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Shakers News Centre > Match Reports > Oldham 1 Bury 1
Play-off points are lost at the death
Date: Saturday 31st March 2001, 18:00 BST
Two goals, a pair of red cards and frayed tempers all round. A match the outcome of which serves either side equally poorly was decided with the very last meaningful kick of the game as Matthew Tipton blasted in the equaliser from the edge of the penalty area with a full eight minutes of injury time having elapsed since the fourth official indicated only half that amount would be played.
 Andy Preece's anger towards the referee and Tipton afterwards was understandable. The match official lost control of the match five minutes before the interval when he red-carded Steve Redmond for a professional foul and then minutes later dispatched Mark Innes to the dressing room for another innocuous infringement. That Oldham's equaliser arrived with almost one hundered minutes on the clock was too much for Preece.
Of the result, he said: "I am disappointed but glad it is over so we can get out of Oldham. Things were going on from the start and it was summed up when Tipton did what he did." A display of poor sportsmanship from Tipton as he returned the ball to Bury after an Oldham player had received treatment, only to charge down Chris Armstrong's clearance, was what had infuriated Preece.
The Bury manager has promised to use video evidence to clear Redmond of any offence in the untidy challenge on Mark Allott which led to his sending off on 41 minutes. Yet the tape may incriminate Bury's forwards and supporting midfielders who squandered chance after chance to seal the win for the visitors. Newby, Jarrett and Littlejohn all failed to convert second half opportunities.
Newby tried to square to Jarrett when he found his run had been pushed wide, but it was a weak assist and Oldham cleared. Jarrett beat the home side's offside trap only to put his shot wide of the upright with just Kelly to beat, and Littlejohn was booked when his run into the area ended with a theatrical dive rather than an attempt on goal. It would have serious repercussions too, as within minutes Oldham were level.
Tipton had replaced Corazzin in the Oldham attack after the Canadian had missed two easy chances and he took his goal with well with a rising drive into the top corner, though Bury would have by that stage expected to be returning home with all three points, after Colin Cramb slid home Newby's cross three minutes after the restart.
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