BURY’S promotion charge was blown off course by a blast from the past at Greenhous Meadow.

Former Shaker Jean-Louis Akpa Akpro led the charge, scoring a hat-trick for Micky Mellon’s Shrewsbury side, who also had captain Connor Goldson and substitute Jordan Clark on the score sheet.

It was a humbling night for David Flitcroft and his players, who dropped out of the automatic promotion places after falling to their third successive defeat on their travels, while Mellon’s men moved up to fourth after extending their unbeaten home record to seven matches.

The icy blast that hit the Bury players as they ran out for the first half at Greenhous Meadow will have been nothing compared to the one that greeted them when they returned to the dressing room at half-time.

They were unable to cope with a storm of crosses and long balls that were helped along by a vicious gale, but the conditions were no excuse.

Bury were second to every ball and a shadow of the side that so confidently dismantled Portsmouth at the weekend.

Akpa Akpro inflicted the opening blow in the fourth minute, plucking a long ball from Goldson out of the air after Bury centre-back Nathan Cameron had got underneath it before firing into the bottom corner.

Goldson forced a diving save from Bury stopper Rob Lainton with a strong header soon after, but the away defence failed to take note as the big centre-back was given a free run at a Bobby Grant corner in the 20th minute to head home Shrewsbury’s second.

And any hopes of a comeback were all but dashed on 36 minutes when Akpa Akpro rose highest at the back post to nod home James Collins’ high looping cross.

Flitcroft replaced striker Danny Rose and attacking midfielder Nicky Adams with the more defensive options of full-back Chris Hussey and tough tackler Andrew Tutte at the break.

Damage limitation was probably utmost in his thoughts, but the changes did not have the desired effect as Akpa Akpro turned sharply in the box on 53 minutes to guide home a low shot.

Marking was non-existent as the former Grimsby frontman ghosted between Cameron and Pablo Mills to get off his shot and claim his hat-trick – three more goals than he managed during 10 appearances for Bury.

Shrews centre-back Nathaniel Knight-Percival then missed a golden chance from a corner to make it 5-0 before Bury wing-back Craig Jones had two decent opportunities charged down.

But substitute Jordan Clark heaped on the misery with a close-range strike in the 73rd minute before star man Akpa Akpro was withdrawn to a standing ovation.

Lainton smothered a late Knight-Percival header to stop any further embarrassment, but Flitcroft will have a job on his hands to pick up his players ahead of another difficult away day at Southend on Saturday.

SHREWSBURY: Leutwiler; Grandison, Goldson, Knight-Percival; Grimmer, Wesolowksi, Woods (Griffith 78), Grant (Clark 68), Demetriou; Collins, Akpa Akpro (Vernon 74).

Not used: Halstead, Ellis, Vincent, Caton.

BURY: Lainton 5; Cameron 4, Mills 5, McNulty 5; Jones 7, Etuhu 4, Soares 4, Mayor 5 (Sedgwick 6 65); Adams 6 (Tutte 6 46); Rose 5 (Hussey 6 46), Lowe 6.

Not used: Jalal, Thompson, Holmes, Poole.

Referee: Andy Woolmer.

Attendance: 4,233 (349 visiting).