BURY’S promotion rivals take note – David Flitcroft’s side are finding a way to win, even when they are not firing on all cylinders.

The Shakers moved back into the play-off places after following up a gutsy 2-1 victory at second-bottom Cheltenham the previous weekend with an equally gritty display at home to League Two’s basement club.

It took them until the 75th minute to break down Hartlepool’s stubborn resistance, when Andrew Tutte gambled on Danny Mayor’s dazzling burst to the byline to be in position to punce when the winger’s low centre was pushed into his path.

Consecutive victories by the odd goal against League Two’s relegation favourites may not have set the promotion race alight, but Flitcroft believes his side’s new-found will to win augurs well for the run-in.

“It’s win at all costs now - it is about finding that way to win,” said the Bury boss.

“I have seen us shut games out where at the start of the season we were a bit erratic and maybe drew those types of games.

“We are developing that culture. We are asking players to step up.

“We weren’t going to get beat today, that’s what I do know, but at times I thought: ‘Is that goal going to come?’

“We kept knocking at the door and eventually Tuttey drove into the box and finished it off superbly.”

Tutte was rightly voted man of the match after combining his usual drive and determination with a meaningful end product.

He produced the pass of the match to put Nicky Adams clear in the first half – only for Pool keeper Scott Flinders to block the winger’s awkward shot on goal.

Flinders also produced two flying saves to keep out long-distance strikes from Tutte after the break, either side of his close-range winner.

But Bury did not have it all their own way.

Marvin Morgan could and probably should have put the visitors ahead in the third minute, only to shoot straight at Shakers stopper Nick Pope when the ball was worked to him unmarked on the penalty spot.

And Pope was almost caught out by a deflected Scott Harrison strike from outside the box, which he gathered at the second attempt.

The spirited visiting fans behind the goal, who seem intent not to go down quietly, made loud claims for a penalty on Morgan, who looked to have been impeded as he tried to pounce on the rebound.

Bury also had a decent shout for a spot kick, when Danny Rose went down in the box after the break following a clumsy challenge from Pool centre-back David Mirfin. Rose’s adamant protests earned the young striker a yellow card.

The home side cranked up the pressure in a second half they dominated and it finally told, with Tutte’s fourth goal of the season proving enough to move them above Newport County into seventh place.

“It was a scruffy goal in the end but if I am being honest I am sick of managers coming off after the game saying what a good team we have got, but we’ve not got the three points,” said Flitcroft.

“The three points meant everything to me.

“They took us back into seventh place, and that’s fantastic because the lads deserve to be in that top seven.

“It’s a fantastic result and one again that we fully deserved.”

Bury returned to the play-off places after extending their run to just one defeat in the last eight games.

That upturn in form has been built on steady defensive displays, with captain Nathan Cameron leading his side to a third cleansheet in six matches.

But Flitcroft’s side, who remain seven points outside the automatic promotion places, need wins to keep up the pressure on the top three.

“With Danny Mayor in your team you have always got an opportunity of a piece of brilliance to unlock the opposition,” said the grateful Shakers boss, after watching his star midfielder glide into the box past a static Pool defence before setting up the winner.

“You can contain Danny Mayor for so long but once he wriggles free and breaks a compact defence then you are in trouble and he did that, and Tutte’s obviously swept up for the last bit.”

Flitcroft also reserved praise for his goalscorer, who has been one of the major factors behind Bury’s recent revival, with his energetic displays providing them with all-important forward momentum.

“Tshibola has tracked him all afternoon but like I always say to my midfielders, 99 per cent tracking leads to 100 per cent failure,” he added.

“I played him off the front when I took Nards off and allowed him to join in.

“When Tuttey is running, feels free and can exploit the pitch I think he shows he is the fittest player in this league and the next one up.

“It is something we are encouraging more.

“When we feel we have got the pitch locked down and Kelvin (Etuhu) can sit and control the flow of their attacks and we are happy with that then Tuttes can go and roam and go and work down corridors.

“He does it fantastically when he lets himself go. You can’t restrict Tuttey because he has boundless energy.”

BURY (4-4-2): Pope 7; Riley 8, Cameron 9, El-Abd 8, Hussey 7; Adams 7 (Craig Jones 6 59), Etuhu 7, Tutte 9, Mayor 8; Rose 7 (Hope 6 69), Nardiello 6 (Sedgwick 6 81).

Not used: McNulty, O'Brien, Lainton, Dudley.

HARTLEPOOL (4-4-2): Flinders; Duckworth, Harrison, Mirfin, Austin; Franks (Jordan Jones 82), Tshibola (Walker 81), Woods, Compton; Smith, Morgan (Harewood 81).

Not used: Maxted, Featherstone, Richards, Dan Jones.

Goals: Bury – Tutte 75.

Yellow cards: Bury – Rose 54. Hartlepool – Austin 48.

Referee: Christopher Sarginson.

Attendance: 3,172 (300 visiting).

Star man: Andrew Tutte – Danny Mayor, Nathan Cameron and Tutte each had a positive influence on the outcome of the game, but it was the central midfielder who did most to secure a vital three points. His pinpoint delivery almost opened up the Hartlepool defence in the first half and the 24-year-old Liverpudlian kept the opposition keeper busy with shots from distance after the break. But the most striking aspect of Tutte’s play in recent weeks has been his energy. He seems to have grown stronger as the campaign has progressed and that tireless determination was key to him getting into the danger zone to capitalise on Mayor’s purposeful approach play.