BURY’S men were defeated 3-2 at a Fylde team containing two of their former players in James Oakes and Simon Major.

A hard-fought game was initially dominated by Bury, while Fylde came to the fore in the latter stages.

The first half proved goalless, with Sam Nicholson providing much of Bury’s forward momentum, and Ian Hillary’s sterling defensive work quelling the threat of their old boys.

With chances at a premium, a smart save from keeper Chris Goldsbrough towards the end of the half ensured the scores were level at the break.

Bury stunned the home side two minutes into the second period, as Jack Marshall-Grint deftly controlled a high ball before playing a slide-rule pass into the path of a sliding Nicholson, who finished first time past the keeper.

It did not take long for Fylde to draw level with a close-range finish, and they took the lead as Bury’s back-line finally buckled following a reshuffle due to substitutions.

Another close-range effort from a deflected short corner put the home side into a 3-1 lead.

Bury bounced back through some stunning wing play from Joe Perkins, which presented an opportunity for Rob Fogwill to bring his side back into the game as he lifted the ball home.

But, despite their best efforts, Bury could not find the equaliser their performance merited.

They move on to a tough weekend of fixtures as they face both Kendal and Lancaster this week.

The ladies’ first team continued their good January form, as a strong first-half performance set up a 4-0 win in their match against Manchester Moss Park.

Bury led by three goals at the break. Becky Nield scored after good work from Jo Miller before Beth Topping made the most of determined recovery work by youngster Lilly Furse to win the ball back in the Moss Park circle.

Bury had moved three goals in front by the 20th minute as Miller grabbed a goal of her own, with an assist from Sammie Robinson.

The second half saw Moss Park put Bury under far more pressure, however the Castlebrook side were able to see off the threat with some dogged defending, leaving keeper Becky Caulfield relatively untroubled.

In the dying moments a Bury counter-attack put the seal on the victory, Topping setting up Miller to crash home her second of the game.