Athletic battle back from two down at Bury

Bury 2, Athletic 2

Midfielder Ben Pringle struck late to earn Athletic a precious point in what was a feisty Lancashire derby at Bury.

The midfielder's crisp strike kept gutsy Athletic two points outside the Sky Bet League One drop zone with 11 games to go, while Bury's two dropped points mean they remain nine shy of the safety line.

Athletic boss Richie Wellens was delighted with what he admitted was a 'bonus' point.

He said: “We started slowly, made mistakes and played into their hands.

"But I can’t fault the commitment and effort of the players because on another day we might have gone on to win it.

“The players’ heads are down in the dressing room, but we’ve had a bad day.

"We were nowhere near our best but have taken a point.

“Come the end of the season, that point will be probably turn out to be a bonus for us."

Bury dominated the first half at a rain-soaked Gigg Lane.

They went ahead after 13 minutes when Athletic defender Wildred Moimbe headed the ball straight into Jay O'Shea's path, and the midfielder lashed home from 20 yards.

Athletic 'keeper Johny Placide superbly denied Harry Bunn, before the Shakers doubled their lead after 34 minutes.

Neil Danns ran menacingly at the heart of the visiting defence before looping a shot over Placide, via a slight deflection.

Athletic - roared on by a noisy 2,000-plus strong travelling army of fans -  managed to halve the deficit four minutes before the interval when Craig Davies tapped home after Duckens Nazon's deflected shot fell kindly into his path.

The visitors almost levelled when Kean Bryan's curling free-kick was brilliantly saved by Connor Ripley just after the restart.

However, Athletic were rewarded for a much-improved second-half effort when Pringle drilled home an angled shot from 15 yards.

Bury boss Ryan Lowe retains hope as his side have still only lost once in their last eight games.

Lowe said: "It has to be about winning games now. We've dropped two points here, but I can't be critical.

"The lads were all different class, and that's why it feels so much like a loss.

"I'm sure Richie Wellens will be delighted, but it has to be more about us keeping our back door shut now."