BURY might have been playing host to York City at Gigg Lane but it was the visiting fans who were singing the loudest by the final whistle.

Away manager Russ Wilcox led the chorus of approval afterwards as, for a third successive game on the road, he watched his side come back from behind to earn a reward for their efforts.

Whereas, at Hartlepool and Plymouth, City had only trailed by a single goal, however, before claiming a win and draw respectively, on this occasion the valiant visitors recovered from shipping two in five second-half minutes to level through Jake Hyde’s sixth of the season and a spectacular Luke Summerfield free kick.

A point was the minimum the Minstermen merited for a performance demonstrating a team spirit and togetherness that belies their position just one place above the Football League trapdoor.

Bury, in contrast, were nowhere near the sum of their expensively-assembled parts and, while Wilcox kept his starting XI on the pitch for the duration of the game, home chief David Flitcroft was forced into tactical, as well as personnel, changes in an attempt to prevent his underwhelming Shakers from suffering an eighth fixture without a win.

Flitcroft’s men did forge in front courtesy of a huge slice of fortune and the visitors’ sloppiest moment of the game with Andrew Tutte’s hopeful effort deflecting off Stephane Zubar and Danny Nardiello left unmarked to head in from a free kick.

But City chief Wilcox is starting to transform the goal-shy side he inherited into a team that looks capable of scoring enough times to secure a greater haul of league points.

He is also getting his players to set a high tempo and press higher up the pitch – an approach that was epitomised by skipper Russell Penn, who won possession for his team with less than ten seconds on the clock.

It was Bury, though, who provided the first goal attempt of the afternoon when City keeper Alex Cisak pushed away an eighth-minute Ryan Lowe header.

Hyde responded with a deflected 15-yard strike that crept wide of Shwan Jalal’s left-hand post and Summerfield underlined City’s confidence when his free kick, from inside the visitors’ half, bounced wide after he spotted the Shakers shot stopper out of his goal.

Just past the half-hour, Tutte’s deflected drive flashed wide and Nardiello also fired at Cisak from the edge of the box after cutting in from the left but it was the Minstermen who should have broken the deadlock as the interval beckoned.

Summerfield’s superb crossfield pass released Michael Coulson and, after Wes Fletcher had contested his low right-wing cross with home defenders, the ball broke kindly to Diego De Girolamo eight yards from goal.

For once, though, the on-loan Sheffield United striker’s composure deserted him and he sidefooted wastefully into the away end.

It looked an even costlier miss just after the hour mark with Bury two goals to the good.

First, Tutte tried his luck from 25 yards on 57 minutes and Zubar’s attempted block saw the ball loop over Cisak despite a good attempt by the on-loan Burnley keeper to stop it dropping under his crossbar.

Then, Femi Ilesanmi fouled Nicky Adams in a position similar to the one that earned the City left back a yellow card for the same offence in the first half.

This time, substitute Chris Hussey delivered the resulting right-wing free kick and an unchallenged Nardiello headed in from close range at the near post.

But if City were demoralised, they disguised it well.

Just, five minutes later, Hyde had got on the end of a superb right-wing Coulson cross, from close to the corner flag, to head in from four yards.

Subsequent opportunities saw Summerfield and Keith Lowe miss the target with headers and Penn’s deflected 20-yard effort spin inches wide with Jalal well beaten.

From the consequent corner, Lowe headed towards goal from two yards out but Kelvin Etuhu cleared off the line.

Etuhu’s next contribution, however, was to trip up De Girolamo 20 yards from goal, giving Summerfield the chance to curl a sumptuous shot inside Jalal’s left-hand upright.

Both teams could have gone on to get a winner with De Girolamo and Penn threatening for City and Bury sub Danny Rose volleying over from an acute angle before driving narrowly wide from 20 yards in the fourth minute of stoppage time.

Wilcox’s next challenge is now to end the season-long wait for a home win when Accrington Stanley visit Bootham Crescent on Boxing Day.

Anything less and the team will equal a club record by racking up a 14th match without a victory on their own soil.

York Press:
 

Match facts

Bury 2 (Tutte 57, Nardiello 62), York City 2 (Hyde 66, Summerfield 78)

York City

Alex Cisak – 7 - did his best to keep out both goals and handled well

Brad Halliday – 8 - tenacious and only received yellow card due to over-eagerness

Keith Lowe – 7 - kept things simple at the back and cleared lines

Stephane Zubar – 8 - did not look like man who made gaffe in last game

Femi Ilesanmi – 6 - conceded free-kick that led to Bury’s second goal

Michael Coulson – 8 - dangerous crosses, perfect for Hyde goal

Russell Penn – 8- bit into challenges with controlled aggression

Luke Summerfield – 8 - STAR MAN quality flourishes and excellent goal

Jake Hyde – 8 - his most industrious display and showed predatory instinct

Diego De Girolamo – 7 - trickery led to Summerfield’s vital free-kick

Wes Fletcher – 7 - harried the home defenders

Subs not used: Jason Mooney, Marvin McCoy, John McCombe, Josh Carson, Lewis Montrose, Carlton Morris, Lindon Meikle.

Bury: Shwan Jalal, Craig Jones, Pablo Mills (Chris Hussey, 46), Nathan Cameron, Adam El-Abd, Danny Mayor (Hallam Hope, 72), Kelvin Etuhu, Andrew Tutte, Nicky Adams, Ryan Lowe (Danny Rose, 84), Danny Nardiello. Subs not used: Rob Lainton, Jimmy McNulty, Tom Soares, Hayden White.

Bury star man: Nardiello – City always needed to be aware of his movement

Booked: Mills 27, Ilesanmi 33, Cameron 43, Summerfield 83, Halliday 89

Attendance: 3,313 (557 from City)

Referee: Mark Haywood (West Yorkshire).

Rating: 7/10 – little hasty with some cautions but sensible in general

Shots on target: Bury 7, City 3

Shots off target: Bury 6, City 10

Corners: Bury 5, City 7

Fouls conceded: Bury 14, City 15

Offsides: Bury 1, City 0