Shakers leave it late.

So from that point of view Bury were entitled to be well satisfied with Saturday's last gasp 1-0 triumph over Lancashire rivals Blackpool, a win that fired them into third place in the Second Division.

But as a footballing spectacle the Shakers second derby clash in five days was a non-starter, summed up by manager Stan Ternent who likened it to watching paint dry!

The passion and intensity of Tuesday night's clash with Burnley was strangely missing from this local encounter and if ever a game was destined for the no-score draw section of the pools results this was it.

Thankfully, for the Shakers, substitute Gordon Armstrong, a 75th minute replacement for Rob Matthews, had other ideas.

Three minutes from time the former Sunderland man started and finished a fine, flowing move to sicken the 1400 drum-beating Tangerines fans who must have thought their side had done enough for a share of the spoils.

And it would have been difficult to disagree with their assessment of an untidy match in which both teams succeeded in cancelling each other out in all areas of the field.

Both managers used their full compliment of substitutes in an attempt to enliven the sterile contest and the game wasn't helped by an over-fussy official who needlessly yellow carded five players.

As the visitors employed a replica back three formation so effective for the shakers this season, goal chances were a very rare commodity indeed and both goalkeepers were virtual spectators for much of the game.

Just like on Tuesday evening the Shakers, who took to the field without injured leading scorer Mark Carter, had the ball in the net after 14 minutes when the six-goal marksman's replacement, Matthews, fired an angled drive past Steve Banks but referee Mr Leach adjudged the Bury man to have received the ball in an offside position. Shortly afterwards 'Pools busy midfielder Mickey Mellon struck a powerful volley straight down Kiely's throat then after 28 minutes good work by David Pugh and Matthews sent Lenny Johnrose clear but he could only fire a disappointing effort straight at Banks.

After a first half of huffing and puffing and precious little else the half-time whistle was something of a relief.

However, Blackpool might have gone ahead twenty seconds from the restart when Tony Ellis fired high and wide after James Quinn did well to find him with a right-wing cross.

Chris Lucketti hooked over the bar after Johnrose helped on a Dean West corner kick then Banks did well to smother the ball when a goalmouth melee ensued following another West dead-ball kick.

Phil Stant came off the bench to replace David Johnson after 67 minutes then in desperation 'Pool boss Gary Megson took off both his strikers Ellis and Quinn and replaced them with Andy Preece and Lee Thorpe.

Megson's gamble almost paid off when Preece cut inside Lucketti before unleashing a vicious left-foot drive from 25 yards that shaved Kiely's bar while at the other end Andy Barlow did well to head a speculative Stant cross from under his crossbar.

As the long-suffering spectators made their way to the exits the final dramatic twist arrived three minutes from time.

A miscued clearance by David Pugh temporarily put the Shakers defence under pressure and, as the ball bounced around on the edge of the box, the Seasiders threw men forward - it was to prove their undoing.

The ball broke to Armstrong in space, centre field, and he sprayed the ball out to Ronnie Jepson on the right flank.

Jepson carried the ball deep into the visitors half before hitting a far post cross that Stant directed into the path of the onrushing Armstrong whose rasping drive from 12 yards was deflected past Banks.

Megson put the winning goal down to naivety on his side's part but maybe Shakers boss Stan Ternent is nearer the mark when he says that his side never know they're beat!

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.