BURY had an away day to forget when they were thumped 4-1 by Southend United on Friday night.

Even the chairman's offer to buy all of the 177 travelling supporters a pie and a drink did not raise their spirits as their side succumbed to the clinical finishing of the Shrimpers.

Noel Hunt bagged a first half brace as the hosts raced into an early 2-0 lead. Leon Clarke netted his 13th goal of the season on the stroke of half-time to halve the deficit.

But a second-half penalty from David Mooney and a Jack Payne wonder-strike 12 minutes from time denied any chance of a comeback.

David Flitcroft made two changes from the 1-0 victory over Chesterfield. Chris Hussey and Clarke returned from their respective illness and injury in place of Joe Dodoo and Tom Pope who dropped to the bench.

Danny Rose looked lively from the off when he leaped the highest to head Tom Soares' cross over the bar.

A minute later Rose linked up with Clarke down the right before drilling a shot hard and low across goal but it beat the goalkeeper and trickled wide.

The visitors responded with Hunt, playing his first game in over three months, who headed over from six-yards following Jack Payne's corner.

Former Shaker David Worrall, Bury's 2011/12 Player of the Season, dominated down the left channel early on, smashing a shot from distance wide midway through first half.

The opener arrived on the 23rd minute when Ben Coker rattled the crossbar with an overhead kick following Worrall's cross from the left and Hunt was on hand to convert acrobatically from close-range.

Hunt doubled his and the Shrimpers' tally on the 31st minute when Daniel Bachmann dropped a clanger from Worrall's cross straight on to the head of Adam Barrett, and the ball bounced at the feet of Hunt who turned it into an empty net.

Flitcroft was not happy with what he was witnessing and was quick to shake it up with a 34th minute substitution removing Danny Pugh for Craig Jones, a change which moved Soares back to the middle and added natural width to the right-hand side.

The moved paid dividends as Soares picked up the ball in the middle of the park and fed Clarke through on goal and the forward composed himself with one touch before slotting the ball into the near-post with another.

The goal inspired the Shakers to kick on before the break and Rose came close to equalising as his cross drifted over the goalkeeper and flew narrowly wide.

Jacob Mellis made his first appearance in over a month when he replaced Soares at half-time, and seven minutes after the restart Tom Pope came on for Rose.

The quick-fire double-sub added creativity and composure to keep the ball which the Shakers severely lacked in the first period.

A smart training-ground routine from a 20-yard free-kick saw Dan Bentley make a superb finger-tip save down to his left to keep out Clarke's low drive. Pope was denied an equaliser on the line when he flicked Hussey's short corner goalwards.

But the hosts regained their two-goal advantage on the when Nathan Cameron tripped Payne in the box and Mooney stepped up to duly convert the penalty-kick.

Southend added a fourth on the 78th minute when Payne curled in a wonderful shot from 25-yards to seal the three points and lift the Shrimpers into seventh place above the Shakers.

BURY 4-4-2

DANIEL BACHMANN 5

JOE RILEY 6

NATHAN CAMERON 5

PETER CLARKE 6

CHRIS HUSSEY 5

TOM SOARES 6

KELVIN ETUHU 6

DANNY PUGH 5

DANNY MAYOR 6

LEON CLARKE 7

DANNY ROSE 6

Subs: Craig Jones 6 (for Danny Pugh 34), Jacob Mellis 5 (for Tom Soares 46), Tom Pope 6 (for Danny Rose 53).

Not used: Lainton, Brown, Dudley, Dodoo

Southend (4-4-2): Bentley, White, Thompson, Barrett, Coker, Worrall, Payne, Leonard, Atkinson, Hunt, Mooney.

Subs: Hurst (for Hunt 66), Rea (for Worrall 77), Pigott (for Mooney 83).

Not used: Prosser, Timlin, Deegan, O'Neill

Referee: James Linington (Newport).

Attendance: 6,127 (177 visiting).