Bury Town ship four goals in home defeat to Maldon & Tiptree

Bury Town suffered their first home league defeat of the season, after being felled by four second-half goals from well-organised Maldon & Tiptree in a Bostik North clash at Ram Meadow tonight.

Former Colchester United left-back Matt Briggs broke the deadlock in the 54th minute when drilling home a low shot from 12 yards out.

The Blues did level on 70 minutes, thanks to a ferocious shot by Ollie Hughes, but the Essex visitors regained their lead when Decarrey Sheriff hit the target in the 75th minute.

Midfielder Sammie McLeod then netted the goal of the game in the 81st minute, beating Luis Tibbles all ends up with a stunning 30-yarder. The Bury keeper did not even have time to move as the ball flew into the top corner of the net.

Sheriff bagged his second, and the Jammers’ fourth, in the 89th minute, to rub salt into Bury’s wounds.

It had been a very even first-half, with defences on top and scoring chances at a premium.

Bury had won their last two games, both by a 3-0 margin at home to Mildenhall and Tilbury, and they even had a chance to move up to second with another win, but they struggled for fluency against Wayne Brown’s men.

The Blues did not threat until the 17th minute, when Hughes created space for himself down the right before firing a low shot wide of the near upright.

At the other end, former Brantham Athletic player-coach Michael Brothers headed wide at the near post from a promising position, following a cross delivered by Briggs.

Livewire Jake Chambers-Shaw produced the best effort of the first period when hammering in a goalbound shot that stung the hands of keeper Ben McNamara. He was able to palm the ball to safety. In the third and last minute of stoppage time, a header by Jake Kerins was also kept out by the agile McNamara.

The visitors, however, were on top at the start of the second half. Sheriff cracked in a shot that was too hot to handle for keeper Tibbles, but defender Ian Miller came to the rescue with a goal-line headed clearance.

The Jammers did take the lead, via Briggs’ smart finish. Only the woodwork denied Bury an equaliser on the hour mark, as a firecracker from Hughes thudded back off the bar. Hughes did equalise, but three unanswered goals saw Maldon to victory.

Squads

BURY: Tibbles, Kerins, Stafford, Kennedy (sub Robinson, 73), Miller, Clements, Horne, Jolland (sub Machaya, 64), Hughes, Chambers-Shaw, Call (sub Revell, 82).

MALDON & TIPTREE: McNamara, Girdlestone (sub Shepherd, 44), Briggs, Hession-Harris (sub Brown, 67), Cawley, Hensdale, Cojocarel, McLeod, Sheriff, Brothers, Sykes (sub Miller, 78).

Attendance: 229