Macclesfield 0, Shakers 0: NORMALLY, this goalless draw, following on from the stalemate at runaway leaders Hartlepool last week, would have been looked upon as a point gained against tricky opposition desperate for points for a different reason.

But for Shakers boss Andy Preece it was regarded as two lost as, once again, his side paid the price for a failure to find the net.

It is a malaise that Preece will want his side to snap out of, and quickly, with three home matches on the bounce against other teams with promotion aspirations coming up.

He knows well enough that three consecutive matches without a goal is hardly promotion form and is well aware of his side's shortcomings at present.

That is not to say there were not chances for Preece's injury hit side.

Danny Swailes hit the bar with a header and Lee Connell had an effort cleared off the line by Town skipper Darren Tinson as the Shakers went for the elusive goal to crown their first league visit to the Moss Rose.

Both those chances arrived in a second half that was a big improvement from the first that the home side shaded if only for their battling qualities.

Bury did little in the first half, but at the interval David Nugent replaced flu-victim Jamie Stuart.

Yet the clearest cut opportunity fell to the home side when the busy Danny Whittaker set up Matthew Tipton in the six yard box only for Bury keeper Glyn Garner to pull of a magnificent save.

The man between the sticks was excellent throughout.

As the game reached it's latter stages Preece brought himself and 19-year-old Chris Porter into the fray and the rangy youngster showed glimpses of the form that have seen him pick up three goals in the last two reserve matches. In his first appearance in the Football League he did not seem overawed by the step up and impressed with some positive running with the ball at his feet.

There were also fine displays by the increasingly impressive skipper Michael Nelson and Connell, who did well in the right wing back role vacated by groin injury victim Lee Unsworth.

"I'm disappointed we've only picked up one point and we can play better than that but when you look at the injuries we've had this week I don't think it was a bad effort," said Preece.

"We passed the ball well in the middle of the field at times but we showed nothing in the last third and didn't look threatening. It's frustrating for strikers because the quality from midfield needs to be better."