Bury had to settle for a point away at Hollyhedge Park as a late penalty denied the Shakers a first clean sheet of the season against ten-man Wythenshawe.

For the first time this season Andy Welsh named an unchanged starting eleven from the previous match, Benito Lowe was again named on the bench alongside another player returning from injury Saj Elhassan.

The Ammies started the match on the attack forcing Jack Atkinson into making a save in the opening seconds before Saul Henderson fired a shot over the bar and Atkinson was called upon again to tip a free kick over the bar.

After the initial brunt, however, Bury began to grow into the match. A long-range belted effort by Harry Brazel forced a good save from Kyle Haslam. Jack Atkinson then nearly provided an assist to Abs Obasoto, his long ball forward was misjudged by the Wythenshawe defence, Obasoto lobbed the oncoming Haslam but the looping ball fell agonisingly just wide of goal when anything on target would have certainly given Bury the lead.

The match was still finely poised as half-time approached but there was still another twist to the opening period. Ammies midfielder Aron Hevingham had more than once drawn the ire of the visiting fans with a ruthless display in the centre of the park. Two fouls in a matter of seconds saw him take an early bath as an elbow on Brazel was quickly followed by a sliding tackle on the ankle of Shakeel Jones-Griffiths the referee produced the red card and the hosts would have to see out more than half of the match down to ten men.

From the resulting free-kick Andy Hollins headed just wide of the post before Bury got even closer from another free kick. Again Hollins won the header, his initial effort was saved by Haslam before the rebound was cleared off the line by the Ammies defence.

Bury sought to make the man advantage count in the second half and found the set-piece goal they had been threatening. A corner sent in by Obasoto found the head of Jones-Griffiths at the back post, stooping to nod home the opening goal of the match and his first Bury goal.

Much of the second half ticked by in slow, attritional fashion. The previously harried Bury defence were much improved giving away only one speculative effort palmed over by Atkinson but the forward line could not find the final touch to finish the contest off for good. Brazel had the ball in the back of the net but was pulled back for offside while Jack Lenehan had a long-range shot blocked by Haslam.

The match entered the last ten minutes with an away win and a clean sheet within sight before the match took another turn. Jack Lenehan was in a tussle with Sam Dickov in the Bury box defending a free kick as both players chased a lost ball heading out of bounds. Both players fell and the referee adjudged it had been a foul on the Ammies forward.

Dickov, son of Paul, stepped up to take the spot kick himself firing into the top corner and leaving Atkinson with no chance.

With only added time to go Bury again battled to find another late winner. Substitutes Lowe and Elhassan combined well in the right to create a chance but Benito could only place his shot wide. Bury pushed hard in the closing minutes as a frontal assault was made on Haslam’s goal but no clear-cut chances fell for the Shakers. A deep cross by Matty Williams found Elhassan but his shot just crept around the post in what would prove to be the last meaningful touch of the match.