from an Adams corner blocked on the line in the 18th minute and saw another effort brush the roof of the net in first-half stoppage time.

Andrew Tutte also rustled the Luton side-netting with a curling free kick on the half hour, while Danny Mayor tried hard to trouble the keeper in the opening 45 minutes but hit a succession of shots high and wide and saw a header from a Joe Riley cross go the same way.

Luton offered very little going forward but gave a sign of what had propelled them to fourth in the table with a late Luke Guttridge curler that Bury keeper Nick Pope tipped behind at full stretch.

Hatters boss John Still clearly laid into his players at half time, and sent on wide men Alex Lawless and Nathan Oduwa for the restart.

Guttridge had another pop at goal early in the second half, but Pope always had his free kick covered, and Bury quickly got back into their stride.

Riley put in a burst to force his way into the box, but his improvised shot was well wide of the target.

Still made a third change inside the hour, as former Bury striker Mark Cullen replaced the ineffective Jayden Stockley.

But it was a Bury change that produced the loudest cheer of the night as Ryan Lowe returned from injury for his first appearance in nine matches.

And the 36-year-old forward was soon in on the action producing, a strong save from Elliot Justham after a stinging shot across goal.

But the Shakers could not put Luton to the sword and they almost paid for their missed chances when a low Lawless cross evaded everyone in the box, only for Pope to somehow block Guttridge’s shot at the back post.

Both sides tightened up in the closing stages as Luton pushed for an equaliser and Bury sat on their lead, but Flitcroft’s men were able to hang on to put themselves right in the promotion mix.