CITY'S comeback kids stole the show at the Athletics Arena on another miserable night for Shakers' keeper Craig Dootson.

Sent off on Tuesday night in the LDV Northern Section defeat at Halifax, shell-shocked Dootson was beaten six times in the opening half in this one-sided stroll and then on three further occasions after the break.

Returning Blues strikers Robbie Fowler and Bradley Wright-Phillips were each on the mark in the first half hour as Steve Wigley's men strolled to victory in the Manchester Senior Cup.

Fowler showed little discomfort from his bad back as he opened the account in the 18th minute with a delicate lob from the edge of the box after Wright-Phillips' effort had been blocked by Dootson.

WP wasted no time pushing his own claims for a recall when gliding home a cross from the powerful Ishmael Miller who operated wide on the left to accommodate the pair of fit hitmen.

Outclassed

Four more goals followed in a ten-minute spell as Bury found themselves hopelessly outclassed.

Miller made it 3-0 with a cross shot in the 31st minute and Lee Croft's mirror image effort from the right made it four in the 38th.

A young Bury side then fell apart twice more in the final five minutes of the half as Fowler grabbed his second from a Croft cross in the 40th minute and then Miller helped himself to a penalty three minutes from the break after Marc Laird had been upended running on to a clever Fowler pass.

Their jobs done, both Fowler and Croft made way at the break and one of the replacements, Daniel Sturridge, was on the mark within five minutes taking advantage of slack marking in the middle. He doubled his tally to make it eight and Paul Collins rounded off the rout.

CITY: Weaver, Warrender, Collins, Bischoff, Richards, Laird, Croft (Etuhu 46), Fowler (Sturridge 46), Wright-Phillips, Miller, Hussain (Bennett 50). Not used: Schmeichel, Bennett, Logan.

BURY: Dootson, Barrow, Wedge, Theophanous (Stephens), Hitchen, Clarkson, Worrall (Bentley), Quigley, Stepian, Burke, Mainwaring (Williams ). Not used: Pauls and Smith.

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