Bury ease into Suffolk Premier Cup semi-finals with 3-1 win at the Willows

Walsham-le-Willows defender Nathan Birch receives treatment on the sidelines, following a clash of heads with Will Gardner, who was unable to continue. Picture: CARL MARSTON (Image: Archant)

Clinical Bury Town eased into the semi-finals of the Suffolk Premier Cup, at the expense of local rivals Walsham-le-Willows, who had new manager Trevor Collins in charge for the first time at Summer Road tonight.

First-half goals by regular marksmen Ollie Hughes and Cemal Ramadan put Isthmian League North promotion hopefuls Bury in control at the break.

And a third goal, early in the second half, from Cruise Nyadzayo ensured a comfortable victory for Ben Chenery's men in this quarter-final tie.

Walsham began well enough, with the new management team of Collins and his assistant Trevor Newman looking on, and Lee Hammond came close to breaking the deadlock on six minutes.

The new Walsham-le-Willows management team on the sidelines during the Suffolk Premier Cup tie against Bury Town, with new boss Trevor Collins on the far right. Picture; CARL MARSTON (Image: Archant)

Hammond ran onto a through ball from Craig Nurse, but drilled his shot narrowly wide with just keeper Dan Barden to beat.

However, it needed a fine save from Willows keeper Dan Stobbart to deny Bury an opening goal on the quarter-hour mark. Ollie Fenn's deflected shot was heading for the net until Stobbart intervened with a superb one-handed save.

Substitute Max Maughn, on for the injured Will Gardner (clash of heads) had a shot charged down on 22 minutes, but the visitors did take the lead just four minutes later.

Walsham failed to deal with a long throw hurled to the edge of the six-yard box, and Hughes needed no second invitation as he prodded home in poacher's style.

Bury, with their noses in front, bossed the remainder of the first half and Stobbart had to perform heroics to divert Fenn's goalbound effort onto his post on 45 minutes.

But the Blues did double their lead, in the fifth minute of first-half injury-time, Ramadan steering home after Joe White had headed Ross Crane's deep corner back into the danger zone.

Bury added a third, early in the second half, with Nyadzayo firing home to effectively kill off the game as a contest, although Walsham did net a consolation via Nurse in the 82nd minute, despite a suspicion of handball.

Squads

WALSHAM: Stobbart, Warren, E Spampanato, Collins (sub Clark, 71), Miller, Birch, Hammond (sub Twinn, 63), Boulter, Glover (sub Lucraft, 68), Nurse, J Spampanato. Unused subs: Brown, Peters.

BURY: Barden, Edwards, Smith, Hood, White, Gardner (sub Maughn, 19), Nyadzayo, Fenn, Hughes (sub Carden, 70), Ramadan (sub Cook, 70), Crane. Unused subs: Chambers-Shaw, Bugg.