BURY Times reader and Shakers fan Ian McPherson rightly identified the player in this picture as Nigel Smith.

It was first featured on the Memory Lane page in the September 28 edition, with the question posed ‘why would the original caption describe this is as the agony before the ecstasy?’.

Ian said: “The image shows Nigel Smith scoring in the first half for Bury against Huddersfield Town on September 14, 1991 to give the Shakers a seemingly insurmountable 4-0 lead.

"It was 4-1 by half time and Bury collapsed late on to allow Huddersfield back into the game, which eventually ended in a 4-4 draw.

"If the game had gone on any longer Bury would have lost without a doubt.

"Had those two points not been thrown away Bury would not have been relegated at the end of the season, but survived on goal difference.”

Bob Mather added: “Nigel Smith tried to cover the gap left by David Lee’s departure to Southampton but wasn’t in the same class.

"The 4-4 score followed a 6-0 win for Bury in the same fixture two seasons earlier and a 6-0 win for Huddersfield the year before that, so there was no shortage of goals when the sides met.”