Shakers late show maintains hopes of automatic promotion

Posted Sunday, March 10, 2019 by PA

Nicky Maynard struck in the fifth minute of added time as Bury maintained the pressure on Sky Bet League Two leaders Lincoln to clinch a dramatic 1-0 win at Stevenage.

Maynard headed past the despairing dive of Paul Farman to snatch the points, with Scott Wharton’s brilliant ball in rewarded after flick-ons from Dom Telford and Adam Thompson.

That was despite Stevenage having the better of the play, with the tone set when Moses Makasi was unable to convert a Joel Byrom cross in the opening minutes.

Maynard should have opened the scoring later in the half but failed to control from Caolan Lavery, while Makasi had two further chances before the break, the latter seeing him denied by Joe Murphy.

The second half was more of a scrappy affair, though Stevenage came closest to the breakthrough when Johnny Hunt and Kurtis Guthrie fashioned chances to break the deadlock.

The hosts should have won it when Jordan Gibson was provided with a glorious opening, only for his shot to sail over the bar, before Maynard stole the points at the death with his 19th goal of the season to help Bury close to within two points of Lincoln.