Through high winds, hail and rain, a maelstrom of Bury attacks saw the Shakers overwhelm hosts Runcorn Linnets. Three first-half goals from Jordan Lazenbury, Mo Touray and Bebeto Gomes gave Bury a win that strengthens their position at the top of the table.

With the registration deadline in the week, the Shakers were able to add three players to the squad and selected all of them in the starting eleven. Lazenbury, having made a substitute appearance last week, would make his first start, joined by Louis White and Tom Carr, both making their debuts.

In opposition, the powerfully built Runcorn Linnets players towered over their visiting counterparts, and with Bury playing into the wind for the first-half, it seemed the match might be a struggle to start with. The hosts did start the match on the attack, a free-kick whizzed across the Bury box, while a Mitch Allen clearance caught in the wind was forced out for a corner. The tall Linnets players looked dangerous from set pieces all day.

As it was, while the home side had the big and strong players, they were far slower in comparison to Bury. Soon, the Shakers brought the match to them. Lazenbury had already put a free-kick just wide of goal before opening the scoring.

Great passing play among the Bury attackers saw the ball stretched out to either wing before Stepans sent a cross that was chested forward by Lazenbury. The ball bounced towards the goal past the keeper and into the net. The linesman had raised his flag as other Bury players had been standing in an offside position, but as they never touched the ball or interfered with play, the referee, after a short discussion, awarded the goal. Lazenbury’s first since joining the Shakers.

Playing into the wind presented challenges for Bury, but they handled the opposition with little trouble; the likes of Lazenbury, Stepans and Gomes danced through the Linnets' backline. Carr and Touray both presented a real threat in attack.

It wasn’t long before Bury had their second. Stepans intercepted a loose ball in the Runcorn half, he played in Touray, who had drifted out to the left unnoticed by the defence, and the Shakers' number 9 buried his effort into the bottom corner.

Still, Bury came forward on the attack, Gomes sent a cross from the right to Carr, who headed his effort just wide. The debutant would return the favour minutes later. Played in by Stepans, Carr sent a low cross in from the left and from very close-range, Bebeto Gomes forced home his first goal of the season for 3-0.

There could have been even more goals. Carr, again looking for a goal of his own, forced home keeper Yusuf Mersin into a save when he shot towards the top corner. Stepans had a shot palmed away. From the resulting corner, Touray saw his header cleared off the line.

After the break, the home side rang the changes, making a double substitution, but despite this, there was no real change in the match. At the start of the second-half, Carr was brought down by Mersin, and the Linnets keeper was perhaps fortunate to only receive a yellow card. The free-kick hit the wall, but Fogerty, on the rebound, fired a shot that had to be well saved.

The sun had at last come out, some respite for the players and the fans out in the open, but the free chances also dried up. Gomes got a cross in that Stepans could only glance wide.

At the other end, Runcorn did test Mitch Allen, the Bury keeper producing a great save to deny Noah Roberts from range, while Peter Wylie had a header at the far post from a free-kick but could only direct it straight at Allen.

Despite these chances, the away side were still very much in control. Gomes saw a shot deflected and nearly land perfectly for Carr while Connor Pye made an immediate impact off the bench, sending a cross to Lewis Rawsthorn, but the fellow substitute couldn’t get any power behind his effort.

Runcorn’s faint hopes of a comeback were all but over once captain Jacques Welsh hacked down Kai Evans on a Bury counter-attack, picking up a second yellow card and his marching orders.

The win for Bury, combined with defeat for second-placed Avro, sees the Shakers open up a four-point lead at the top with just five matches left to play. There is still a long way to go with many twists and turns, but if Bury can continue to perform as they did today, they could see a second successive championship secured.