In a Friday night top-of-the-table clash, Bury emerged victorious over Lower Breck. A storming second half saw the Shakers score three goals casting off their demons and beating the Merseyside club for the first time in Liverpool.

The Shakers were boosted by the return from injury of James Nield and Lewis Rawsthorn, while new arrival Veron Parny took a spot on the bench. The most celebrated return, however, was reserved for DJ Pedro. Recalled from his loan at Southport, he would partner Mo Touray up front, the player who moved in the other direction in January.

In opposition were second-placed Lower Breck, a side that had beaten Bury at home in every previous meeting and had triumphed at Gigg Lane earlier in the season when they were top, and Bury were chasing them. Up front for the Breck were two former Bury players in Sam Burns and Alex Cherera. It was the latter who had the first chance of the match.

Cherera broke through on the left and, with a clear sight of goal, fired to the bottom corner. Shakers keeper Mitch Allen got down quickly to produce a brilliant save. From the resulting corner, Breck’s Connor Millington hit a goalbound volley that Allen again saved well.

It could have turned into a long and difficult night for the visitors, but gradually Bury grew into the match. A few dangerous crosses put the home defence on their heels while Pedro looked to make a goalscoring comeback seeing one shot from a tight angle blocked by Theo Roberts in the Breck goal and a header from a Leo Graham corner saved by the keeper.

The whole first half was a tight affair with neither side able to take charge. Sam Burns was booked for a foul on Bobby Carroll that was as high as it was late, while Pedro was denied a penalty appeal just before the break when he was tripped up with an open goal at his mercy.

The opening of the second half was equally tense, with neither side giving ground until, on the hour, the breakthrough was made.

After an earlier throw-in was played back to Pedro on the left wing, the Bury forward sent in a cross towards his strike partner in the middle. The tightly marked Mo Touray went for the audacious, flicking a backheel at the ball and caught it perfectly, fooling Roberts, who could only watch the ball land in the back of the net.

With the Shakers holding the lead, Breck had to come forward and attack in numbers. The Bury defence held firm while at the other end, gaps suddenly appeared where there had been none before. A looped pass from Graham found Pedro, who got ahead of his marker. Once he was one-on-one with the keeper, Pedro finally got the goal he had been chasing all evening.

Bury were now in a commanding position and came close to further extending their lead with Louis Isherwood firing just over the bar and substitute Lewis Rawsthorn forcing a great save from Roberts. At the other end, Lower Breck could have claimed a goal back with a ball that flashed across the face of goal. Burns' arrival at the far post was just too late, and the home side, with little time left, had a mountain to climb.

As added time ticked away, the Shakers rounded off the win with a final goal. Graham was played in and spotted Rawsthorn charging through the middle, crossed to his teammate, who put a simple header into the bottom corner to make it 3-0.

Full time came, and Jonno’s perfect record continued for another week. Once again, the Shakers kept a clean sheet, their sixth in a row spanning more than nine hours of play without conceding. The entire month of February passed without the Bury defence being breached.

The win sees Bury take a seven-point lead at the top of the table, but the long-awaited victory at Lower Breck at the fourth time of asking holds a greater psychological significance against a club that has followed Bury like a shadow for two seasons. A crucial three points picked up here could go a long way in Bury’s quest for a second successive promotion.