The first period was very much an even affair with both sides testing each other out. Pawel Abbot and O'Grady also had opportunities but their final touches let them down considerably. The build up play was good but the team definitely need a player who can find the net. Abbott put himself about a lot but didn't show any clinical finishing other than a good scissor kick which he was unlucky with. Maybe he will improve when he gets a few more games under his belt - we live in hope.
Sean Gregan and Reuben Hazell looked comfortable although the Gigg Lane men never really tested out Dean Brill in the Latics goal. Gregan showed a distinct lack of pace on several occasions but he was quite dominent in the air. Penney needs to have several options available in his central defensive set up to compensate for some glaring inadequacies and to cover for injuries that there will no doubt be. Hazell spoilt a sound performance with a minute of craziness when he tackled Danny Racchi with something that would not have been allowed in an American football game. He was very fortunate to be just shown the yellow card and it would probably have been worse had the game been of more significance.
In the second half, Lewis Alessandra, Danny Whitaker, Kelvin Lomax, Ryan Brooke and Chris Rowney all came on for a run and replaced O'Grady, Abbott, Smalley, Worthington and Eardley.
Taylor (pictured) had a glorious chance to seal the win and should have scored with an easy header which miraculasly escaped contact with his head when it looked easier to score than miss. It came from a corner kick from Jacobson, one of the better corners which occurred as many of the corners where wasted by overhitting the ball to the back post with no-one available to take advantage.
The Latics brought on a trialist centre forward who was looking quite useful but he didn't last very long. He had to be carried off on a stretcher following a nasty collision with the Bury goalkeeper and centre back in an incident that took about four minutes to resolve. All in all, the Latics fans who witnessed the game went away worried and hoping that Penney can wave a magic wand over the players on view or alternatively step up his search for another central defender and a goalscorer as goals will be hard to come by on this showing.