POOR defending was to blame for Bury's defeat against Scunthorpe on Tuesday, according to boss David Flitcroft.

Luke Williams opened the scoring for the Iron before Kyle Wootton doubled their advantage at the start of the second half.

Substitute Tom Pope pulled one back with his seventh goal of the season but the Shakers failed to finish a number of decent opportunities to equalise.

To make matters worse, Kelvin Etuhu picked up two yellow cards in four minutes to see red in stoppage time.

“We have lost the game because of poor defending, we switched off on both goals,” Flitcroft said.

“To be 2-0 down with the momentum we had, certainly second half, there was a real commitment from the team.

“We didn't quite come out of the blocks the way I wanted us to first half.

“We found ourselves to be a goal down from us switching off.

"Second half, certainly the introduction of Popey raised the tempo and raised the intent.

“Once we raised the intent I thought we created a lot of chances and looked quite forceful.

“For some reason, first half we didn't get about them as I would have expected.

“We have done everything, certainly second half, to try to win the football match and obviously I am disappointed we haven't come away with at least a point.”

Scunthorpe repeated their 2-1 victory over Bury in this season's reverse fixture.

Flitcroft added: “Scunthorpe have taken six points off us this season and it hurts me, it really does.

“We have got to take that into the summer now and understand the reasons why because we just didn't get out of the blocks.

“You are always disappointed to concede but to concede in the manor we did was poor.”

Flitcroft named an unchanged side for the first time in two months as he searched for back-to-back away wins for the first time since October.

Bury created the first chance of the game in the 10th minute from Chris Hussey's in-swinging corner. However, Luke Daniels got his positioning spot on to save Peter Clarke's thumping header.

The home side were unable to stop the Shakers' early free-flowing football as Tom Soares came close to converting Craig Jones' cross before Kelvin Etuhu drove a low shot narrowly wide from the edge of the box.

But Iron snatched the lead against the run of play the as Luke Williams found the bottom corner expertly from the edge of the box.

However, Bury reacted positively and cranked up the intensity of their attacking play.

Saturday's match-winner Mayor was inches away from his second in as many games with a thunderous 20-yard strike, before Leon Clarke and John O'Sullivan both headed Hussey crosses wide.

As the first half drew to an close the hosts missed a chance to go into the break 2-0 up when Chris Neal made a find save with his legs to deny Wootton from point-blank range.

Lacking a clinical edge in the final third, Flitcroft introduced target man Tom Pope at half time in place of Dan Gardner and switched to a 4-4-2 formation.

Four minutes after the restart Hussey burst down the left but was denied by Daniels at full-stretch and O'Sullivan turned the rebound over the bar.

The Shakers were punished for that miss in the 54th minute when Williams, who was at the heart of every Scunthorpe move, slid through Paddy Madden and he squared for Wootton to tap in unmarked at the back post to double their lead.

Sean Clare was introduced at the resulting kick off and missed a glorious opportunity with his first touch when he lifted Hussey's cut-back over the bar.

But Pope did halve the deficit in the 62nd minute when he powered a header home from Hussey's corner.

Neal had his moment to shine moments later when he was forced into two smart saves to keep out Hakeeb Adelakun and Madden.

But the hosts, desperate to maintain their play-off hopes, withstood all of the Shakers' late pressure.

And Bury's momentum stalled in stoppage time when Etuhu was dismissed for a trip on Williams during a counter attack.

It was his second yellow card in four minutes, and the midfielder will now be suspended for Bury's clash at home to Millwall on Saturday.

Flitcroft said: “I'm not too sure what he's booked him for and the fourth official couldn't tell me what he's booked him for on the first one.

"I was looking somewhere else so I didn't see if there was an incident.

“The second one, for me, I wasn't sure if there was an intent or just a clash. I'm not just trying to defend Kelvin, if he's tripped him, he's tripped him and he deserves the booking for sure.”

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Match ratings

BURY (4-2-3-1): Neal 7; Jones 6, P Clarke 6, Bolger 6, Hussey 8; Soares 5 (Brown 73, 6), Etuhu 6; O'Sullivan 6 (Clare 55, 6), Gardner 5 (Pope 45, 7), Mayor 7; L Clarke 6.

Not used: Ruddy, Sedgwick, Lowe, Rose.

SCUNTHORPE UNITED (4-4-2): Daniels; J Clarke, Wallace, Mirfin, Townsend; Adelakun, Williams, Dawson, Bishop; Madden, Wootton (King 75).

Not used: Anyon, Laird, Vose, Hopper, Burdett, Sutton.

Goals: Scunthorpe – Williams 19, Wootton 53. Bury – Pope 61.

Yellow cards: Scunthorpe – Madden 31, Bishop 89. Bury – Jones 22, P Clarke 45, Etuhu 89 and 93.

Red cards: Bury – Etuhu 93.

Referee: Sebastian Stockbridge (Tyne).

Attendance: 3,188.

STAR MAN: Chris Hussey – The left-back was solid defensively and arguably Bury's most creative player on the night. The 27-year-old's delivery from open play and set-pieces caused havoc in the opposition penalty area and it was his corner that Tom Pope converted for the Shakers' only goal of the game.