Bury missed the chance to take top spot ahead of the final weekend of the season after being well beaten by playoff chasing Padiham in a rearranged home match played at Broadhurst Park, Moston.

The favours that Bury fans had hoped and prayed for happened on the weekend, both Wythenshawe Town and Wythenshawe FC failed to win their crucial penultimate matches of the season. This left the opportunity wide open for Bury to overtake both. Bury’s match had been called off as the Gigg Lane playing surface was unplayable following the previous match against Ramsbottom and the rain that followed.

The Padiham match was hastily rearranged for Tuesday evening played at a neutral venue; FC United’s home ground, Broadhurst Park and Shakers fans arrived in great numbers with over 3,500 roaring the team on. First teamers Andy Briggs, Max Harrop and Andy Scarisbrick were recalled to the starting lineup while Aaron Morris only recently joining the Shakers from FC United was preferred at the back to Oli Jepson.

The danger always was that Bury knew how important winning this particular match was and the nervousness was certainly felt as the players played to the occasion rather than the match. In opposition Padiham posed a real challenge. The Storks had been one of the first teams Bury played this season and much had changed since the August meeting, Padiham entered the match three points outside of the playoffs and one of the firm teams in the division. Not the sort of side you want to gift an easy chance.

Bury had already looked a little off the pace in the early moments. Possession was lost cheaply, attacks were not being put together and chances were at a premium. When the ball was passed back to the Bury defence both Harry Wright and Aaron Morris failed to move the ball on, perhaps preferring the other to bail them out. While booting the ball away from danger never occurred to either man Joel Brownhill pounced on the indecision, stealing the ball away from the pair of them and with Wright in no man’s land struck the ball into the bottom corner of the net to give the Storks an improbable lead.

Bury now had a match to chase and felt that they should have been awarded a penalty. A loud shout for handball came up from the fans behind the goal but the referee waved away the appeals. Suddenly Bury thought they had a reprieve. The assistant referee flagged for handball and the referee approached to discuss the point. The linesman was none other than former Bury player Glynn Hurst. The much loved forward at Bury now running the line at a Bury match, could he provide one last assist? Evidently not. The referee’s opinion stood and there was to be no spot kick.

While the nominal home side continued to push hard for a way back into the match it lacked the structure fans have come to expect. Wild hopeful shots were flung off target in the vague direction of Matt Hamnett’s goal with little troubling the Padiham stopper. Dean Pinnington was industrious on the ball but wasteful in the box, Scarisbrick and Harrop looked good for a chance but just lacked the final ball. Briggs was good in the air but so rarely did anyone open a decent chance for Bury’s top scorer.

As the half wore on Bury did get closer. A great throughball by Harrop set Scarisbrick free. His shot was true but Hamnett got just enough on it to deflect the ball onto the post while the Padiham keeper was at full stretch to push a curling Harrop effort round the post just before the break.

A frustrating half for Bury where the visitors rarely troubled Harry Wright’s goal save for a goal swiftly ruled out for offside but still trailing Bury had to find the equaliser soon. Sadly any momentum that had built up for on the first half’s closing minutes had been lost at the start of the second as Bury stuttered in the middle and struggled to rediscover their attacking edge.

It took until the hour mark for Bury to create a true chance. Substitute Tanaka Cherera firing a thunderbolt cracked the bottom left post as the ball spun across the face of goal. This was followed with a good shot by Scarisbrick that went just wide and a shot from point blank range from Briggs that Hamnett saved well. Bury were starting to loom good for a goal again but could not find it and time was running out, worse still was to come.

A deep free kick for Padiham was aimed towards the Bury goal. Keeper Harry Wright seemed to struggle with the shot palming it upwards when the safest move would be to knock it over. He slipped and failed to collect the now free ball and the chance fell to the nearest Stork player Tyler Beck who gladly beat Wright from close range to double Padiham’s advantage.

The second foal proved to be the knockout blow as Padiham played for time and Bury were unable to lift themselves up to mount a comeback so late in the game. Staring down the barrel of what was shaping up to be the worst defeat of the season in a must win match it was a nightmare come true for all Bury fans.

At last there was good news. In the 97th minute Connor Comber fired a gorgeous free kick that slammed into the top corner but it was far too little and much too late. The referee’s whistle brought Bury’s realistic chances of a title and automatic promotion to a halt.

Bury can still win the title but would need a second round of favours all over again and beat Ramsbottom whilst doing it. Most likely the playoffs await but for a side so clearly running on fumes the added challenge of a playoff run seems daunting. The Shakers need inspiration from somewhere, the date of the entire season now rests on what happens over the next week.