A strange game saw Prestwich storm into a 6 goal lead in the first 45 minutes, yet struggle to find any fluency whatsoever in the second period in which the struggling visitors to their credit re-grouped and made a real fist of it.
Prestwich took the lead on 3 minutes through veteran Paul Taylor with a thumping header from a Sean Haslam corner.
Minutes later there was nearly an identical second when Richard Steadman headed against the bar from another Haslam corner. But it wasn’t long in coming, on 9 Minutes Mike Neary picked the ball up some 35 yards out wide left and set off on a meandering run across the pitch which culminated in a cracking strike with his weaker left foot that flew low and hard inside the left hand post giving the keeper no chance.
6 minutes later Neary added to his tally when a ball by Steadman saw him through one on one with the keeper which saw him coolly finish.
Whilst the goals were raining in it wasn’t a case of Prestwich camping in the Bury half, indeed the lumpy playing surface was making for a very scrappy game largely focussed in the central areas.
Bury were enjoying decent spells of possession but their attacking thrusts were being largely subdued in the final third by an uncompromising Prestwich back line of Steve Lorenzini, Taylor, Steadman and James Barlow with Steadman (pictured) in particular catching the eye with a series of robust challenges.
Further forward Prestwich also had the edge with Lewis Smith and Matty Brennan dominating centrally giving Neary, Haslam and Tito Miguel license to attack at every opportunity.
On 25 mins Haslam got in on the act, latching on to a Brennan through ball beating the keeper on the second attempt from an acute angle on the right. Minutes later Haslam got his second with a powerful strike into the top corner from some 20 yards out.
In a season in which missed chances have cost Prestwich so dearly Prestwich were putting in an exhibition of clinical finishing and on 38 minutes Prestwich added a sixth. Whilst the visitors were distracted with complaining to the referee about a perceived infringement on the half way line, Neary raced down the right wing and delivered pinpoint cross which Haslam met perfectly ahead of his marker to side foot into the net and complete his hat trick.
With the outcome pf the points effectively decided the second half was a drab affair with Bury making creditable attempts to get a consolation thwarted by the Prestwich rear guard and keeper Mike Hudson was only seriously troubled on a couple of occasions.
