BURY fans got a look at what their new-look side might look like as the Shakers went down 3-0 at home to Blackburn Rovers at Gigg Lane.

Paul Wilkinson will have been encouraged by some of the play from his side in front of a crowd of 1,351 who saw both familiar and unfamiliar faces line up against the Championship outfit.

Tom Miller, Jordan Archer and Harry Bunn were the three contracted players involved with Chris Dagnall, who only left the club in January for Tranmere, also in the starting XI.

Bury Times:

Antony Kay, who played for the Shakers in the 2016-17 season, was also back at Gigg Lane having left Port Vale in the summer.

Some new faces for Bury supporters included former Crewe goalkeeper Ben Garratt, ex-Yeovil defender Bevis Mugabi and Troy Brown, released by Exeter in the summer.

Dundee’s Callum Booth played at left back while Dutch defender Danzell Gravenberch, last with Reading, also started.

Former Blackburn midfielder Chris Taylor was one the substitutes used against his former club having most recently been with Blackpool.

Former Gillingham defender Alex Lacey and ex-Newport man Tyler Forbes were also on the bench.

As for the game itself, goals from Joe Rothwell, Ben Brereton and Adam Armstrong handed Tony Mowbray’s side the victory.

Bury Times:

For the Shakers, striker Archer showed signs of promise as he was able to hold the ball up for his side and use his pace to run beyond the Rovers backline.

The Championship side asserted their authority in the game early on though and a lovely lofted through ball by John Buckley almost found Brereton rushing in at the far post.

Bury were struggling to keep up with Rovers in the early stages of the match and Joe Rankin-Costello let one fly, which was just wide.

The first promising sign from the Shakers came just after 10 minutes as Bunn put the ball through Rankin-Costello’s legs with the latter bringing the Bury man down on the edge of the box.

Bunn proved to be the danger man for the home side in the first half as he got the better of Rankin-Costello once more to whip a dangerous cross in to the area.

The opening goal of the game came just after 25 minutes – Brereton finding Rothwell who beautifully curled one in the top corner from 25 yards.

Rovers’ second of the game came after 37 minutes when Rankin-Costello whipped in a ball from the right, Brereton leaping highest to plant a header in to the bottom corner.

Bury Times:

Centre half Brown displayed a tidy bit of defending for the hosts at the start of the second period as a Rovers ball was slid across the box, before he got back well to intercept.

The hosts almost got a goal back after some good play down the right, the cross came in and Charlie Mulgrew was able to put it behind for a corner.

The tempo of the match slowed in the latter stages of the second half, which was to be expected, as the players from both sides began to tire in the humid conditions didn’t help either.

Substitute Armstrong did make it 3-0 to Rovers as he slotted past Garratt in the Shakers goal.

Bury: Ben Garratt, Beavis Mugabi, Callum Booth, Tom Miller, Troy Brown, Antony Kay, Charlie Cooper, Denzell Gravenberch, Jordan Archer, Harry Bunn, Chris Dagnall. Subs: Ben Mundele, Alex Lacey, Tyler Forbes, Dan Rooney, Chris Taylor, Jamie Roberts, Dylan Motley-Henry