ANDY Preece did not know which to be more happy about on Saturday - a win or no bookings.

A referee not yellow carding a Shakers player lately has been a sight rarer than a red squirrel colony in Radcliffe.

The club were hit with a £25,000 suspended fine last season for their terrible disciplinary record with the threat that unless they cleaned up their act this campaign, they would have to pay up.

It prompted Preece to invite a referee to spend a week at the club in an attempt to show his players what they were doing wrong. But it had no great effect and on Tuesday at Brentford, Bury were fined a further £5,000 after picking up five bookings.

"It puts the team under pressure and it puts me under pressure because the chairman has a go about being fined," admitted Preece. "We were unlucky on Tuesday because all the bookings bar one were harsh and even their manager Steve Coppell said the same. But it was great to stay booking free."

The Shakers host Notts County tomorrow night in the LDV Vans Trophy second round. Gareth Seddon may have recovered from the flu but there is still a long injury list, including Chris Billy who will be sidelined for six weeks with ligament damage.

Ace Jarrett stars for rampant Bury Bury 2 Peterborough 0: WHOEVER stole Jason Jarrett's boots last week can keep them.

The midfielder was miffed when his prize pair went walkabout and was apprehensive about donning new ones for the visit of high-flying Peterborough.

But he need not have been. Jarrett was a revelation, earning the man of the match award and helping Bury stroll to a fine 2-0 win. Posh manager Barry Fry summed up the one-sided contest best, saying: "If the match had lasted three weeks we still wouldn't have scored. Bury completely outfought and outplayed us."

Not many managers have said that about the Shakers recently. But Saturday was different. The performance, apart from a lull at the start of the second half, belied Bury's dire league position and the only surprise was that Andy Preece's team did not win by more.

Lee Unsworth and George Clegg scored their first ever goals for the club and several players, like Jarrett, Jon Newby, Danny Swailes and stand-in skipper Martyn Forrest, turned in superb displays. Preece made four changes from the side thrashed 5-1 at Brentford, including a new centre back pairing of Swailes and Sam Collins.

Bury went ahead on the half hour, Jarrett freeing Newby on the left and full back Unsworth popping up in the six-yard box to toe-poke home the cross. Jarrett hit a volley just wide and the tireless Newby - constantly cheered by the home crowd - tested Posh keeper Martin Tyler several times, most notably with one jinking run and curling shot.

The visitors meanwhile did not even trouble a somewhat bored Paddy Kenny. But it was not until 87 minutes that the deserved second goal finally arrived, substitute Clegg - who will be released by the club when his three-month contract expires - shooting in from close range after poor Peterborough defending. Bury are still rock bottom but they are now just a point behind fellow strugglers Wigan.

Preece is understandably delighted to have closed the gap. "We are right back in it now and if we win our game in hand we will start to get right out of trouble," said the manager. "The team finally took on board what we've been asking them to do and everybody did their job.

"Anybody who has seen us week in week out will know that we have not been playing badly. At last we are starting to get the results our performances deserve."

BURY: Kenny 7, Unsworth 7, Stuart 7, Swailes 8, Collins 7, Redmond 7, Forrest 8, JARRETT 9, Murphy 7, Newby 8, Lawson 7. Subs: Clegg (for Lawson 77), Borley, Nelson, Syros, Garner. ATT: 2,784

REF: Mike Pike (Barrow) 8