A trip Gigg Lane was next on the agenda for the Baggies and I. A rainy Lancashire was the night’s Carling Cup clash setting. With us having five players out on international duty and having not won away since Peterborough back in January, I was feeling a little subdued. A Bury side nonetheless had their problems also. Two of their first choice strikers were out with injury as well as on-loan man David Worrall who was ineligible to face his parent side. The pre-match entertainment started to build as the kick off edged ever closer. The team sheets were announced which I and a few others around me were puzzled to find that Shelton Martis had been placed in midfield, but I put my faith in RDM.
First-Half
As against Newcastle, the Baggies make a bright start creating a few chances but rarely troubled the Bury goalie. Albion piled on a bit more pressure in the 5th minute and got their reward when a misjudged pass in the Bury defence lead to Filipe Teixeira robbing the ball from Paul Scott and passing the ball across the box for Graham Dorrans to slot home for 1-0. Fifteen minutes gone, a cross field ball from Teixeira somehow made its way to the feet of Zuiverloon just outside the box. His powerful drive tested Brown in the Bury net, but it was just over the bar. Albion continued to dominate the next 10 minutes with some good passages of play. Bury on the other hand didn’t seem to get out the starting blocks. Zuiverloon ran through the Bury defence again with ease on 18 minutes, and had a close range shot blocked by Brown, before Beattie tried again with the ricochet and buried it in the back of the net. The linesman on the far side judged him to be offside though, and the deficit remained at one goal.
I could sense the Bury fans getting concerned as we got around the back of them time and time again. Lady luck must have been on our side as Bury free kick was blocked and hoofed out, Craig Beattie chased a long ball down the right hand side, came in and fired a low cross into the box only for it to cannon off Mike Jones and divert near post into his own net beyond the despairing keeper. Bury wasn’t having the best games, 2-0 down and it got worse for the Shakers. Danny Carlton was helped off the pitch with over half-an-hour gone after a hefty challenge resigned him to the dugout. Rouse came on as his replacement. The first-half was a testament to a now Championship side who get forward in numbers, and who importantly get back in numbers as well. The Baggies' pace was troubling the Shakers’ defence, and their strength at the back was fending off the strikers rather easily. For Bury to get a goal back in this game, it would have to be something very special. Nothing prevailed for the home side and we went into the break, 2-0.
After the break
Someone must have swapped the drinks bottles over for the second-half because Bury started the brighter of the two teams. Seven minutes into the second half and Bury made a resounding run forward with Jones. The cross into the box came from the right hand side and was deflected by the Baggies' defence and away from danger. Rouse did well moments after the substitution, threading a loose ball through into the box for Jones. He fired a powerful drive towards goal, but it was just wide of the post. It seems like the roles had been reversed and the Baggies looked the lower leagued of the two. Bury had something to build on as Ryan Lowe latched onto a long ball forward from Brown; controlling it on his chest, he took the ball around Kiely with the angle gradually fading he shot but his effort was blocked and sent out of play for a corner.
The home side pressured the Baggies with some neat football. Efe Sodje looked to have scored for Bury as Jones sent in a free kick to the far post. The towering Nigerian took his header well, beating Kiely, but the linesman judged him to be offside and the score-line stayed at 2-0. Graham Dorrans looked set to make it three for West Brom with less than five minutes remaining, after making a fine run through the Bury defence. His initial shot was blocked, but he still had enough left to try another shot which went wide. Beattie had a go at extending the tally for the Baggies moments later with a free kick after Sodje was penalised, but he sent the ball way over the bar with Brown untroubled. Two minutes of additional time were indicated by the fourth official as Dawson tried an ambitious shot from well outside the area which was blocked. The referee eventually called time on a game which had seen Bury and the Baggies play two very different halves.
On Reflection
After initially being outplayed by the Baggies in the first-half and looking a step off the Championship pace, Bury played much better in the second half, making more passes count and fighting for a goal. They were ultimately beaten by a much stronger side, and there can't be too many complaints with that. The Shakers put up much more of a fight in the second half, and might feel hard done by to not have claimed a goal by the end. They may be out of the Carling Cup, but the marathon of the league is still anyone's game. As for the Baggies, two goals see us through to the next round and RDM gets his first win under his belt. Next on the fixture list is a trip to Nottingham Forest where the league gets back up and running and hopefully 3 points in the bag.