BATES RUINS FINE DAY OUT

WYCOMBE'S compact and pretty stadium rises seemingly out of nowhere, nestled in a valley at the end of a long road writes STEVE CANAVAN.

The bar serves fine beer, the stewards are efficient and courteous and the home fans are good natured and friendly.

Unfortunately the team itself are the opposite; cruel hearted, mean and nasty because they obviously have no thought whatsoever for the state of mind of visiting fans who have to make long journey's home on cold and wet evenings.

To lose a game when you've played poorly is just about bearable.

But to lose from a corner in the very last minute after pretty much dominating is dastardly behaviour by anyone's standards. So Mr Jamie Bates, I just want you to know that you ruined my Saturday night and most of Sunday morning as well.

For it was Bates that scored two goals, the first from a well struck free kick, the killer second from a corner to rob the Shakers of a valuable point and leave the 167 visiting fans in a miserable mood for the four-hour trip back up the M6.

Up until the last minute the Shakers had again played well - but again failed to stick good chances in the back of the net.

And now the statistic seven games without a win is very bleak reading indeed.

Yet it could have been very different.

Preece left himself on the bench but went for a win, playing three striker in Bhutia, Littlejohn and Paul Barnes, who - it was nice to see - received good vocal support from the travelling fans throughout the match. With Wycombe's big, strong striker Andy Rammell the home side's only real threat, Bury dominated the opening exchanges and should have gone in ahead at the break.

Paul Reid and Nick Daws, again in impressive driving form, had good long range efforts which were only narrowly off target.

And in the move of the game on 40 minutes, the non-stop Chris Billy brilliantly beat two men and slid the ball through to Barnes whose powerful shot was only kept out by an excellent parry from impressive Wycombe keeper Martin Taylor.

After the break Wycombe, fielding a side depleted by eight injuries, came out looking determined and Rammell warmed Paddy Kenny's fingers with a rasping drive from the edge of area. But Bury weathered the brief storm (unlike the incessant heavy rain) and came back stronger.

Right up until Wycombe scored they were creating chances and perhaps Littlejohn's glaring miss on 59 minutes was the turning point.

After a swift Shakers attack involving good work from Barnes on the right, the ball fell invitingly to Littlejohn 8 yards from goal with no defenders in sight but the Bury forward scuffed a right foot shot and it bounced harmlessly wide.

Three minutes later, Wycombe - with their first attack in 15 minutes - scored.

The home side won a free kick 25 yards from goal. Central defender Jamie Bates didn't bother with any Beckham style swerve, instead opting to thump it with great effect and on a slippy surface it flew past Kenny and into the bottom corner.

Bury's response was good. Defender Sam Collins clipped the bar with a fine header from a Daws free kick.

Then, with 11 minutes left, Bury got the lifeline they deserved when Chris Billy was upended by Wycombe left-back Alan Beeton. The referee upped the suspense value by waiting a good 10 seconds before pointing to the spot but it didn't unsettle Paul Reid who blasted the ball straight down the middle of the goal.

Bury pushed forward looking for the win, Chris Swailes heading narrowly too high and an out-of-sorts Littlejohn - not the right conditions for him - missing a half chance.

The one team that wasn't going to win was Wycombe ... that is until they got a corner with seconds left.

Atoning for conceding the penalty, Beeton flighted a perfect cross into the crowded penalty area and Bates met it perfectly to power home and leave Shakers fans feeling like they'd taken a hard and sickening blow to the stomach.

The Shakers players left the sodden pitch with heads bowed, gutted at snatching another defeat from the jaws of victory.

Preece was more shell-shocked than most.

"I may as well give you a tape recorded speech when I do these interviews because I'm saying the same thing every week," he said afterwards.

"I don't know what to say. We had loads of shots and played well but individual errors are costing us dear.

"It was soul destroying to lose but we have to pick ourselves up for the Northwich Vics cup tie next week and go out and win.

"I can't have a go at the lads because they've played well and given their all. Maybe we should start playing poorly and give the ball away; maybe then we might get a result.

"They scored from two set pieces and that was the only way they were going to score. But we can't go on being unlucky forever. I'm the manager and it's up to me to sort it out."

BURY: Kenny 7, Unsworth 7, Reid 6, C Swailes 7, Collins 7, Redmond 7, BILLY 8, Daws 8, Littlejohn 6, Barnes 6, Bhutia 6. Subs: Preece (for Barnes 74), Jarrett (for Bhutia 87), D Swailes, Forrest, Barrick.

WYCOMBE: Taylor, Rogers, Beeton, Cousins, Bates, Ryan, Castledine, Simpson, Lee, Rammell, Thompson. Subs: Carroll (for Castledine 77), Harkin, Brady, Johnson, Townsend.

ATT: 4,488

REF: Mick Fletcher

BOOKING: Alan Beeton 82 (FOUL); Redmond 33 (FOUL).