BURY men's first team bounced back from defeat to derby rivals Bolton with a 4-1 victory at Preston thirds.

The result was all the more impressive as the understrength Castlebrook side were unable to muster up any substitutes.

But after surviving an early onslaught, when keeper Jonathan Howard had to smother the ball at the feet of an attacker and Ahtisham Khan marshalled the backline superbly, Bury slowly played their way into the game.

Jack Marshall-Grint opened the scoring with his 10th goal of the season, turning in a pull-back by Jack Dixon following some impressive interplay down the right.

Bury cemented their position when Dixon got himself on the scoresheet 10 minutes into the second half. A reverse stick pass from James Larmett found the Bury man with space in the circle and he fired home.

Marshall-Grint then grabbed his second with an instinctive reverse-stick volley from a rebound following a good save from the Preston keeper.

When Larmett broke clear and was fouled by the home keeper, Khan stepped up and converted the flick to seal the result before the home side scored a late consolation. Despite the victory, Bury firsts remain sixth in Division Three North of the North West Men's League.

The men's second team also won, beating Golborne thirds 3-2 at home to move up to remain second in Division Six North South.

Skipper Adam Johnson’s fourth hat-trick of the season helped the understrength outfit edge the five-goal thriller.

Missing four key players, Bury were forced to field three of their under-16s squad with Matthew Westwell, Zac Rothwell and Marek Pravda all performing well.

Johnson opened the scoring midway through the first half when he slid the ball past the keeper at the near post, following a determined run past three Golborne players.

The visitors equalised shortly after, drilling home a short corner with their first shot of the game.

With the game level going into the second half, it was Johnson again who led the way as he pressed the visitors into an early mistake before slotting past the Golborne keeper.

Bury dominated possession, but struggled to finish off their chances and were made to pay for their profligacy, as Golborne converted their second short corner to again level the scores.

But with just three minutes remaining, Johnson was in the right place at the right time once again to deflect home the rebound from Sameer Sheikh’s short corner strike.

The ladies' second team remain in relegation places in Division Two of the Greater Manchester Women's Hockey Association despite a determined display in a 0-0 draw at Stockport Bramhall seconds.

Bury enjoyed the best of the play in a scrappy game but they were unable to find the net. Stockport are just a point ahead of second-bottom Bury, who host basement club Glossop Ladies on Saturday.

The ladies' third team, meanwhile, maintained their mid-table position in the Bolton Sports Federation Winter League with a 1-1 draw against Roydon thanks to an Emma Rodger goal.