BURY'S first team squad head for the Cheltenham Festival today, it's to be hoped they enjoy more luck on the horses than they encountered during this game. A third consecutive goalless draw in successive home matches was scant reward for probably their best, and most positive, performance in weeks against a side supposedly with play-off ambitions.

It's beginning to sound like a well worn record but they just need that "rub of the green" to turn one-pointers into victories.

Buoyed by the debut of new-signing Paul Barnes, Neil Warnock's men gave the Wolves defence a first half battering with a series of quality balls from both flanks.

The eight corners to nil corner count at the interval told it's own story and Mike Stowell in the Midlanders' goal must have been a happy man to have reached the half-way stage with a clean sheet to his name. "If you'd have been a neutral at this game you'd have been hard pressed to say which was a play-off side and which was struggling," said Warnock.

"But I said to the lads before the game the team that we now have, man for man, can beat Wolves.

"We just had to play to our strengths and people were probably surprised just how much we did pass it around."

Former Huddersfield man Barnes, who Wolves boss Colin Lee admitted had been a loan target for the Molineux club, was unlucky to see a header from an inch-perfect Chris Billy cross saved low to Stowell's right. But the best chance of the half came from Carl Serrant whose vicious, curling corner kick completely bamboozled the Wolves keeper but was desperately headed clear off the line by Paul Simpson.

Darren Bullock, fizzed a powerful effort just over the bar before Laurent D'Jaffo raced on to a neat ball by Daws but saw his angled drive blocked by the overworked Stowell.

Despite the Shakers' territorial advantage Wolves dangerman Robbie Keane showed on a number of occasions that he had to be watched and he really ought to have headed his side in front with a free header from a Neil Emblen cross a minute before the break. In the final minute Hall picked out Serrant at the far post with a superb cross but the Newcastle ace appeared to be baulked by a challenge.

"We've got to go down when we are pushed in the box," said Warnock.

"It would have been a penalty had Carl gone down but for some reason he stayed on his feet.

"That's the difference at this level, we are just too nice!" FORM GUIDE: Kiely 7, Billy 7, Serrant 8, Daws 7, Lucketti 7, Redmond 7, Swailes 7, Hall 8, D'Jaffo 7, Barnes 7, Bullock 7. Subs: Preece (for D'Jaffo 49 mins) 7, West (for Bullock 80 mins) and Littlejohn (not used).

Referee: Mr J. P. Robinson (Hull).

Attendance: 5,204.

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