BURY’S faltering away form once again punctured their promotion charge as Kevin Ellison’s second-half tap-in for Morecambe made it five matches without a win on the road.

It was all too much for a section of the 1,000-strong travelling support, who angrily confronted the players after a lacklustre display.

But Shakers boss David Flitcroft fronted up to them to plead for patience as he continues to search for a first away win since September 13.

“I sort of said ‘don’t come off plan, try to stick with us, I appreciate your support and we will get it right’,” said the Bury manager.

“I am disappointed. Our away support is just unreal, it is absolutely outstanding and I have not been able to deliver.

“I am hurting like them and it was an opportunity for me to tell them that. I will get it right, there is no doubt about that, but at the minute we are not doing and they have got every right to be vocal because they are seeing their team get beat.”

Flitcroft again reverted to four at the back, which helped earn a point at Southend in the last away match.

And it looked like the switch from Bury’s usual 3-4-3 formation, which has helped them to seven straight league wins at the JD Stadium, would seal a second successive away draw.

Morecambe were reduced to a couple of chances in the opening half as Ellison looped a header on to the roof of the net and new Shakers stopper Scott Loach blocked a Paul Mullin shot with his legs.

But the more defensive approach, with just Danny Rose up front, supported as much as possible by midfielders Nicky Adams and Danny Mayor, also restricted the flow of chances at the opposite end.

Adams skied an attempted shot following the best move of the match, when Mayor laid off the ball following a Rose knock down. And Mayor had a shot blocked from an acute angle after a purposeful run into the box.

Left-back Chris Hussey – in only his fourth start of the campaign – offered a threat with his crosses, but Bury were never able to create a clear-cut chance before the break and paid for it in the second half.

Flitcroft threw on a second striker on 55 minutes, but Danny Nardiello’s first act was to clear a Laurence Wilson shot off the line.

And after Rose created his own shooting opportunity in the box in the 62nd minute, which Shrimps stopper Scott Davies got down well to gather, it was all Morecambe.

Jack Redshaw set up the only goal of the game in the 70th minute, just four minutes after coming on, with a curling shot across goal that Loach parried into the path of the unmarked Ellison.

And the pair could easily have added another two goals apiece as Bury pushed forward in search of an equaliser.

Jim McNulty and Hussey put in goal-saving blocks to deny the pair, while Loach almost palmed another Redshaw shot into the path of Ellison.

The on-loan keeper, who made his debut in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy defeat to Tranmere, did his best to keep Bury in it with further saves from Redshaw, Ellison and Ryan Edwards.

But a lack of drive at the other end to create even a sniff of an equaliser left Flitcroft with plenty of explaining to do at the final whistle.

“It’s a real soft goal,” he said. “We didn’t defend Redshaw’s movement, the save has come in and it is a soft parry and Kevin Ellison was not marked up so there are three mistakes within the space of half a second.”

While the Bury boss was disappointed with his side’s defending for the goal, he was more concerned with the lack of quality shown by his attacking unit.

“First half I was really disappointed with our quality in the last third. It wasn’t good enough, it wasn’t acceptable,” he said. 

“We got in behind them that many times, we’ve got to make more of those opportunities and when you don’t you are always open to a potential goal against.

“In the end one goal was enough for them, but we didn’t do enough to win that football match.

“So I have got to look at how I set a team up away from home. The stats don’t lie. We have had too many defeats away from home and I have got to come up with a formula to pick up points.”

Experienced striker Ryan Lowe, who has missed the last few matches with a hernia problem, could well form an important part of that formula.

“We have got Lowey coming back maybe for next week, which would give us a massive boost because Lowey is a character and he’s a leader,” added Flitcroft.

“Today is the first time I didn’t feel they knew how to go and get an equaliser. There wasn’t enough spirit about them. I have seen Kevin Ellison, who didn’t want to come off that pitch a loser and we need more of that spirit.”

MORECAMBE: Davies; Parrish, Hughes, Edwards; Beeley, Kenyon (Redshaw 66), Goodall, Fleming, Wilson; Ellison (Wright 86), Mullin (Barkhuizen 77).

Not used: Lumley, Williams, McGowan, McCready.

BURY: Loach 6; Cameron 5, Mills 5, McNulty 5, Hussey 6; Tutte 5 (Nardiello 5 55), Etuhu 5, Adams 6 (Duffus 6 80), Mayor 6, Soares 5; Rose 6.

Not used: Lainton, Sedgwick, Thompson, O'Brien.

Goals: Morecambe 1 (Ellison 70) Bury 0.

Yellow cards: Morecambe – Fleming 55. Bury – Cameron 81.

Referee: David Coote.

Attendance: 2,665 (1,023 visiting).

Star man: Chris Hussey – It is hard to say that any Bury player left the Globe Arena with any real credit, but after starting only his fourth game of the campaign the full-back at least looked sharp and ready for action. He was always a willing runner down the left flank, supporting the more attacking players and providing the kind of service they had come to expect from him last season. Whatever has kept the 25-year-old on the sidelines this campaign, it was nice to see his delivery back to its best. And if the Bury boss continues to use four defenders away from home then maybe Hussey will get more chances to prove his importance to the team.