BURY'S meteroric rise to the top of Division Two has brought its reward for boss Stan Ternent.

The manager has been named Nationwide Manager of the Month for March after his Shakers garnered 18 points from 8 outings. Their record included five straight wins without a conceding a goal.

Bury began the month in third place, seven points adrift of leadwers Brentford, but now sit on its summit, three points clear of the opposition with matches in hand on most of their rivals.

Ironically, Ternent's only other monthly award came in March last season when Bury went on top clinch promotion. He hopes it's a good omen:

"I'd settle for another prize in April," he joked after hearing he was the Nationwide's choice. "It is me that is getrting the award but its the players who have done all the hard work. They have been absolutely fantastic and if they continue in the same way for another four weeks we'll have an even bigger reward."

The Shakers' unstoppable run has seen their title odds slashed by the bookies.

At one time condsidered 25/1 outsiders for honours, each successive victory has led to their odds shrinking. They stood at 8/1 before winning at Brentford, 10/3 before Easter Monday's triumph over Wycombe and are now13/8 after Luton and Stockport County both failed to win on Tuesday night.

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