MATCH VERDICT: Rochdale 3 Bury 0 (From Bury Times)

MATCH VERDICT: Rochdale 3 Bury 0

5:20pm Thursday 2nd February 2012 in Bury FC & Sport By Nick Jackson

BURY boss Richie Barker described his side’s second capitulation of the season against their closest derby rivals as “unacceptable”.

Barker was furious his men failed to heed his warning about the struggling Dale side, who were buoyed by their new manager, John Coleman, and a determination to escape relegation from League One.

Shakers goalkeeper Cameron Belford was the only player to emerge from a dismal showing with any credit after pulling off a string of spectacular saves that prevented the Spotland men racking up a cricket score.

Jean-Louis Akpa Akpro got a deserved opener for the hosts after only 15 minutes.

Bury old boy and man-of-the-match Nicky Adams provided the perfect cross from which the excellent Gary Jones headed what looked like a certain goal.

Belford clawed the ball away, but Akpa Akpro turned in the loose ball.

The home side doubled their lead five minutes before the interval when Adams’ partially-blocked shot fell to Ashley Grimes who fired home.

And Adams was the architect again for the third, as Bury’s back line took more of a beating 10 minutes after the restart, cutting the ball back from the left for Grimes to score again.

Bury were on the back foot from the start, with Belford at full stretch after only 60 seconds to prevent Akpa Apro’s shot flying into the top corner.

And he saved Efe Sodje’s blushes in the 31st minute when the veteran defender was dispossessed by Grimes in his own penalty area before Belford diverted his shot just past the post.

“It wasn’t an acceptable performance,” said Barker. “As a football team, Rochdale out-worked us. We are a good side, but in terms of workrate we were absolutely miles off. I told them before the game it was going to be based around hard work and desire. Rochdale have appointed a new manager and that has lifted the whole place and the players.

“They were going to rattle us, pour forward and get balls into our box and that’s exactly what they did, but we didn’t match them.

“We probably won 10 per cent of our headers and tackles, and you can’t do that in a local derby and expect to get anything.”

Bury defender Ashley Eastham had a half-chance to put Bury level when they were trailing 1-0, but Dale keeper Peter Kurucz was equal to it, and Peter Sweeney forced him into a flying save with a trademark left-foot thunderbolt from 25 yards.

But in the second half, when the Shakers needed to step up to get back into the game, they went missing.

ROCHDALE: Kurucz 7, Darby 7, Long 7, Amankwaah 7, Widdowson 7, Adams 9 (Ormerod 6), Kennedy 7, Barry-Murphy 7, Jones 8, Apka Akpro 8, Grimes 8 (Tutte 6).Subs not used: Thompson, Holden, Lucas.

BURY: Belford 8, Picken 6, Sodje 6, Eastham 6 Skarz 6, Schumacher 6 (Carrington 6), Sweeney 6 (John-Lewis 6), Coke 6, Amoo 6, Bishop 6, Worrall 6 (Doble 6). Subs not used: Hughes, Williams.

Referee: S Mathieson.

Attendance: 5,033.