BURY just can't stop winning. Not even a host of injuries, re-shuffles and their worst performance of the season, it seems, can deprive the sizzling Shakers of the Midas touch.

Pre-season title odds of 28-1 have tumbled dramatically in eleven short days. And with three successive home games to come next week, expect them to continue in free fall.

There was nothing sensational about this latest victory which puts little Bury - who only arrived 35 minutes before kick off - among the four joint leaders. But what they lacked in cutting edge and composure they more than made up for in discipline, organisation and a willingness to work for each other. Like last Saturday's victims Chesterfield, previously unbeaten Wycome won't lose too often on their own ground. They found it impossible to shine, however, with the tenacious Shakers constantly snapping at their heels.

Nick Daws started last season as sixth choice in the middle of midfield. He's now the first name pencilled into the department and the unsung hero is proving invaluable. The same goes for new boy Ronnie Jepson up front whose 40th minute departure with a groin strain knocked Bury right out of their stride.

Not before he had made the night's telling contribution 13 minutes earlier with a quickly taken 30-yard free kick which had home keeper Brian Parkin rooted to the spot. "He didn't put enough men in the wall," the striker explained. "He expected me to hit it round the other side and you just do the opposite to what they expect."

It was a real sucker punch for Wycombe who had locked Bury inside their own half up to that point and had almost taken the lead themselves five minutes earlier when John Williams' thundering 20-yard drive needed a spectacular flying save from Dean Kiely to keep it out of the bottom corner.

Kiely insisted that the key to Jepson's second goal in four games was persistence more than anything, revealing: "We worked on that in training and he didn't hit the target once. I must admit I wouldn't have been happy to concede it but we're not complaining.

"Sometimes you've just got to roll up your sleeves and get weighed in and the lads fought magnificently. It may surprise one of two people to see us up there but it doesn't surprise us." Bury made life difficult for themselves by constantly conceding possession but the brilliant back five - with Nick Reid not putting a foot wrong in his first outing of the season - stood firm.

"Once we got the goal we were looking for we set our stall out to sit on it and showed great resilience," praised boss Stan Ternent.

"It was a good solid team performance but there's still room for improvement and we must keep our feet on the ground."

Happy to survive the early pressure when Williams was a mite unlucky to see his cheeky deliberate deflection in front of goal bounce straight into Kiely's grateful arms, Bury almost doubled their lead three minutes after the opener through Lenny Johnrose's bullet header which enabled Parkin to redeem himself with a stunning fingertip save.

It was one-way traffic after the break but Dave Carroll provided the only serious scare when he flashed his shot across the face of goal while only desperate defending denied Mark Carter scrambling in his second scrappy goal in four days. FORM GUIDE: Kiely 6, West 7, Reid (N) 7, Hughes 7, Jackson 7, BUTLER 8, Daws 7, Johnrose 6, Johnson 6, Carter 6, Jepson 7. Subs: Rigby 6 (for Jepson 40 mins), Woodward (for Johnson 73 mins) and Matthews (for Carter 82 mins). Att:3,563.

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