Shakers player manager, Andy Preece, had obviously done his homework. He won the tactical battle by nullifying the potent threat of Leon Osman, who found little space all afternoon. On the flanks Ryan Baldacchino and Brendan McGill continually ran into brick walls. The result was a rationing of chances for the forwards.

After taking the lead with a terrific Peter Murphy free kick Carlisle capitulated to two goals inside ninety seconds and that was it game, set and match.

“They scored two and we scored one” said manager Roddy Collins, “that’s where it went wrong. I felt overall in the game we had a lot of possession and battled really hard against an experienced side who kept in nice and compact. On a couple of occasions we needed a little break of the ball. Craig Farrell’s chance, you’re looking to see him stick that one away and it would change the whole game. The ball comes back and young Paul Robinson shows brilliant feet, a little nick and it would have been in the back of the net. Then you think we’re just going to have to grind one out. We were matching each other physically and it was a tight game. I thought the first goal would open the game up. Unfortunately it did but we suffered rather than them.”

A sweeping move almost brought a goal in the second minute, Baldacchino picking up Osman’s pass before getting to the byline to pull a ball back for Farrell to shoot over.

With sixteen minutes gone Farrell again went close, Glyn Garner saving well before Robinson latched onto the loose ball only for Daniel Swales to clear his shot of the line.

Carlisle were struggling to make any real headway as Bury closed down at every opportunity and became more influential themselves in the final third. Preece was on target before a Jon Newby layoff put Chris Billy in space with Matty Glennon saving low to his right.

Billy then went close pulling a 30 yard shot narrowly wide after a surging run from halfway.

The Cumbrians upped the tempo at the start of the second half and Robinson almost broke the deadlock, volleying over from Farrell’s layoff. Farrell was then unlucky to see his goalbound effort deflected over the bar by Michael Nelson.

But with chances rare from open play it took an exquisite free kick to open the scoring on 61 minutes, captain Peter Murphy stepping up to curl an unstoppable 25 yard shot into the top corner.

Two minutes later Preece beat Glennon only to see his curled shot nestle on the roof of the net but on 73 minutes the irrepressible Preece was not to be denied.

When the Shakers won a free kick on the wide left of the Carlisle penalty area there was only going to be one taker, as player manager Preece pulled rank to curl a wonderful strike into the far top corner.

Ninety seconds later the Carlisle defence were caught short at the far post as wingback Lee Unsworth’s 60 yard run got him on the end of Billy’s deep cross to power a header home off the post.

The Cumbrians thought they had salvaged a point on 84 minutes, Robinson powering home from close range but Wake was adjudged to have fouled Garner.

As Carlisle threw everyone forward Jon Newby had three clear cut chances for Bury on the break and squandered them all but Osman was unlucky to see a shot parried away to safety by Garner.