Maurice Dickson at Stainton Park...

Shakers Reserve team boss Richie Barker will be wondering how his Bury side managed to lose this game despite dominating it for long periods.

It was a Bury side which contained the entire bench from Saturday's first team game with Gillingham and watched by the Shakers first team management and kicking down the slope in the first half, it was a pretty quiet opening fifteen minutes and then it was Macclesfield who produced the first real chance of the game when a deep cross from Thomas was taken off Mukendi's head by a stretching Richie Branagan.

Branagan was called into action shortly after when Macc threatened again three minutes later when he got his fingertips to a decent powerful header from left winger Jack Lane.

The Shakers second string finally tested Mathew Lowe when Lennel John-Lewis broke free down the right and his cross was met by an incoming Danny Carlton but the big centre forwards effort was well stopped by the young Town 'keeper. Carlton, again, was proving to be a threat when he fired narrowly wide after good work by down the wing by left back Max Harrop and trialist Tomas Roberts on the half hour.

As the Shakers began to dominate, especially in midfield, it was Krishnan Patel's turn to test Lowe with a long range shot but it just about cleared the bar with the 'keeper scrambling to cover it and two minutes later he did it again with a fierce drive which was bound for the top corner but Lowe produced the save of the game to claw the ball away for a corner.

The second half got under way where the first left off with the Shakers midfield getting a grip on things and Danny Carlton raced onto a delightful ball from Kyle Bennett but the bounce just evaded him and Lowe gathered.

On the hour mark it was Carlton again but this time the big striker was the provider, firing a cross the six yard box but the inrushing John-Lewis or Roberts could get on the end of it.

Shortly after Branagan showed what a promising stopper he is, with a wonderful save, tipping over a Brinsley header following a rare Macclesfield corner.

As the game wore on and Kyle Bennett and Damien Mozika running the show the Shakers came close to scoring when Harrop's cross was forced out for a corner. Bennett put over a beauty and Ben Futcher used all of his six feet, seven inches to head powerfully towards goal only to see the ball cannon back off the angle of post and crossbar.

With just fifteen minutes remaining, the Shakers again pressed forward and some slick one touch passing between Roberts, Bennett and Harrop led to Bennett shooting from 25 yards and, once again, Lowe turned the ball away well for a corner which Futcher headed over. The impressive Bennett tried his luck with just minutes remaining, again from distance, but Lowe was right behind it.

The Silkmen's lanky frontman Mukendi, who was certainly Macc's best player on the night, tried his luck from distance on 88 but Branagan was equal to it.

The Shakers pushed forward in search of a late winner but it was the visitors who stole all three points in injury time. A ball down the right hand side found Chalmers and his super cross was met by Adam Roberts and his shot seemed to rebound off Branagan back to the young midfielder who slotted home. It was certainly rough on the Shakers who should have won comfortably.

Bury's Man of the Match was Kyle Bennett.

Bury: Richie Branagan, Zach Rothwell, Max Harrop, Krishnan Patel, Ben Futcher, Andrai Jones, Kyle Bennett, Damien Mozika, Danny Carlton, Lennel John-Lewis, Tomas Roberts (Trialist)

Subs: Adam Roberts, Christian Dibble, Luke McCarthy, Shaun Mangan, Danny Hudson, Wade Joyce, Dalton McLaughlin

Macclesfield Town: Mathew Lowe, Jack Cudworth, Samuel Wegdbury, Adam Roberts, Michael Thomas, Shaun Brisley, Lewis Chalmers, James Moss, Jason Beardsley, Vinny Mukendi, Jack Lane

Subs: Sam Cook, Patrick Montgomery, Kynan Mason

Referee: Mr J Collin

Assistants: Mr T Harty, Mr I Muncaster