PROMOTION pressure was laid bare at the Macron, Wanderers’ grip on second place suddenly looking vulnerable.

A tense goalless draw against Bury was worth much more to Lee Clark’s stubborn Shakers and it was their 1,500 travelling fans cheering loudly high in the stands at the final whistle.

Wanderers maintain a two-point gap on Fleetwood Town heading into the final two games – and victory this Saturday at Port Vale may yet be good enough to ensure a return to the Championship.

But for any positive result to be earned in the Potteries, there has to be an immediate improvement on the nervy route-one stuff served up for much of this encounter.

Had Adam Le Fondre’s rocket of a shot bounced kindly over the line instead of out to safety in the second half, the worry may have ceased slightly.

The striker deserved a bit of luck having chased shadows for much of the evening, the ball sprayed high above his head.

But that may have been harsh on the Shakers, who came to defend, and defend they did. Impressively so.

The less said about the first half, the better.

Parkinson had won few fans by playing Adam Le Fondre up front on his own in defeat at Oldham but remained convinced that without the injured Madine, it was still the way to go.

Unfortunately, as has so often been the case, the football did not suit the personnel left behind.

The grumbles turned into full-on moans around the stadium as half time approached without either side managing a shot on target.

Le Fondre had one half-hearted penalty appeal turned down when he went up for an aerial challenge with Greg Leigh and Andy Taylor lashed a volley high over the bar but neither managed to raise the pulses.

The closest we got to excitement came in the form of two yellow cards.

Rather typically of a Lancashire derby the tackles were full blooded and after Leon Barnett went into the book for a poor challenge on Le Fondre, he was then on the receiving end as Jay Spearing came rattling through a few minutes before the break.

Bury had set up with a five-man back line and looked reluctant to gamble men forward.

A point was certainly not a disaster, given their position on the edge of the relegation zone.

The onus was on Wanderers to attack but too often the long diagonals hit from back to front failed to hit their man, or left the ever-willing Josh Vela and Le Fondre with too much to do.

The one occasion Filipe Morais found space on the right he swung in a dangerous cross, to which no one could get a telling touch.

At one stage Mark Beevers geed up the home fans after a lull in play but no sooner had he done so, Derik Osede’s misplaced pass brought about the nervous status quo.

At least supporters knew the second period could not get any worse as a spectacle, and within a few seconds James Vaughan had brought a save out of Mark Howard with a header.

Morais registered Wanderers’ first effort with a curling shot on 57 minutes, gathered easily enough by Joe Murphy but it was at least a sign of attacking intent on which the fans could hang some hope.

The question was how much was Parkinson prepared to gamble? His bench had plenty of pace and invention but how far was the Whites boss willing to push it?

James Henry was the player he looked to once again – and within a few moments of the on-loan Wolves midfielder’s introduction, things started to pick up.

Morais lashed a volley over the bar and Darren Pratley came within inches of turning home a far-post cross as the Whites started to turn up the heat on their rivals.

A head injury to Pratley then forced Parkinson’s hand a little more. Chris Long was sent on for the final 10 minutes as Wanderers finally went two up top.

Some fans had called for David Wheater to be played up front in lieu of a proper target man and his rasping late shot which brought a first proper save out of Murphy suggests they might have had a point.

Suddenly Bury’s defences were looking shaky. With nine minutes left, Le Fondre hit a shot which looked for anyone’s money like it was heading in – only for it to bounce down off the bar and out to safety.

Morais had one final chance with a free kick looped over the wall but tipped over the bar by Murphy.

Wanderers may be better off without the pressures of home football this weekend. If they can travel to Vale Park with a fit-again Gary Madine, fans would perhaps feel that little more comfortable.