Why captain laid down pen law to Coke (From The Bolton News)

Why captain laid down pen law to Coke

10:00am Thursday 26th January 2012 in Bury FC By Craig Nelson

BURY captain Steven Schumacher revealed that Saturday’s amazing on-field bust-up with midfield partner Giles Coke was not the first time they had disagreed over who should take a spot-kick.

The pair had to be separated by team-mates as they tussled in the Yeovil penalty area, which cast a shadow over the Shakers’ win against the strugglers.

The victory moved Bury into 10th, five points outside the League One play-off places, yet it remains to be seen how the bad blood that surfaced between Schumacher and loan-signing Coke will affect their chances as they prepare for trips to Rochdale and Charlton.

The captain was certainly in no mood to let the matter drop after the game.

“The last time Cokey took a penalty when he was here (in his first loan spell at Gigg Lane earlier in the season), I was due to take that one but I stepped aside and he apologised for that after the game,” explained the 27-year-old midfielder.

“When he came back I said to him ‘I’m the penalty taker’ and I said to him again today ‘I’m taking the penalties’, so for him to pick the ball up and for it to turn out like that, it’s a bit disappointing for me.

“I don’t know what happened, he just said ‘I’m having this’, but this time I didn’t back down, I didn’t think I should have.”

The Shakers were 2-1 up and motoring at the time, with Schumacher, Coke and Peter Sweeney controlling the game in the centre of midfield, releasing the unplayable David Worrall on the right and impressive debutant Ryan Doble on the left, who both linked up well with Andy Bishop up front.

The Bury captain opened the scoring on eight minutes, tapping into an open goal after Yeovil keeper Sam Walker could only palm out Worrall’s dangerous centre.

Yeovil levelled almost immediately, Ryan Dickson poking home after the Bury defence failed to clear Luke Ayling’s long free-kick.

Yet the new-look Shakers’ side – with Doble, Coke and Ashley Eastham replacing David Amoo, Mark Carrington and Mark Hughes from the team that lost 3-0 at home to Sheffield United – quickly got back on top.

Worrall was the main outlet, running Yeovil’s left-back Nathan Jones so ragged that he was replaced at half-time.

So it was no surprise when Bury eventually took the lead on 20 minutes. No-one in the ground, however, least of all Shakers manager Richie Barker, expected it to come from the head of Joe Skarz.

The diminutive full back ran across his marker to head home a near post corner from Sweeney, glancing it past debutant Walker in a set piece clearly crafted on the training pitch.

And when Coke was bundled over in the box on 34 minutes as he ran on to Sweeney’s clever reverse pass, it looked like Bury were going to win by a cricket score.

The 25-year-old midfielder picked up the ball and marched to the spot like a man on a mission.

Schumacher intercepted him and, initially, it looked like he was giving his midfield partner – who was making his second home debut after re-signing on loan from Sheffield Wednesday – a spot of captainly advice.

But an ugly tussle ensued as he tried to wrestle the ball from the Londoner. It looked like they were going to start slugging it out in the Yeovil penalty area before Efe Sodje, followed by other stunned Bury players, arrived to prise them apart.

Schumacher eventually came out of the melee with the ball, while Coke was dragged away to cool off and they were both booked.

“I was thinking ‘I better score now’ when I went up to take the penalty,” said Schumacher. “I’m just glad it went in.

“Things definitely went too far. When two players are getting booked for fighting between themselves in the opposition’s penalty box then it’s not right, is it?

“Hopefully it’s forgotten, hopefully we’ll sort it out, but it’s going to be a bit tender.”

The incident marred what had been an impressive Bury display.

Coke was subdued for the rest of the match and Yeovil slowly came back into it.

Schumacher and Doble were replaced by Carrington and Amoo in the second half and while both the Liverpool winger and Worrall spurned great chances to seal it, there was an air of inevitability about Yeovil’s second, as substitute Steve Maclean made it 3-2 on 87 minutes.

“Yes, it’s great that we’ve got the three points, but on another day, against somebody else, we might have been looking at a 3-3,” said Barker.

“Without disrespecting Yeovil, I thought that we should have been out of sight. There’s no way that we should have been hanging on for the last five minutes.”

BURY: Belford 6, Picken 8, Skarz 8, Sodje 7, Eastham 6, Sweeney 7, Coke 6, Schumacher (capt) 7 (Carrington 6), Worrall 8 (John-Lewis 6), Bishop 6, Doble 7 (Amoo 6).

Subs not used: Hughes, Branagan.

YEOVIL: Walker 6 , Ayling 7, Jones 4 (Youga 6), N’Gala 6, Huntington (capt) 6, Edwards 6, Upson 6, Parrett 6 (Gavin Williams 6), Obika 6, Andrew Williams 6, Dickson 7 (Maclean 7).

Subs not used: Agard, Stewart.

Referee: Mark Heywood.

Attendance: 2,527 (210 visiting).