Hull City 2 Bury 0: Shakers need a big performance against Scunthorpe United on Tuesday night in order for their minor slump to become something more major.

The Shakers certainly owe manager Andy Preece and the supporters a decent performance after the defeat at Macclesfield and this loss on Humberside.

There was a marked improvement on the desolate display at Moss Rose but it still was not good enough, albeit against one of the best teams in Division Three.

Both Tigers goals could have been prevented, particularly Jason Price's opener that made the Shakers' task that much harder.

And Price was given the freedom of the superb KC Stadium to set up Ben Burgess for the points clincher in the second half.

Bury did not exactly accept their fate at this point, but the players lacked faith in their ability to turn things round.

However, victories over Scunthorpe in the LDV Vans Trophy and Rochdale on Saturday will do much to restore confidence.

"We warned the players before the start that they would have to stand up and be counted early on,"said Preece. "So, I was disappointed for us to concede so early.

"And we certainly had chances to stop that first goal. I don't think it was a free kick in the first place.

"Then they have taken it quickly and normally the referee says you can do that or you have got to be 10 yards.

"He didn't say anything and if any of our lads had stood in front of the ball no doubt it would have been a booking.

"Then we had a third chance to get the ball away after Glynn (Garner) made a good save but no one was following in."

No one except Price who knocked in the rebound after Garner had kept out Marc Joseph's free kick.

"We recovered from that and we had better chances than them in the first half.

"At half-time we told them we've got to keep it tight to give ourselves a chance. So, instead we concede within two minutes."

Price's cross from the Hull right picked out Burgess at the far post and the big striker was given time to control the ball before shooting home from a tight angle.

In retaliation, Bury hardly created a worthwhile scoring opportunity in the second period after carving out plenty of openings in the first 45 minutes.

Indeed, had Paul Musselwhite not stuck out a hand to stop Gareth Seddon's deflected shot going into the top corner, it might have been a different outcome.

Hull City (4-3-3): Musselwhite, Hinds, Joseph, Delaney, Dawson, Green (Holt 87), Ashbee, Keates, Price, Burgess, Elliott; subs not used: Harvey, Whittle, France, Melton.

Bury (3-5-2):

Garner 7, Swailes 6, Duxbury 6 ( 6 Kennedy 53), Gulliver 5, Unsworth 6, Connell 6, Dunfield 5, O'Shaughnessy 5, Woodthorpe 5, Seddon 5 (5 Porter 52), O'Neill 5; Subs not used: Preece, Barrass, Clegg.

Attendance: 11,308

Referee: David Pugh

7 Shots on 3

9 Shots off 3

4 Corners 6

11 Free kicks conceded 14

2 Offsides 3