Ollie Hughes struck twice as Bury Town climbed up to third place in Ryman North Division One with a competent win over Tilbury on Saturday.

Hughes twisted and turned to slide home Bury’s first in the 36th minute, and then sent a bullet of a header past Dockers’ ‘keeper Danzell Hamilton with 18 minutes left, to cap a super individual display from him – and a fine team effort from the Blues.

These are much happier times at Ram Meadow.

Last year, with off-field turmoil and on-pitch mediocrity, the loyal Bury Town fan base was tested to its limits as the club slipped back into Step Four.

It’s a credit therefore to all concerned that the fans have, in general, stuck with Ben Chenery and his team – and now green shoots of recovery are visible all round.

The season is still young of course and Chenery admits he will wait until Christmas before he starts seriously assessing his side’s chances of a return to Step Three.

However, he can only be pleased with the start to the season his young charges have made – on Saturday they kept their unbeaten start to the league season intact.

This victory was fully deserved.

Admittedly, one had to feel a little sorry for Tilbury who lost striker Harry Cook to injury with just half-an-hour on the clock and the score still goalless.

The Dockers’ management brought on young Oliver Hanlon and he slotted straight into the left-back role as the visitors re-jigged their line-up.

It was a tough one for Hanlon too, up against the no-nonsense Remi Garrett – time and time again Garrett teasing and taking on the young substitute.

With Cook off the pitch, Tilbury posed very few threats going forward. However they were combative throughout and certainly didn’t lack passion.

It was a pat on the back therefore to the Bury youngsters that they came through the game with flying colours.

Although they started slowly – the first 15 minutes were certainly better for the visitors – the Blues started to get a hold on the game and by the time Hughes scored the opener, they had the upper hand.

Bradley Barber bossed the middle of the park for much of the afternoon.

He has proved a fine signing for the Ram Meadow club, his experience so vital with so many youngsters around him.

Justin Miller was another key performer for the home side, while full-back Tevan Allen was busy and bristling with confidence.

With Bury ahead at the break by just the one goal, it was still very much game on.

But while the home team started the first half with a rather lacklustre approach, they didn’t do so in the second.

Indeed they controlled it throughout.

Hughes’ second goal, with a header from a delicious Barber cross was a smart finish and no more than the home side deserved.

And while the Dockers lost their cool for a while, the game soon fell back into the same tempo, with Bury in the ascendency.

Yet it could have been so different had Tilbury converted one of their few early half-chances at the start of the game. With Bury half-asleep, Matthew Game’s cross-cum-shot flew across the Bury six-yard area, in the fifth minute, with no-one to put a toe on it.

In the East Anglian Daily Times on Saturday, Bury boss Chenery had called for a fast start from his side, but they clearly hadn’t read the papers!

Tilbury enjoyed good moments early on but Bury did start to get into the game with 20 minutes on the clock. Garrett’s cross was flicked on by Hughes and Barber’s shot was blocked as it trickled to ‘keeper Hamilton in the away goal.

Hughes was starting to tick and his excellent cross was left hanging with no home player in view.

The loss of Cook dented the Dockers’ spirit for a while and spurred Bury on.

Garrett was working tirelessly down the right and after his ball was crossed in, Hughes pounced in the area, twisted and turned before firing past Hamilton.

It was a tidy finish from the lone striker who was another working hard for the cause.

Garrett should have made it two just before the break but he fluffed his lines when clean through, after a lovely through-ball from Noel Aitkens.

Bury started the second period better than they did the first and Alex Steed saw his cross blocked from a good position.

Tilbury substitute Hanlon was having a torrid time against Garrett, who could only watch as a Tilbury defender somehow cleared off the line from a Sam Reed header.

Tilbury started to lose their cool and after Bury’s Steed was booked for a foul on Jack Carlile, the Dockers man was booked, 15 seconds after getting up, for dissent.

If there was going to be another goal, it was only coming from the home side – and come it did with 18 minutes left.

Garrett was slid in down the right by Hughes.

Garrett’s cross was too long but Barber picked it up on the far side and swung over a terrific return, for Hughes to power home.

It was a perfect finish to a excellent day for Bury Town, where the feelgood factor is well and truly back.

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