In the first competitive meeting between Bury FC and Prestwich Heys it was the Shakers who emerged victorious winning 2-0 at Gigg Lane on Boxing Day.

Not only was the match a local derby, it was a top-of-the-table clash as second-placed Bury played third-place Prestwich Heys.

Bury had recalled Connor Comber and Andy Briggs to the starting line-up otherwise the squad of sixteen included the same players who had drawn with Burscough three days before.

In front of a league-record crowd of 4,833 spectators, Bury started the match positively. Inside the first minute of the match a slick passing move between Scarisbrick and Kellett saw a cross into the Prestwich six-yard box that was just marginally too high for the oncoming Dec Daniels. The Shakers continued to ask questions of the visiting defence with a Billy Reeves shot that was blocked and a deep cross to Oli Jepson that had to be knocked away for a corner before the hosts made the breakthrough.

A Bury corner found Tom Moore in the middle of a crowded box. The Shakers skipper rose high above the rest to head the ball over Hadlow and into the back of the net to give Bury a deserved lead.

The home side could have doubled their advantage shortly afterwards, an Andy Kellett cross found Briggs at the near post but the Bury forward could only direct a header straight at Hadlow who made the save look easy.

The half-time whistle rang out with Bury holding a deserved but narrow lead against a Prestwich side who boast one of the most potent attacks in the division.

As the old saying goes, it’s a game of two halves and Heys went on the attack from the off. Only seconds after the restart Prestwich Heys had Bury on the back foot. A punched clearance by goalkeeper Harry Wright only went as far as Connor Brotherton, the Heys midfielder’s first-time shot was blocked by the head of Jepson. Greg Daniels and Matthew Davies both had shots saved by Wright before Pa Jenkins attempted an audacious volley from well outside the penalty box that only just went wide of the post.

The Shakers could have found their second goal at the other end. Another corner found Dec Daniels whose header rattled the Prestwich Heys crossbar while Andy Briggs successfully charged down a Hadlow clearance but couldn’t direct the resulting rebound past the Heys keeper.

The match reached a flashpoint on the hour as a crunching challenge on Gaz Peet in front of a packed South Stand had Bury fans calling for Matthew Davies’ dismissal. After lengthy discussions Davies would receive only a yellow whereas his teammate Brotherton would go to the sin bin for his part in the furore that followed.

Bury could not make the extra man advantage count and at times seemed under siege by the visitors. An Aaron Chalmers header only found the side netting though the away fans in the Cemetery End for a moment thought they had grabbed the equaliser.

Such was the strength of the Prestwich attack when Bury did find their second goal it felt against the run of play. Stepping up to take a free kick was goalscorer Tom Moore. The centre-back is not renowned as a dead-ball specialist however undeterred the captain doubled his tally for the day and extended Bury’s lead with a fine effort. Fired hard and low, Hadlow got a hand to the ball but could not prevent the powerful strike from finding the bottom corner of the net.

Despite going two goals down Prestwich Heys did not give in. In fact the attacks on Bury’s goal only increased, a dangerous cross flashed across the Bury box just begging for someone to finish it off, while a penalty appeal was waved away by the referee as the Shakers battled to defend an increasingly busy and chaotic penalty area. Jenkins again attempted a long-distance effort, this time his shot was on target and only a superb acrobatic save by Wright denied what would have been the goal of the day. Wright kept his best save of day right until the very end, a Sullivan header from perhaps a yard away seemed unmissable but the Bury keeper managed to get something on the header to keep it out then scrambled to get the ball away on the goal line. A hard-earned clean sheet was the reward for Wright and his hard-working defence.

Bury could have put the result beyond doubt late on as a Comber cross fell into the path of Daniels but the striker could not direct his shot onto goal, shortly afterwards substitute Sam Burns saw a shot just curl wide of the far post. In the end, however, the brace from Moore proved enough to win the day securing a precious three points against a promotion contender.