Bury ran rampant with a seven goals to nil victory on the road at Barnoldswick Town.

There was a place in the line-up for debutant Jordan Butterworth while Lewis Gilboy and Jimmy Moore were recalled to the starting eleven. Jordi Nsaka deputised for the suspended Gaz Peet and Chris Rowney started at right-back.

The hosts Barnoldswick Town had been the last undefeated side in the North West Counties, with just the solitary loss this season and an unbeaten home record to defend the Shakers expected a stern test.

Indeed it was the home side that started the match stronger. The Bury defence was put under early pressure not helped by Benito Lowe’s ten-minute spell in the sin bin for dissent. Barlick had a series of free kicks and corners putting ten-man Bury on the back foot and ought to have scored when a thunderous strike by Ben Ashton rattled Jack Atkinson’s post. At the other end though Bury did have chances with Lowe firing wide and Gilboy having a shot well saved by Barlick keeper Callum Jakovlevs.

Ten minutes before the break Bury took the lead. Andy Scarisbrick with the ball at his feet ran at the home defence down the middle of the pitch. He looked to have lost the chance the shoot on goal but the ball inadvertently cannoned off the foot of Thomas Dean past his own keeper and into the net.

Barlick nearly had an equaliser immediately, going on the attack from the restart, Gareth Hill broke through the defence and fired wide of goal when one one-on-one with Atkinson. Barlick were made to pay for the missed opportunity shortly afterwards. Again Scarisbrick tore through the centre of the park and laid the ball off to Charlie Doyle, his effort was palmed away by Jakovlevs but then finished on the rebound by Benito from very close range for his tenth goal in ten matches for Bury.

With two quick-fire goals the floodgates opened. A further surging run by Scarisbrick found Gilboy, he cut inside from the right and fired into the bottom corner with his unfamiliar left foot to score Bury’s third goal in four minutes.

Bury never gave the hosts a chance to get back into the match with Connor Comber and Lowe both having decent chances to start the second half but it took until the hour mark for the Shakers to strike again. Scarisbrick intercepting a Barlick pass laid the ball off to Comber who curled a beautiful long-range shot beyond Jakovlevs into the far bottom corner.

Substitutes Saj Elhassan and Andy Briggs were keen to get in on the act. Elhassan fired one chance wide and headed another over the bar while Briggs shot wide of goal when a square ball to Elhassan would have left him with an open goal.

The missed chances only affirmed the renewed energy in the Bury attack and it was no surprise when the fifth goal was scored. The dangerous Elhassan fed the ball by Nsaka slipped in behind the defence and placed a shot into the bottom corner to spark another glut of goals.

First, a Bury corner was bundled home at the far post with Jimmy Moore emerging to take credit for the final touch to make it six. Andy Briggs, who had earlier seen a good shot saved by Jakovlevs was played in again, the keeper got a hand to the ball but it fell to Elhassan to fire on goal. His effort was blocked on the line by the hand of Thomas Dean and the centre-back’s difficult day was complete when he was sent off and the referee awarded a penalty. Elhassan took the spot kick himself to score his second and Bury’s seventh.

There could yet have been more with Elhassan in search of a hattrick off the bench seeing his shot blocked on the line by Jakovlevs and Comber’s rebound deflected away. The onslaught by Bury never stopped continuing to attack right until the referee’s final whistle.