Six-goal epic has boss Brass confused

BURY boss Chris Brass did not know whether to laugh or cry after his struggling Shakers threw away a two-goal lead before rescuing a stoppage-time point.

It was a typical afternoon for Bury, the division’s fourth highest scorers who also have the leakiest back-line.

Tom Soares’ stoppage-time leveller rescued a point, but Brass knows they cannot keep shipping goals as a six-pointer at Shrewsbury looms next weekend.

Brass, who confirmed Bury have accepted a bid for young defender Jacob Bedeau from Aston Villa, said: “Clean sheets win games and that’s something we’ve got to get right.

“We were fighting tooth and nail to keep the ball out of the net but once the first goal goes in, you’ve got to go back to that and keep on working.

“But they showed the right character, kept going and I will take some solace from how we’ve gone about it at the end.

“Shrewsbury are fighting, same as us, but I am glad we are going into that game three unbeaten. That’s what we have to do – keep that momentum going.”

Bury went ahead on 22 minutes, James Vaughan taking his tally to 17 for the season by guiding home a volley from Tom Pope’s cross.

Walsall keeper Neil Etheridge made a cracking double save to thwart Pope but was caught out for Bury’s second on the stroke of half-time as Reece Brown’s 35-yard free-kick floated in off the bar.

Bury had kept one clean sheet in 30 games but Lady Luck seemed on their side when Vaughan cleared off the line from Matt Preston.

However, Erhun Oztumer’s 20-yard free-kick got Walsall back in it, and eight minutes later the Saddlers were ahead.

Full-back Jason McCarthy got both goals, drilling Walsall level from 15 yards and steering home a nearpost header to make it 3-2.

However, Bury rescued a point in injury time, Soares steering home an inviting Brown cross to leave Walsall manager Jon Whitney deflated.

He said: “We were two minutes away from winning it and I am disappointed with the third goal. It was too easy.

“But in the second half we showed a lot of character. At half-time none of my lads’ heads were down. We still believed. We knew if we got the first one we would have a chance to go on and win it. I even thought we would go on and get a fourth but we’ll take it on the chin.”