Shakers continue unbeaten start to season by sealing resounding away win in front of bumper crowd
League-leaders Bury AFC scored three goals in the first 10 minutes of the second half to totally turn the game on its head after Darwen went in two to the good at the break.
The teams emerged onto the pitch and into a lively atmosphere before the away team got the game underway.
The first chance for either side fell the way of the visitors, a free-flowing move through the centre culminated in Aiden Chippendale’s volleyed effort being deflected behind for a corner at the back (left-hand post).
The Salmoners’ first opportunity followed not long after – Creech turned his man on the edge of the six-yard box but he failed to make the connection he really wanted and his shot was smothered by Atkinson.
With just over eight minutes on the clock, Darwen took the lead. Bond flicked Wilson-Heyes’ delightful floated free-kick delivery into the bottom left-hand corner. 1-0.
Ben Wharton should have put the visitors back on terms in the 23rd minute but he couldn’t divert home a dangerous-looking ball from Chippendale.
Wharton tried his luck again moments later – this attempt was far too tame to worry Holden.
Just after the half-hour mark, Wilson-Heyes forced a save out of Atkinson who kept the score-line at 1-0. However, moments later, when Ayo Ibrahim’s loose touch fell right into the path of Wilson-Heyes he wouldn’t get the opportunity. The Darwen wide man stormed towards goal before rounding the keeper and placing the ball into the back of the Bury net via a deflection. 2-0.
The visitors couldn’t really have got much closer to pulling a goal back before half time. First, Ben Wharton couldn’t quite get to the ball when it was played back across the face by one of his teammates before a Darwen man intercepted just a couple of yards out. Then, Kris Holt had Holden at full stretch to palm his long-range shot behind for a corner.
Atkinson made a decent save to deny Wilson-Heyes a second – and Darwen a third – of the afternoon just prior to the arrival of the interval.
Many of the away supporters were left disgruntled as the teams made their way in for half-time. As for The Salmoners, things couldn’t really get much better.
HALF TIME: Darwen 2-0 Bury
Going into the second period, it felt as though if the visitors could get a goal back before the hour mark, they would – with momentum and a big away following behind them – go on to win the game. And, less than two and a half minutes in, they had the goal they needed. It was too easy for Gilboy to make his way down the right-hand side – the midfielder burst through into the penalty area and squared to Wharton who calmly side-footed into the bottom left corner. 2-1.
Less than five minutes later, Kris Holt equalised for The Shakers to send the travelling fans potty. Wharton did well to hold off a Darwen man and when Holt picked the ball up he only had one defender to beat – which he did with relative ease – before slotting past Holden. 2-2.
Shortly after, The Salmoners’ misery was, unfortunately, compounded when Bury’s front three combined to score the visitors’ comeback-completing goal. Holt played the ball wide to Chippendale who found Wharton in acres of space in the box and he finished from close range. The reds had capitulated. 2-3.
After being the man to complete The Shakers’ comeback, Wharton almost completed his hat-trick but his shot from the edge of the area came back off the left-hand post.
Abs Obasoto then forced Holden to make a good save with his feet before fellow substitute Tom Greaves scored Bury’s fourth with, arguably, the coolest finish of the afternoon. The forward took his time and rolled the ball through Holden’s legs. 2-4.
Five minutes from time, the away side put the game beyond all doubt. The ball was lingering on the edge of the six-yard box following aa double save from Holden to deny the eventual scorer, Harry Brazel and Greaves. Brazel made no mistake second time round when the lingering ball fell into his path. 2-5.
Bury could have had a sixth in the dying embers but Gilboy failed to keep his effort down.
FULL TIME: Darwen 2-5 Bury
The Salmoners will now wait three weeks to return to action with a local ‘towers’ derby against AFC Blackpool at The Anchor (Saturday October 30).
Attendance: 982
THE TEAMS
DARWEN
STARTING XI
Holden
Cumpsty
Lynch
Smalley
Ratcliffe
Gorman
Knowles
Langford
Bond
Wilson-Heyes
Creech
SUBSTITUTES
Hayhurst
Mortimer
Lonsdale
Wright
BURY
STARTING XI
1. Jack Atkinson
2. Jake Kenny
3. Matty Williams
4. Jimmy Moore
5. Jonno Hunt
6. Ayo Ibrahim
7. Lewis Gilboy
8. Chris Rowney
9. Ben Wharton
10. Kris Holt
11. Aiden Chippendale
SUBSTITUTES
12. Adam McWilliam
14. Abs Obasoto
15. Harry Brazel
16. Jordan Downing
17. Tom Greaves
Lewis On Sport 
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