Bury 2 York City 0: TERRY Dunfield picked up a bottle of champagne for his man of the match performance on his comeback game - and promptly gave it away.

The Bury midfielder handed the bubbly to physio Lee Nobes for helping him regain full fitness after summer surgery on his dislocated shoulder.

And Dunfield wasn't the only one grateful to Nobes for getting him back on the pitch ahead of schedule.

The victory has certainly lifted the pressure on player-boss Andy Preece while Glenn Whelan's integration into the side on Tuesday night was helped by playing alongside his ex Manchester City team mate.

Dunfield, loan star Whelan and Paul O'Shaughnessy were outstanding in the arguably the youngest ever Bury midfield combination ever sent out.

Their energy and enthusiasm were badly needed after the lethargy of last Saturday's defeat by Doncaster.

"I've played with Terry before so I knew what he could do," said Dubliner Whelan.

"But the other lads stuck to their jobs and I thought we all did well.

"I've settled in quite quickly considering I've only had one training session."

Preece was delighted with his new acquisition and the return of playmaker Dunfield.

"It was a young side but they played with a lot of confidence and energy," said the Shakers chief.

"I could not have asked for more. Glenn is a strong lad and gave us some steel. He filled in areas for Terry when Terry went forward. He just knew where to be at the right time, his passing was good and he rarely gave the ball away.

"He showed that bit of quality we've been missing. We probably rushed Terry back a bit but he's done well.

"It's just how he recovers from this. The adrenaline gets you through the first couple of games but we've got to look after him. He's got to look after himself because he is important."

Bury started the game after a run of three successive defeats while York hadn't lost in three.

But statistics do not tell the full story. Bury were superior for most of the 90 minutes; indeed York's only shot came in the last few seconds.

In contrast, the home team looked lively throughout and solid at the back with the return to a 3-5-2 formation.

Chris Porter put Bury in front after 37 minutes with a fine striker's goal. He just stayed on side to collect Lee Connell's pass, held off a defensive challenge before shooting home.

It was Connell again who provided the assist for goal number two.

His pacy centre from the right was met by Joe O'Neill with a superb diving header-the young centre forward's first goal since joining the Shakers on a season's loan from Preston.

"We had to give something to the crowd after Saturday and and it's nice they were able to enjoy this victory."

Unfortunately only 2,282 were tempted to Gigg Lane - Bury's lowest of the season.

Form guide: Garner 6, Connell 7, Swailes 7, Duxbury 7, Woodthorpe 7, Whelan 7, Dunfield 8 (Whaley), O'Shaughnessy 7, Singh 7, Porter 7, Seddon 6 (O'Neill). Not used: Strong, Kennedy, Preece.

Goals: Porter 36, O'Neill 70. Bookings: O'Shaughnessy 27, Swailes 62. Referee: A Penn. Attendance: 2282.