A BRACE from striker Leon Clarke against his former side Coventry proved enough to give Bury all three points in a high quality League One encounter at Gigg Lane.

Clarke stroked the opener into the top-corner in the 19th minute after getting on the end of a well-worked Chris Hussey free kick.

He then won and converted a spot-kick six minutes after the break to double the lead after the referee's assistant gave a penalty following a challenge from giant centre-back Reda Johnson.

The Shakers deserved their lead and could easily have been further ahead after captain Nathan Cameron - one of six former Coventry players in the Bury squad - hit the bar with a header from a Hussey corner in the first half. 

But the visitors, who started the day in fourth, two places and three points above Bury, came back strongly in the closing stages.

Johnson made ammends by heading a goal back in the 63rd minute following an Adam Armstrong corner and Rob Lainton had to be on his toes to deny substitute Marcus Tudgay an equaliser.

Coventry captain Sam Ricketts then rattled the crossbar with a rasping 30-yard drive but David Flitcroft’s men held firm to claim their fourth straight win and move into fifth place in the table, just below Coventry on goal difference.

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REACTION

Bury manager David Flitcroft said: "I am just delighted for the players. I keep telling them that the work during the week is what gets you wins on a Saturday.

"We put slightly more detail into our work this week. We had a change from what we have done last season, we had to, we have come to League One.

"League Two at times is quite predictable in the football but when you come up against what I class as top class English managers then you have got to put that work in.

"You have got to be prepared to put more hours in than anyone else and the players and my staff are doing that.

"They have deserved that reward today of going four wins on the bounce.

"The detail, the planning, the preparation and application is there for everyone to see."

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RATINGS 

BURY (4-1-4-1): Lainton 8; Riley 8, Cameron 8, P Clarke 8, Hussey 9; Soares 8; Jones 7, Pugh 7 (Brown 6 75), Mellis 7 (Rose 6 71), Mayor 7; L Clarke 9 (Hope 90+4).

Subs: Ruddy, Dudley, Mohammed, Foulds.

COVENTRY CITY (4-2-3-1): Burge; Ricketts, Martin, Johnson, Stokes; Fleck, Vincelot; O'Brien (Fortune 60), Kent, Murphy (Tudgay 60); Armstrong.

Subs: Charles-Cook, C Thomas, Morris, Phillips, G Thomas.

Referee: Nigel Miller.

Attendance: 4,526 (1,041 visiting).