Bury Town boss Ben Chenery pleased with 'professional performance' at home to Barking
Bury Town manager Ben Chenery hailed a ‘professional performance’ as his side racked up a 4-0 victory against a Barking side forced to play 69 minutes with 10 men.
After returning on loan, Ipswich Town youngster Ross Crane scored in each half – the first coming within two minutes – with Cemal Ramadan and Jake Chambers-Shaw also getting in on the act after the break.
The victory moved Bury up a place in the Pitching In Isthmian League North Division table to seventh but importantly cut the gap to the play-off places from five to one.
And the way the side went about their work on Saturday pleased Chenery.
“Really professional,” he said. “In the week we spoke about the responsibility to win games here which is really important.
“I felt it was a productive point last week at Hashtag (0-0 draw), yes you always want more but it’s important when we play at Ram Meadow we entertain firstly but we also go and win.
“That was our theme of the week and I thought everyone was excellent in that.
“It was a really good start with Ross Crane obviously getting us going early and yes, there was a sending off, but quite frankly I felt we were far superior.”
Having come in for the injured Olly Hughes, Crane took just one minute and 40 seconds to mark his return with a goal. Having shifted past his marker inside the edge of the penalty area, he fired a low angled shot that the ‘keeper got a hand to but was unable to keep out.
George Purcell fired wide up the other end but James Shaw was soon back in the thick of the action again, pushing away a Chambers-Shaw effort before being relieved to see Ollie Fenn’s header go wide.
The visitors’ task got even greater when striker Pepla Yassi-Peplin was shown a red card in the 21st minute for an elbow to Taylor Hasting’s face which eventually saw the Bury defender come off with blurred vision.
Ramadan passed up a great chance to convert Chambers-Shaw’s delicious cross before the interval. But he showed his clinical edge by rifling home the same player’s cushioned lay-off from Ryan Stafford’s cross in the 57th minute for the crucial second goal.
Stafford and Chambers-Shaw squandered chances to extend the hosts’ lead before Sam Blair was called into action up the other end to make a good close-range block to deny substitute Osaretin Otete.
Crane ran on to Ryan Horne’s lofted pass and held his marker off well before firing in the third in the 74th minute.
Barking should have had one back but Ricardo Alexander-Greenway sent a free header well over the bar.
Ryan Jolland and Ramadan went close before Bury claimed a fourth three minutes from time, Chambers-Shaw punishing a defensive mistake by firing in low from 20 yards.
“I suppose the second goal killed it and it could have been five or six,” said Chenery.
“I thought some of our movement and goals were fantastic and it was really important we got the clean sheet.
“Ollie Fenn at the end typifies why he is captain, running 40 yards to make a block tackle when we are 4-0 up with a minute to go.”
The Blues are now without a fixture until hosting Basildon United a week tomorrow (3pm).
Bury: Blair, Stafford, Gardner (Maughn 82’), Fenn, Hastings (Edwards 45+3), Hood, Chambers Shaw (Haddock 88’), Horne, Jolland, Ramadan, Crane. Unused subs: Snaith, White.
Attendance: 526
Free Press Man of the Match: Ross Crane. Too hot to handle with the ball at his feet and showed a newly honed clinical edge. Jake Chambers-Shaw also shone.
