It was an inauspicious start to the New Year for the Shakers as they were thrashed, embarrassed and beaten 4-0 away to an impressive West Didsbury & Chorlton side at Brookburn Road on Saturday.

Latest signing Lewis Byrne made an immediate entry into the starting eleven. Rustam Stepans and Ben Hockenhull were recalled to the starting lineup at the expense of Aaron Chalmers and Morgan Homson-Smith while there was a surprise addition of Cam Fogerty playing in an unfamiliar right-back role.

From the off Bury were on the back foot. Playing away on a heavy grass pitch the Shakers looked slow. Hockenhull had to be perfect putting in a challenge on former teammate Andy Briggs to steal the ball away from the forward who had broken in the Bury box. From there the away side countered DJ Pedro setting up Stepans for a shot that was straight at former Radcliffe stopper Ollie Martin. The visitors couldn’t know that this would be the high point of their day.

Chris Rowney another former Bury player in the West Didsbury team, one of four, won a free kick in a dangerous area. Jordan Lazenbury stepped up to take the set piece. Putting an effort over the wall towards the bottom corner. Bury keeper Mitch Allen at full stretch got a hand to it but wasn’t strong enough to keep the ball out, the home side taking an early lead in the tenth minute.

Courtney Meppen-Walter had to block another goalbound shot from Lazenbury as Bury were kept down and unable to keep the ball or even get out of their own half for long stretches. A missed header in midfield was all that was needed for West to spark a quick counterattack, the ball was fed through to Briggs. Bury fans might have thought it too late in the season for the ghost of Christmas past to haunt them but last season’s top scorer made no mistake doubling his new team’s advantage.

Another Lazenbury free kick put Bury in danger of going further behind but this time Allen tipped the ball over the crossbar.

Later from a West Didsbury corner Chris Rowney was left all alone and unmarked at edge of box, he slipped at the chance and the Shakers eventually cleared their lines but it was evident Bury’s defence was crumbling.

The front two of the home side did the most damage, Lazenbury squared a ball to Briggs who was completely open just outside the box. His shot from twenty yards narrowly went wide with no man in yellow even close to preventing the shot.

At the other end there was little to report. A cross to Byrne nearly paid off, the new man threw himself at the chance but couldn’t make contact as the ball flashed in front of him. A rare chance for Bury came just before half-time when two West defenders ran into each other setting Pedro free on goal. He tried to lob Ollie Martin but the chance was off target to the cheers and derision of the home fans.

Bury went in at the break 2-0 down but in truth may have been fortunate not to be further behind. The fact that it was still close meant if Bury could pull themselves together and score the next goal it could still be anyone’s game.

Dave McNabb made a double change at the break adding an extra forward and changing the team’s shape. Bury started the second half much more direct and began to cause West problems. Bryan Ly had a shot blocked and a cross punched away by Martin while Stepans sent a couple more crosses in.

The difference however was stark as the home defence stayed organised and weathered the storm. Bury had long lost the midfield battle and so relied on long balls forward which West Didsbury easily picked off.

The tide turned once again towards the hosts. First Lewis Billingsley on a counter-attack burst down the right, cut inside and fired a shot well saved by Allen. Bury then lost the ball, which was becoming a theme of the match, allowing Jack Banister free rein to put in a cross to Lazenbury. From point-blank range he blazed an easy effort over the bar.

The pressure was well and truly back on the Bury defence as a series of West Didsbury corners eventually created another goalscoring opportunity, a clearance was missed and Billingsley at the far post bundled in for 3-0.

It could have been four straight afterwards with Billy Matthews having a shot saved by Allen but there was no denying the home side, fellow substitute Victor Abadaki danced his way past three static Bury defenders and slotted the ball home for West Didsbury and Chorlton’s fourth goal of the match.

The final whistle came as a mercy for Bury who must wonder what went so wrong that not only had they lost but the manner of defeat was completely unacceptable. It was the Shaker’s heaviest defeat since their days in the league and against an opponent that boasted several former Bury players. It was also the first league match Bury had failed to score in and worse they had never looked likely to score either.

With a difficult January filled with matches against fellow play-off hopefuls the fixture list won’t come to the Shakers aid. Nevertheless this match must be banished to an obscure anomaly and not the sign of things to come for Bury to achieve their aims this season.