Match Report

Relegation-threatened Chester City stunned promotion-chasing Bury with a last-minute equaliser at Gigg Lane.

Bury striker Andy Morrell broke the deadlock right on the stroke of half-time with his eighth goal of the season but team-mate Ryan Cresswell was sent off just two minutes after the restart for a professional foul.

The Shakers' ten men then looked set to hold on until Ryan Lowe turned in Kevin Roberts' cross at the death.

Bury made a flying start and should have been ahead inside ten minutes. First, Mike Jones' cross was headed goalwards by Andy Bishop and defender Glenn Rule was on hand to clear off the line and then block Morrell's goalbound shot.

The resulting corner was cleared as far as Shakers skipper Stephen Dawson, who swung the ball back in, and Efe Sodje was denied by a smart save from John Danby.

Jones then headed too close to Danby from Steve Haslam's cross while Sodje headed onto the roof of the net from a Brian Barry-Murphy corner.

Chester replied with Anthony Barry hitting a 20-yard drive narrowly wide following a breakaway, before James Vaughan and Lowe both fired off target for City.

Chester's five-man defence was now beginning to frustrate Bury and Lowe lashed another long-range effort wide just after the half-hour mark.

Bishop then shot wide for Bury before Barry-Murphy chipped a free-kick into the Chester box and Sodje sent a looping header towards the far post, where Morrell forced the ball in.

The game swung in Chester's favour moments after the restart as Cresswell was shown a straight red for tugging back Lowe from Dave Mannix's throughball.

Kevin Ellison and Laurence Wilson went closest as Chester pushed for a much-needed equaliser before Dawson breathed a huge sigh of relief with ten minutes left as his attempted clearance from Wilson's corner flashed off the near post.

But Lowe turned Roberts' cross goalwards at the death and Sodje was unable to scramble the ball off the line.

Corners

Fouls

Goal attempts

Shots off target

Offsides