Good Friday proved a bad one after all for Bury, losing 3-1 to Newport County in Wales. However, the Shakers responded with a 3-1 win of their own against mid-table Northampton Town on Easter Monday.
With two games to go, Ryan Lowe’s side are on the verge of automatic promotion into England’s third tier. Having scored the most goals of any team in League Two, former Aberdeen forward Nicky Maynard is at the forefront of their success.
Shakers’ star striker
Second-placed Bury have scored 80 goals in 44 games in England’s fourth tier. Incredibly, Maynard has contributed over a quarter of them on his own (21).
Maynard appears to be having more success in his native England than he did whilst up in Scotland. (Photo by Andy Whitehead/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
With two games to play, firstly against Tranmere away before a home match with Port Vale, the 32-year-old has been a key element of their attack. He could be the difference between automatic promotion, a playoff spot or promotion via the playoffs.
Northern nightmare
Maynard failed to score whilst up in the Granite City, largely down to struggling to get onto the park. He may be playing a tier above Reds’ icon Adam Rooney, but he couldn’t match the nine league goals and 11 in all competitions that the Irishman scored last term for the Dons.
The stirker made his name at Crewe before moving onto Bristol City but he barely featured in the Granite City. (Photo by Steve Welsh/Getty Images)
Even the duo of Stevie May and Greg Stewart, that struggle to score whilst wearing the red of Aberdeen, contributed more last season than Maynard with five and three in the Premiership respectively. Two starts and 16 substitute appearances tell you all you need to know about the Englishman’s Aberdeen tenure.
It just goes to show that lower league goals down south don’t mean that you’ll be an automatic success north of the border. The Scottish Premiership is a competitive division, with European qualification a potential prize, and isn’t as easy as some may suggest.