JAMES Vaughan scored twice on his Gigg Lane debut as Bury cruised past high-flying Port Vale with a dominant display.

Vaughan netted either side of a Jacob Mellis strike as the Shakers raced into a three-goal lead.

Nathan Smith pulled one back for the visitors on the hour mark but Hallam Hope added a fourth late on.

David Flitcroft made two changes from the 3-3 draw at Walsall and started with a 4-4-2 formation.

Tom Pope, facing his former side, came in to partner Vaughan up front, and Mellis returned to central midfield.

Craig Jones was absent after picking up a knock against Morecambe in midweek, so Niall Maher reverted to right-back.

Heavy rainfall left standing water on the pitch and Bury took advantage of the conditions in the fifth minute.

Pope intercepted a back pass from Ben Purkiss that got stuck in the water, cutting the loose ball back to Vaughan who had the easy task of converting from close range.

Running with the ball was proving tricky, but Zeli Ismail made it look easy. The Shakers winger drove into the box and struck a fierce effort just wide as Bury hunted the second goal.

Mellis ended a 33-month wait for a goal with a stunning 20-yard strike that curled precisely into the top corner to double the lead.

Vaughan made it three on the half hour mark, finding the net for his third goal in two games. Danny Mayor's mazy run created space for Bury's new striker and he put the ball away from the edge of the box.

The ex-Everton front man came a whisker away from his hat-trick on the stroke of half time when he headed Ismail's cross into the side netting.

Ismail and Mayor were both denied by Jak Alnwick in the Port Vale goal as they searched for a fourth goal heading into the break.

Bury stopper Ben Williams was forced into a couple of brilliant saves either side of half time as the visitors grew into the game, and their efforts paid dividends in the 59th minute when Smith bundled the ball over the line to pull one back.

Flitcroft handed debuts from the bench to Kean Bryan and Tom Walker late on, either side of a Hope strike which restored Bury's three-goal lead.

Walker impressed and could have made it five had it not been for a superb save by Alnwick, but the result and performance was exactly what was required to get Bury back to winning ways.