14/08 Bury Part 2

Grimsby Town 5 Bury 1
14 Aug 2004, Coca Cola League 2

Still more moments of minor peril as the well-organised and disciplined Buryites fiddled about in front of the Pontoon. At last, a Town attack. A Bury corner was cleared by Pinault. No, that doesn’t do justice to his flick over a Shakerman on the edge of the Town area and caressed pass to Sestanovich near the half way line. Sestan drove his van into the Bury half, on the centre right. Past one, past two, up to Challinor-Boo. Sestanovich knocked the ball past Pringle’s career ender, who promptly legged him up with a sliding swipe. The crowd considered this for a micro-moment and came to a collective decision that Challinor-Boo should be immediately dismissed, his epaulettes ripped off and sword snapped in two, the traditionalists wanted tar and feathering too. The referee only wafted a yellow card at this recidivist. Nothing came of the free kick

A couple of minutes later another Town breakaway was ended by the last man standing offending our sensibilities. This time a handball as Mansaram awaited a clear run in from the left. Perhaps the referee took one look at Octopussy and decide that it wasn’t a goalscoring opportunity. And who are we, the most experienced Mansaramic fundamentalists in the world, to disagree with that assessment? The free kick didn’t result in anything memorable either.

Ah, 10 minutes of rather rotten rollerball had floated by before Town made the Bury goalkeeper touch the ball. Pinault and Sestanovich combined to feed our goat, little pesky Parky, who scampered forward and smacked a shot goalwards from about 25 yards out. The ball seemed to be swaying towards the top left hand corner, slowly curling away from the fabulous flying fish in the Bury goal. Garner, superbly, zoomed across and parried the ball aside. Mansaram raced in and from a narrow angle knocked the rebound several yards over the bar. A couple of minutes of Bury lobbing followed, during which Williams failed to collect the ball off the toes of Nugent when the ball was near goal. Again a minor moment of concern, but streets weren’t flooded, no need to advise.

Around the quarter of an hour mark McDermott sparked a move down the right, nicking the ball off a yellow person and passing to Parkinson. Parky tried to thread a pass through to the marauding Macca, but it went straight to the full back. As we moaned, McDermott ran after the defender and dispossessed him, the ball going to Sestanonich about 35 yards out on the centre right. Sestan did his trademark thing, players bouncing off him like moths against a window pane. He edged infield and, in the centre just outside the penalty area, he seduced the right back over. Mansaram was alone in a dinghy, just a few miles offshore and waving to his chums. Sestanovich noticed the Dazzler and tapped the ball out to him. MANSARAM awaited the ball, awaited the goalkeeper and, from about a dozen yards out, placed the ball low in to the net. That’s nice.

The rest of the half was generally mediocre, but punctuated by fleeting moments of sumptuous skill from Sestanovich and, especially, Pinault. Where Bury huffed and puffed Town had that little something extra, a hidden back pocket out of which rabbits, doves and bouquets of barbed wire were occasionally flourished. Bury weren’t impressed by the conjuring tricks, perhaps the full range of magic would be needed in the second half. Bury were a bit of a pain, they had that work ethic too, and a referee indulgent in their game of bargeball. Shoulder charges haven’t been allowed since cloth caps and baggy shorts! They did almost threaten to squeeze another goal sometimes, a long shot here, a deflected shot there, but they were the briefest of moments. Williams only had one other save to make in the first half, when Nugent suddenly let fly from 25 yards out to their left. The ball dipped towards the left hand side of goal and Williams, at full stretch, parried the ball away, picking up the rebound before a Bury player got within 5 yards of him. Well, that’s them done then.

"Why don’t Town play well in the first half?" "Alf Ramsey knew how to milk a cow." "Wouldn’t you rather be at your sister’s wedding?" "Remove resplendent. Don’t let that word leave this ground." "Bury are drearily efficient. It must be like supporting a lawnmower."