RYAN Lowe is witnessing a team reborn – and the Bury boss was left purring by his team’s stunning victory over promotion rivals MK Dons.

The Shakers, so chastened by relegation from League One last season, moved up to second in League Two thanks to Nicky Adams’ dramatic last-gasp winner that settled a seven-goal thriller at Gigg Lane.

A third straight league win didn’t come easy, with Bury hauling themselves from the canvas in extraordinary style, but Lowe wasn’t surprised by the gladiatorial spirit shown by his troops.

“That was an entertaining game, wasn’t it?,” said the Bury boss.

“The players have shown resilience in bundles. They just don’t want to be beaten and that’s brilliant for me.

“Some of the lads were badly scarred by the relegation last season.

“They didn’t like getting beat regularly but we’ve managed to somehow drum that winning habit back into the group and it’s been brilliant to see.

“To be honest, once we got one goal back to make it 3-2, I fancied we might do it. I would have settled for a draw at that point.

“We then got a third pretty much straight away and I fancied us big time.

“Maybe it was a bit fortunate, the winning goal, but that’s luck we deserve.”

The Shakers roared back from 3-1 behind with 17 minutes to go and Adams’ cross, just as the game entered stoppage time, drifted over Dons keeper Lee Nicholls into the far corner to settle matters in breath-taking fashion.

Barely two minutes had been played when Dons frontman Kieran Agard forced Joe Murphy into a smart save with his legs.

The visitors struck the opener in the ninth minute, with defender Jordan Moore-Taylor rising highest to head home an outswinging corner from Jordan Houghton.

The Shakers fluffed a great chance to level just three minutes later.

Houghton tripped Jay O’Shea in the Dons box, only for the Bury midfielder to step up and see his penalty kick superbly saved by Nicholls.

The Dons’ Peter Pawlett then forced a super stop from Murphy after being slid in by Agard.

O’Shea eventually evened things up in the 33rd minute when he atoned for his earlier spot-kick miss by converting a second after Joe Walsh had bundled over Shakers skipper Neil Danns.

Incredibly, it was 2-1 to the Dons three minutes later when skipper Dean Lewington curled home a cracker after playing a neat one-two with Houghton at a free-kick.

Early in the second period, Chuks Aneke looped a header onto the crossbar from Lewington’s corner.

In the 52nd minute, the Shakers’ prospects further nosedived when defender Chris Stokes dived in to clear a Lewington cross, only to head past his own goalkeeper.

Bury didn’t let their collective heads go down, however, and after Dom Telford slotted home from a tight angle they pegged the Dons back when they made it 3-3 after 77 minutes.

Danny Mayor grabbed the sixth goal, drilling home from 15 yards after being teed up by sub Byron Moore.

However, that still wasn’t the end of the story. An enthralling game was completed by Adams' winner to put the Shakers three points behind leaders Lincoln City.