MORECAMBE substitutes Jack Ryan and Shaun Miller combined to end Bury’s seven-match winning run and knock them out of the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy.

Ryan outmuscled Shakers centre-back Reece Brown before setting up Miller to side foot the only goal into an empty net on 81 minutes.

It was a frustrating finish for David Flitcroft’s in-form side, who had controlled the second-round tie but were unable to see off the League Two visitors.

The Bury boss made five changes to the side that won at Colchester in League One on Saturday.

Academy graduate Scott Burgess returned from a month’s loan at Stalybridge Celtic to partner player/coach Chris Sedgwick in the centre of the park, the pair anchoring a new-look midfield that also included Danny Mayor and Hallam Hope in roving roles.

Senior midfielders Tom Soares, Craig Jones and Danny Pugh dropped to the bench, but the Shakers’ build-up play was slick, helped by a greasy surface that held up well under incessant rain.

But they could not find the final touch in front of goal, despite Tom Pope and Danny Rose teaming up ina two-man attack as top scorer Leon Clarke was given a well-earned night off.

There was only one change at the back as Brown reverted from his usual holding midfield role to the centre of defence in place of Peter Clarke.

The utility player had put in a solid display before his late mistake, reading the game brilliantly to cut out any Morecambe threat in the first half.

As a result, Bury goalkeeper Rob Lainton was rarely troubled.

He gathered a Lee Molyneux free kick at the second attempt in the fifth minute after it clipped the wall and skidded up off the surface.

But Jim Bentley’s visitors did not look to have the class to trouble Flitcroft’s confident outfit.

At the other end, Rose had a shot blocked and then missed the target with a header from a Mayor cross after the best move of the first half, which was started by a strong run out of defence by Joe Riley.

Lainton did have a brief scare six minutes before the break when he had to back-peddle to tip over a Shaun Beeley cross.

But his opposite number Barry Roche made the save of the half, palming away a Brown flick-on from a Hussey free kick.

Flitcroft replaced his full-backs at the start of the second half, sending on Jones and Pugh for Riley and Hussey, while Bentley added Miller in place of Molyneux.

Morecambe came close to breaking the deadlock as they built up a head of steam at the start of the second half.

Miller’s clever pass found Kevin Ellison completely unmarked on the left of the six-yard box but Lainton stuck out his left boot to divert the forward’s low shot inches wide of his far post.

Soares was quickly introduced for Sedgwick to add a bit of urgency to the Bury play and Mayor soon managed their first shot on target of the second half, stinging Roche’s palms with a low drive.

Jones also worked his way into the game with some driving runs and popped up on the left to put the ball on a plate for Pope, but he headed wide.

The Bury striker beat Roche with a 69th-minute header from a Pugh cross but his effort was cleared off the line by Morecambe centre-back Ryan Edwards.

Then, just as the game looked to be fizzling out towards a penalty shootout, Brown was robbed of the ball in the left channel and Ryan's centre cut out Lainton, allowing Miller to provide the knockout blow.

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REACTION

Bury manager David Flitcroft said: "I'm disappointed. It's a game I really wanted to win. We went into tonight's game really believing that we would win.

"We've done a lot of work over 24 to 48 hours setting a game plan up to be quite offensive with Hallam (Hope), Rosey (Danny Rose), Popey (Tom Pope) and Danny Mayor on the pitch.

"We tried to attack them put the end product wasn't good enough - the last bit in the final third.

"We just missed a real cohesion in our attacking play.

"We carried a threat up to 18-20 yards out and after that it just fizzled out.

"So disappointed with the end bit of the pitch.

"In terms of attitude and application, I got what I wanted from the likes of Nathan Cameron.

"Reece three months ago couldn't even do 30 minutes against Morecambe so he has produced 90 minutes and just as he got tired late on he's made a slip for the goal.

"So I am happy with the application, just that bit of end quality which we are used to now, just wasn't there so I'm disappointed with that."

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RATINGS

BURY (4-4-2): Lainton 8; Riley 8 (Jones 7 46), Brown 7, Cameron 7, Hussey 8 (Pugh 7 46); Hope 6, Burgess 7, Sedgwick 7 (Soares 6 58), Mayor 6; Rose 7, Pope 7.

Not used: Dudley.

MORECAMBE (4-2-3-1): Roche, Beeley, Edwards, Parrish, McGowan; Kenyon, Goodall; Molyneux (Miller 46), Devitt, Ellison; Mullin (Ryan 78).

Not used: Bondswell, Bailey, Thompson.

Referee: Mark Brown.

Attendance: 1,508 (171 visiting).