Shakers ring changes for hard-fought away victory
BURY manager Ryan Lowe says his side’s hard work is beginning to show after their 1-0 away win at Mansfield Town in the Checkatrade Trophy on Tuesday night.
The Shakers boss made nine changes from the XI that started against Luton in the FA Cup on Sunday, with Adam Thompson and Callum McFadzean the only players to feature from the weekend’s defeat.
Forward Dominic Telford scored the only goal of the game, latching on to Ryan Cooney’s through ball and firing low past goalkeeper Conrad Logan into the far corner after 35 minutes.
Midfielder Stephen Dawson saw red with five minutes to go, after catching opposing forward Tyler Walker while arriving late to a challenge in an attempt to block the ball.
The Shakers had an opportunity to seal the victory late on when Jamie Barjonas broke with the ball and was brought down by Logan in the box.
However, the Mansfield keeper redeemed himself by diving low to save Caolan Lavery’s subsequent penalty kick after 87 minutes.
“We had to freshen it up because the games are coming thick and fast, but I think I’m a little bit spoiled as I haven’t just got a good team - I’ve got a good squad,” said Lowe.
“Their patience is key, the way we’re playing in the league and in the cups, it just shows the hard work and determination that their putting in.”
Promotion-chasing Bury return to League Two action when they host Exeter on Saturday. CITY flexed their squad muscle by clocking up a seventh straight Premier League win - without four of their best players.
Kevin de Bruyne and Sergio Aguero were ruled out by injury, while Raheem Sterling and Aymeric Laporte were rested as the Blues chalked up a 2-1 win at Watford.
That kept them ahead of nearest rivals Liverpool in the title race, before City head to Stamford Bridge for a Saturday night showdown with Chelsea.
The two goals at Vicarage Road were scored by players who are not sure if they will play in that crunch match, while Vincent Kompany was a rock at the back - and he may not even make the bench at the weekend!
And that adds up to the kind of depth which means City can sustain a strong title defence, especially with De Bruyne closing on a return to action.
Watford clung on to a 2-0 deficit, then scored late and made it difficult, but City fought hard to defend the lead and were well worth their win over the Hornets.
And afterwards midfielder Bernardo Silva pinpointed that depth as a key factor in the Blues’ Premier League title push.
“The squad is very strong and that is important to us in December and January, which are very difficult months with a lot a difficult games,” said the Portugal ace.
“It’s good to change the players, not see the difference and still get important wins like the one against Watford. We’re very happy with the squad we have and with the win.
“The last few minutes were pretty tough, but it’s still good to win. Sometimes you have to suffer and we knew we were going to be playing against a very strong side.”
City have a punishing schedule of 15 games in seven weeks, and getting rotation right is one of Pep Guardiola’s toughest challenges.
Says Bernardo, who experienced the English winter schedule for the first time last season: “It’s a little bit different because in both of the countries where I played before Portugal and France - we have a Christmas break.
“Here it won’t stop so it’s a bit complicated, but it’s good to play every three days. We complain a little bit but it’s good because we love this game and we love to play and it’s a tradition in England, so we have to respect it. “When you are leading the league and winning almost every game, teams try to see your weaknesses and try to exploit them. “Our job is to try to make the least mistakes we can and keep winning our games and try to make this gap a little bit bigger in the months of December and January, which are very important months with lots of games.” The Blues boss made four changes to his defensive line for City’s game at Vicarage Road on Tuesday night, with Fabian Delph, Kompany, John Stones and Kyle Walker all coming in after missing out on the 3-1 win against Bournemouth on Saturday. Riyad Mahrez and David Silva also returned to the side, at the expense of the ever-impressive Raheem Sterling, who moved to the bench. But Guardiola insists he will not make changes for changes’ sake. He said: “We are a strong side. We change because they deserve to play and we believe that is the best. We have to try to use our squad depth.” Pep Guardiola