LEE Clark wants his fit-again Bury side to be judged from now after claiming just their third league win of the season.

An end-to-end game saw the Shakers gift third-placed Bradford a ninth-minute opener, only to hit back with two goals in two minutes.

Chris Maguire converted a 19th-minute penalty before Jermaine Beckford claimed his seventh goal of the season. Jay O’Shea then came off the bench to clinch victory with his first Bury goal on 85 minutes.

The Irish forward was playing only his second game of the season after injuring a knee on the opening day while fellow summer signing Eoghan O’Connell, also back from injury, impressed on his first league start for the Shakers in a three-man defence.

Clark said: “We started on the front foot, were positive and took the game to Bradford, but in team sports you’ll suffer a setback sometimes. You’ve got to be able to bounce back.

“Whenever we’ve scored first we’ve got positive results, but what I’d asked the players before the game is ‘if we had any kind of setback, could we bounce back?’ That’s because we haven’t been doing that this season – but we did bounce back today.

“My team showed great courage. They carried on doing the right things and kept their belief. We went toe-to-toe with Bradford and ended up deserved winners so I’m delighted with them.

“I’ve always said ‘judge us when we have everybody fit’. We lost some big players in the first few weeks of the season. Now we’re getting people back we looked a good outfit out there today.”

Clark was pleased with Bury’s Checkatrade Trophy win at Blackburn last time out.

But this was arguably their best performance of the season, given the fact they started brightly, gifted Bradford the opener, and then managed to overcome that early setback.

Maguire and Michael Smith had already gone close before O’Connell and Tom Aldred both went for Luke Hendrie’s cross, flicking it on for Charlie Wyke to stab home from close range.

Beckford then headed over from Greg Leigh’s cut-back before being tripped by Hendrie, with Maguire converting the spot-kick with aplomb. And moments later Chris Humphrey crossed for Smith, whose looping header came back off the bar for Beckford to tap in the rebound.

Former Bury loanee Dominic Poleon twice went close after the break while the Shakers looked dangerous on the break.

Bury keeper Leo Fasan had to tip over an Adam Chicksen free-kick and Bradford captain Romain Vincelot missed a gilt-edged chance to equalise as he headed wide from a corner.

But the Shakers went straight up the other end and although Leigh’s shot was saved by Colin Doyle, the rebound hit Vincelot before being bundled in by O’Shea to nudge Bury above Rochdale to 19th in the table.

Match ratings

BURY: Fasan 7, Aldred 8, O’Connell 8, Edwards 8, Humphrey 7 (Bunn 7, 43), Reilly 8, Laurent 8, Leigh 8, Maguire 8 (O’Shea 7, 57), Smith 7, Beckford 7. Not used: Dobre, Ince, Shotton, Tutte, Maloney.

BRADFORD CITY: Doyle 6, Hendrie 6 (Taylor 5, 86), Knight-Percival 6, Kilgallon 6, Chicksen 6, Gilliead 7, Reeves 5 (Patrick 6, 78), Vincelot 5, Law 6, Poleon 6, Wyke 6. Not used: Dieng, Field, Hanson, Jones, Raeder.

Referee: David Webb (Lancashire).

Attendance: 5,514 (2,923 visiting).