Could it be the manager of the month curse struck early at the Greenhous Meadow?

Not until Friday will we learn if a fantastic February – which yielded 13 points from a possible 15 – will earn Graham Turner the first monthly gong of his second stint in charge at Shrewsbury.

But the downturn in fortunes which usually follows such an award arrived last night.

There is little doubt that Bury’s impressive display made the visitors full value for three points from the vital promotion showdown.

And it proved a sobering conclusion for Shrewsbury who were firmly on the back foot during a closing 30 minutes which was dominated by Alan Knill’s side.

But it was not always thus and, amid the inevitable gloom which accompanied this unwelcome setback, came the odd shaft of light for Graham Turner and his side to cling to as they aim to bounce back at Northampton this weekend.

This may have been Town’s heaviest defeat of the campaign but it wasn’t their worst display.

During the opening 30 minutes of the first half and the early stages of the second, Town were arguably the superior force as they attacked with eye-catching purpose.

But when the defining moments arrived, it was Bury who came up with the answers.

For the visitors’ opening two goals, no sooner had Town gone close at one end than they had conceded at the other.

On night when 18-year-old debutant Connor Goldson acquitted himself well, Town missed the reliable leadership of suspended captain Ian Sharps at the heart of their defence and they were to fall behind on 21 minutes.

The space afforded Andy Bishop as he rifled home a David Worrall cross would have disappointed Turner.

But that came just 60 seconds after a swirling, rasping drive from the effervescent Jon Taylor was tipped on to the bar by Bury goalkeeper Cameron Belford and Matt Harrold could only divert a golden headed opportunity from the rebound over.

It was déjà vu on 53 minutes when, shortly after James Collins got too much purchase on an attempted dink on Belford from a Taylor cross, the visitors doubled their lead.

While former Town forward Ryan Lowe was desperate to claim the goal – it would have made him the first Bury player to score in eight successive League games – it was clear Steven Schumacher’s corner went in off Matt Sadler.

While that put Town two goals behind, it may have been a different story prior to that with Collins going close on three other occasions.

Nicky Wroe also struck the post shortly after Town fell two behind but Lowe’s effort killed the game as a contest.

Bury’ used the ball impressively during the latter stages of the game and the third goal they threatened arrived courtesy of a stunning 25 yard free-kick from the outstanding Schumacher 10 minutes from time.

With Town dropping to fifth and Bury bursting into the top three, this was a damaging defeat.

But, with 13 games still to go and the promotion chasing pack tightly congested, it’s not a fatal one.

By JAMES GARRISON